GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. — Unless you’ve lived under a rock the last few years, you probably know Kentucky Lake (and to a lesser extent, its sister, Lake Barkley) has become one of the preeminent smallmouth fisheries south of the Mason-Dixon line.
So, the expectation might be that brown fish will dominate the bags in the first of five Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine LBL Division events on Kentucky and Barkley this season, set for Feb. 28. But something has been growing in the two fisheries, and it might start to show itself at this event.
What to expect
While prepping to launch his full-time guide service this spring, Harlan Thomas has been spending extra time on Kentucky Lake this winter. And what he’s been seeing might surprise some people.
“The largemouth are coming back drastically,” Thomas said. “I’m seeing schools of 2-pounders by the hundreds.”
Thomas figured with everyone so focused on the smallmouth in recent years, the largemouth haven’t been messed with near as much, especially during spawning season. Thus, the lakes have seen some banner largemouth spawns the last several years, with the fruits starting to bloom in the form of mega schools.
Now, 2-pounders are hardly tournament winners on these lakes. But Thomas said there are some big ones out there with them, too. He weighed in a 22-pound bag of all green fish this winter, which lends him to believe the winner of this event could easily have at least one good largemouth in the bag come weigh-in.
That being said, he admits most the field will still focus on smallmouth, and for good reason. With the water temperatures still in the 40s and the fish largely in a winter mode, smallmouth will be easier to catch. Thomas expects many to start pushing shallower in the coming weeks as the water warms, making the lakes’ primary and secondary point pattern all the more relevant.
Baits to bring
Many competitors will look to maximize the three-hour forward-facing sonar window at this event, making a jighead minnow a go-to, according to Thomas.
That said, they’ll also need some jerkbaits, swimbaits, spinnerbaits and possibly a lipless crankbait for the rest of the day. And anyone who ventures out on Kentucky lake without a jig is doing so at their own detriment.
What will it take?
Unless Mother Nature decides to throw a massive wrench in the plans, it almost always takes at least 20 pounds to win an LBL Division event on these fisheries this time of year. In fact, Thomas said with the largemouth coming back, it wouldn’t surprise him to see the winning weight get to the 22- to 23-pound mark.