Kentucky Lake: Offshore galore

Fifth FLW Tour stop promises to be deep-water slugfest

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – After visiting Lake Guntersville in northern Alabama to kick off the 2009 season, the Walmart FLW Tour returns to the Tennessee River for its fifth qualifying event. And much like Guntersville, this tournament, held on Kentucky and Barkley lakes, is expected to be a slugfest, although the similarities all but end there.

In February, the Chevy Open delivered impressive weights, but many anglers averaged fewer than 10 keepers per day. Numbers will not be a problem this week, as several pros have reported catching over 100 bass per day in practice. But of those 100, only a third were keepers. Simply put, there will be a lot of sorting.

While the entire fishery, including Barkley, is loaded with bass, it is no secret that the best sacks have recently come from the south end of the lake. The recent BASS event was won by Bobby Lane, who fished shell-laden ledges near New Johnsonville, Tenn. BASS held their daily takeoffs in Paris, Tenn. The FLW Tour event takes off from the Kentucky Lake Dam Marina, which is located on the northwest side of the lake in Gilbertsville, Ky.

The run from Gilbertsville to Paris is approximately 40 miles, and New Johnsonville is another 35 miles down the river. On days three and four, the official takeoff will be held at Kenlake Marina in Hardin, Ky., which is roughly 20 miles south of Gilbertsville or half the trip to Paris.

Ray Scheide is one of many pros who has committed to the extreme southern end of the lake. His first spot is exactly 85 miles south of the Kentucky Lake Dam Marina, which means at 70 mph, he won’t arrive there until approximately 8 a.m.

“I don’t mind running, because on this particular lake, you can catch 25 pounds in 10 minutes,” said Scheide, fresh off a $200,000 victory at the Walmart Open. “During practice I pulled up on a spot, made three casts, and had two 6-pounders and a 4-pounder.”

Using a combination of a 12-inch Berkley Power Worm and a Bomber Fat Free Shad crankbait, the BP pro expects to catch in the neighborhood of 100 bass today. His concerns lie not with catching fish, but with catching the right ones and having enough time to make it back safely.

“It could be feast or famine because the bass are so concentrated here. You need to fish spots nobody else has found and then rotate schools until you hit the right one.”

Dan Morehead has been fishing Kentucky Lake all his life. He lives in Paducah, Ky., and knows the north end of the lake like the back of his hand. On day one he plans to travel south of Paris and essentially give up his home-lake advantage. In addition, he will give up nearly half of his allotted fishing time. That says all you need to know about the quality of the fish being caught down south.

“I think I speak for everyone making the run: We’re mostly worried about the southwest winds,” Scheide added. “They’re supposed to kick up to around 10 to 20 mph. I just hope they are associated with the storm, and when it’s over, the wind dies.”

The general consensus among the pros is that 18 to 19 pounds per day will be needed to make the all-important top-10 cutoff.

Logistics

Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. Thursday and Friday from the Kentucky Dam Marina located at 466 Marina Drive in Gilbertsville, Ky. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the Kentucky Dam Marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Regional Special Events Center at Murray State University located at 1401 State Route 121 North in Murray, Ky., beginning at 4 p.m.

In conjunction with the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, FLW Outdoors, who is being welcomed locally by Today’s 24 Carrot Country 93.3 WKYQ, will host a free Family Fun Zone and outdoor show at the Regional Special Events Center at Murray State University each day at noon. The Family Fun Zone offers fans a chance to meet their Fantasy Fishing team anglers face-to-face and review the latest products from Berkley, Lowrance, Ranger, Evinrude, Yamaha and other sponsors while children are treated to giveaways, fishing themed games and rides like the Ranger Boat simulator.

Children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone on Sunday will receive a free rod and reel combo courtesy of WPSD Local 6 while supplies last. One lucky member of the audience will even win a new Ranger boat courtesy of The Paducah Sun that will be given away during the final 4 p.m. weigh-in Sunday, June 14. Admission is free, and you must be present to win.

In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field competes in the two-day opening round for one of 10 slots in Saturday’s competition based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for day three, and co-angler competition concludes following Saturday’s weigh-in. The top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.

On the Web

For those who can’t catch the weigh-in action in person, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, an online application that brings fans real-time weigh-in results, streaming video and audio.

In addition to FLW Live, FLWOutdoors.com is offering real-time updates from the water throughout each day of the Kentucky Lake event. Simply click on the “On the Water Coverage” banner from any of the FLW Outdoors, Bass and FLW Tour home pages.

Thursday’s conditions

Sunrise: 5:34 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 73 degrees

Expected high temperature: 83 degrees

Water temperature: 77-82 degrees

Wind: SW at 15 mph

Maximum humidity: 74 percent

Day’s outlook: scattered strong storms