Under the weather

Storms may affect Stren action on Kentucky-Barkley lakes

Gilbertsville, Ky. – The bright sunrise that greeted Stren Series Central Division anglers at The Moors Marina was quickly muted by building clouds that will likely deliver a rainy – at times, stormy – day on Kentucky-Barkley lakes.

Western Kentucky saw a round of the rough stuff overnight, as thunderstorms sloshed and flashed their way through the area during the early morning hours. Mount Vernon, Ill., pro Travis Loyd said he’s OK with precipitation, but an atmospheric light show can do bad things to the bedding pattern that he leveraged on day one for a seventh-place limit of 20 pounds, 2 ounces.

“The rain doesn’t bother me as much as the lightning because (lightning) sometimes will stir up the shallow fish and lock them up,” Loyd said. “But my belief is that, whenever you’re fishing spawning bass, they’re so aggressive that if you get anything close to that bed, they’ll come out and get it.”

Loyd said he’ll be throwing a jig with a Zoom Brush Hog. He likes high banks for their easier access to shallow fish.

“When there’s a lot of water in behind the bushes, the fish are there but you can’t get to them,” he said. “I key on high banks and look for spots where I can go in there, fish relatively fast and go on to the next spot.

“I found some spawning fish yesterday, and I just got the right bites. Hopefully, I’ll get the right bites today. I think I can get 12 to 15 pounds pretty easily. The fish are biting pretty good.”

Starting day two just 3 ounces ahead of Loyd, sixth-place pro Ben Parker is looking to build on his 20 pounds, 5 ounces by fishing deep for postspawn fish on ledges and main-lake structure. He’ll throw a crankbait and a football-head jig with Yum Money Craw trailer. Parker said he pairs a molting craw-colored jig with a black/blue trailer to create contrast that enhances the bait’s large profile in muddy water.

“When I throw it out and it hits the bottom, I just reel it (steadily) like I’m slow-rolling a spinnerbait,” Parker said. “It’s just (a presentation) the fish haven’t seen. It comes through, and they either bite it or they don’t.”

Co-angler leader Brian Somrek hopes to get plenty of flipping opportunities. He’ll work with jigs and a Texas-rigged Lake Fork Packer Craw. Somrek said he’s encouraged by the rising lake level (as predicted by the Tennessee Valley Authority).

“The water has come up from where it was yesterday, so that should make the fish go to the backside of the bushes where they were before the water went down,” Somrek said. “It looks like it’s going to be a good day for everybody, so hopefully I can hook up a good five fish and go from there.”

A quick scan of the rods on boat decks showed a mix ranging from Senkos to buzzbaits. Many, like day-one leader Tommy Ellis (24-4) will be flipping shallow cover, but some will work main-lake points and deep rocks with crankbaits and swimbaits. Pro Justin Russell of El Dorado, Kan., said he caught fish by working his double willow-blade spinnerbait around boat docks in the marina below the dam.

Logistics

Anglers will take off from Moors Marina located at 570 Moors Road in Gilbertsville, Ky., at 6:30 each morning. Friday’s weigh-ins also will be held at Moors beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 310 W. Main St. in Benton, Ky., beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

The Kentucky-Barkley lakes Stren Series tournament is hosted by the Marshall County Tourist Commission. The entire field competes for the first two days of Stren Series events. The top 10 professionals and co-anglers continue competition on day three, and the winner in each division is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all three days.

Pros will fish for a top award of $25,000 plus a 198VX Ranger powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor and Lowrance electronics if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $7,500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant in the contingency program.

Co-anglers will cast for a top award of a 177TR Ranger powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard and trailer. If the co-angler meets the Ranger Cup guidelines, they will earn an additional $5,000. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $2,500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant in the contingency program.

Friday’s conditions

Sunrise: 5:51 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 61 degrees

Expected high temperature: 75 degrees

Water temperature: 67 degrees

Wind: S at 8-12 mph

Humidity: 81 percent

Day’s outlook: partly cloudy with afternoon thunderstorms