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Reelfoot news mixed Kentucky Lake busy with tourneys
Posted: Friday, June 12, 2009 3:02 pm
By: By Brent Callicott
This week’s fishing report for Reelfoot Lake is a little on the slim side. Not that there are not folks fishing, I just have not been able to talk with very many fishermen this past week and not been on Reelfoot myself in about two weeks.
The bites have slowed depending on who you talk to. The bluegill bite is doing well. The bass aren’t to bad, either, but the crappie bite has slowed down just a little more.
Water temperatures on Reelfoot Lake are in the lower 80s.
The water level is about the normal level from what I have been told also. We could use a little rain, but I’m not complaining yet. The lake is a little higher right now than it was this time last year (thanks to a very wet month of May 2009, almost 11 inches).
Water color on the lake varies depending on where you are and the water depth. Reelfoot Lake waters usually turn a greenish color once the warm weather settles in for the summer. It usually seems that the deeper the water, the earlier the water starts its turn toward the green color. Overall, the color is not all that bad for right now.
Like I was saying on the bluegill, get you some wax worms and crickets. Can’t go wrong with those. Head for the deepest and largest of Cypress trees on Reelfoot Lake. Also, look for areas around the base of the Cypress Trees where they meet the water, looking for signs where bluegill have been nibbling the small roots for grubs. Find this pattern, and you’ll find bluegill.
The Bass bite is fair by all reports. Not many folks are bass fishing that I can find out. Some have taken their skills to the Kentucky lake area, where 100 bass being caught per day seems to not be a problem for some. If you want to test the Reelfoot Bass, flip around Cypress trees with jigs and soft plastics. Also, look for lily pad patches that have concentration of baitfish. These are areas that would be best. Spinnerbaits (Strike King) 3/8-ounce White Premier Plus would be a good choice. Remember the Reelfoot Lake Bass Club’s Annual Big Bass Tournament June 20th on Reelfoot Lake. Contact Gordon Fox at 885-5541 for more information.
As for crappie, I know there are still several folks holding on for the crappie bite until the weather gets to hot. In recent weeks, windy days have not allowed many to get out in the open waters to test their luck for the crappie. Use jigs by dragging them through small stump fields in the Lower Blue Basin area of the lake is one method of producing bites.
Last week, I was able to attend and be a media guest at the BassMaster Elite Series Bass Tournament on Kentucky Lake at Paris Landing State Park Marina. I spent two days talking with many of the best bass fishermen the tournament trail has to offer, taking up-close photos of their large stringers of bass and meeting lots of new folks. Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., set the pace on Day 1 with a 5 bass limit just shy of 30 pounds (29 pounds, 14 ounces, to be exact). He was still in the lead when Day 4 ended, earning him the top prize of $100,000 and his first ever win as an Elite Pro. His four-day total weight was 97 pounds, 4 ounces (20 bass). My friend Mark Menendez of Paducah, Ky., ended up 44th overall, making the cut for Day 3 and the top 50 but wasn’t able to make the final top 12. His three-day total weight was 48 pounds 13 ounces.
Big Bass for the event was a healthy 8 pound, 4 ounce largemouth bass caught by Fred Roumbanis of Bixby, Okla. Overall, the anglers had to take what Mother Nature dished out to them with four days of different weather conditions. For the tournament, there were 1,235 Bass weighed in that tipped the scales at a wopping 4,366 pounds and 14 ounces. That comes out to be right at a 3 1/2 pound average per bass, which is really good.
Be making plans for next year if you missed out this year because the BassMaster Elite Bass Tour will be right back in Paris in 2010.
Also, this past Saturday, the Reelfoot Lake Junior Bass Club sent a few members to fish the 2009 Tennessee Bass Federation Junior Bass State Tournament. It was held on Kentucky Lake out of the New Johnsonville area. In the 11 to 14 age group, John Coble Garrett finished second and Trent Mann finished sixth out of a total of 15 junior anglers. Then in the older, 15 to 18 age group, Trevor Clouse finished third, Jake Lawrence finished 10th and Chance wWilliams finished 13th out of 17 total anglers. This was a great event and a great learning experience for these young people, fishing and meeting people from other parts of Tennessee.
This week, the FLW Tour is competing on Kentucky Lake with 150 of its top touring pros. The tournament is Thursday through Sunday with the weigh-in on Saturday and Sunday at the Regional Special Events Center at Murray State University. A family Fun Zone will be at the weigh-in as well and all are invited to attend this free event. For more information, go to www.flwoutdoors.com for more information.
In closing, I want to personally thank each one of you who have called, stopped me or my family somwhere, sent notes, e-mails and phone calls to express how much you enjoy my weekly fishing report. I consider this a honor to be able to do this report for you. I write these hoping to give information that might help someone, fishing or not fishing. My goal is I want to help promote the outdoors to the best of my ability, passing on to the young folks what my folks taught me. I want to also thank David Fuzzell and The Union City Messenger for asking me to write this weekly report. I try my best each week to be honest and report to the public, information that might be of interest to you.
If anyone has pictures, stories ideas or other information that you would like to share with me and the public, call me at 731-446-3678 or 731-885-7109 or e-mail me at calli1@charter.net. We would love to have your information.
Catch ya on the water
Brent
Published in The Messenger 6.12.09
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Brent Callicott
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