Elkhorn Creek, one of Central Kentucky’s top streams for smallmouth bass, is accessible by canoe, kayak and pontoon.

                                                                                                                                                                     Photo by John B. Lander

Posted October 23, 2008

Staff Report

                          Kentucky River Muskies

    Three major reservoirs in Kentucky are stocked with muskies (Cave Run, Green River and Buckhorn), but there’s another excellent place in the state to fish for these toothy fighters – the Kentucky River.

    Launch your boat in Beattyville, in Lee County (ramp is on Water Street), and fish the confluence of the North, Middle and South Forks.

    This section of the river is stocked annually with muskies, and historically has supported native populations.

    At normal pool, the river is relatively shallow (3 to 10 feet deep) and ideal for johnboats or small bass boats.

    Muskies locate predominately on wood cover, such as stumps, root wads and deadfalls, but changing water levels tend to make them move around a lot. Fishing is best when there’s very little current.

    Spinnerbaits and bucktails (in-line spinners) are a good lure choice, but some anglers also fish larger jerkbaits because muskies in the 40-inch size range are often taken from this section of the river.

    Shallow riffles prevent anglers in boats from fishing very far up the Middle Fork, but there’s about four miles of fishable water in the South Fork. The North Fork is also navigable for several miles.

    The Kentucky River is an overlooked resource, with good fishing opportunities.

                                                                Photo by John B. Lander

Posted March 6, 2009

By Lee McClellan

Ky. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Resources

         Elkhorn Creek Smallmouth Bass Population Rebounding

    Elkhorn Creek, one of the premier smallmouth streams in Kentucky, produced fantastic smallmouth bass fishing from 1998 to 2002. Now the good fishing has returned, thanks to the 12-16 inch protective slot limit, and a change in the weather.

    Fishing flattened out on the Elkhorn in 2003 and the downward trend continued through 2006. It wasn’t pollution, disease or stream bank development that caused the trend. It was rain.

    “When we have really wet years, it impacts the spawn in a negative way,” said Jim Axon, retired assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “Drought years are good years for smallmouth spawning on streams.”

    Fishing on the Elkhorn flourished from 1998 to 2002 because drought years in the late 1980s and early 1990s encouraged great reproduction of smallmouth bass. The better the smallmouth spawning success, the better the future fishing.

    The same scenario is taking shape now. Smallmouth fishing on the creek began to pick up in 2007 and improved again in 2008 until last summer’s drought made the fish lethargic. This coming year should be the best year for fishing on Elkhorn Creek since the 1998 to 2002 boom.

    “In our sampling last spring, we saw lots of smallmouth in that 15-17 inch range,” said Jeff Crosby, central fisheries district biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “The fishing on Elkhorn should be good this year.”

    Population evaluations of smallmouth bass by fisheries biologists for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife show excellent smallmouth spawns in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994. “Those fish born then are at the top of the slot or above now,” said Gerry Buynak, assistant director of fisheries for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “You need a time lag of 5 years or longer to see the benefits of a good spawn. It takes about 5 years for a smallmouth in the creek to grow to 12 inches.”

    The same phenomenon that created the recent good fishing on Elkhorn should occur throughout the state. “The same weather patterns that impacted Elkhorn should have done the same throughout the state,” Buynak said. “It should be a good year for stream smallmouth fishing all over Kentucky.”

    In southwestern Kentucky, the Gasper River, Fallen Timber Creek and the Barren River downstream of Barren River Lake offer good smallmouth bass fishing.

    The Green River downstream of Green River Lake Dam, the Little Barren River and Russell Creek in south-central Kentucky all have quality smallmouth bass to catch. The South Fork of the Kentucky River, the Big South Fork and the Little South Fork of the Cumberland River, the Redbird River and the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River give southeastern Kentucky anglers overlooked smallmouth bass fishing.

    The South Fork and main stem of Licking River, the Little Kentucky River, Slate Creek and Eagle Creek in north-central Kentucky are good places for smallmouth bass. The Levisa, Russell and Tug Forks of Big Sandy River, Kinniconick Creek, Tygarts Creek and the North Fork of Kentucky River grant eastern Kentucky anglers a place to stretch out a light action rod and 6-pound line with a hard-fighting stream smallmouth.

    Anglers fishing for smallmouth bass in these streams in the next few weeks need to find the smallmouths’ winter holes. Smallmouth bass migrate in late fall to the deepest holes in the stream that also possess good structure such as boulders, stumps and fallen trees. Target the flowing ends of these holes in March and early April with a purple hair jig, 4-inch pumpkinseed with green flake lizard or 1/8-ounce white spinner bait.

    If the water is dingy to muddy, pound any current break in the same areas such as a large rock or log with the white spinner bait. Also try the slack water pockets next to flowing chutes in these areas as well with the spinner bait. Some anglers like the Beetle Spin type lures in this situation.

    For a complete list of Kentucky smallmouth bass streams, call (800) 858-1549 and request a copy of the Stream Smallmouth brochure. You may also access this brochure at Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s website at fw.ky.gov. 

       Locator Map of Elkhorn Creek’s main stem.

Posted June 9, 2009

By Lee McClellan

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

                                Planning for a float trip

    I once drove seven hours to Arkansas to float fish the South Fork of the Spring River for smallmouth bass. I made a trip list early, packed everything imaginable, consulted my friend in Arkansas and thought I had all bases covered.

    We reached streamside and stared in disgust and disbelief at a frothy flow of brown water resembling a muddy hog pen. In all our preparation to remember certain lures, rain gear, extra line, spare spools, wader repair kits, first aid kits and such, we forgot to check the flow of the river.

    It is easy to overlook some things in your excitement and haste to prepare for a fishing float trip. You should start by visiting the Internet site of the U.S. Geological Survey to see the water flows on the river or creek that you plan to float.

    Log on to the agency’s website at waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis and scroll down to Kentucky in the drop box located in the upper right corner of the page. Then click on the “real time data” button and then “statewide streamflow table.” Streams are separated by their drainage basin, including the Kentucky, Green, Salt and Cumberland rivers. You can check streams in other states as well on this handy website.

    This page shows the gauge height, or water level, of the stream and the discharge, or flow, in cubic feet per second. The important information lies after clicking on the eight-digit blue numbers to the far left of the columns of information. This opens to a page showing a graph of the gauge height, and a graph of the flow as well.

    The flow graphs possess a red line showing the rise and fall in the velocity of flow. Many of them have a triangle symbol showing the average flow through decades of readings.

    This gives floaters an idea of what to expect when they arrive at the stream. If the red line rises quickly toward the top of the graph, the stream is high and probably muddy. If the red line is stable or gently moving toward the middle of the graph, the stream is at its normal level and the water should be clear. If the red line droops toward the bottom of the graph, then the stream is likely low and clear.

    Another aspect to consider before a fishing float trip this summer is to not bite off more stream than you can chew. One of the most dreadful feelings in the outdoors is watching the sun go down before you get to your take-out, especially when floating a new stream. As a general rule, five miles in a day gives you ample time to fish.

    Books detailing Kentucky streams are available that give you accurate floating mileages as do computer mapping programs from companies such as Delorme. These programs and books also lend an idea of the character and gradient of the section you plan to float.

    Inflatable one-person pontoon boats, inflatable kayaks and float tubes make popular and inexpensive float fishing vessels. However, be careful about air bladder expansion during the heat of the day.

    “I over-inflated my float tube in the cool weather of the morning for a summer float on the Elkhorn Creek,” said Dave Dreves, fisheries research biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “Then, it got past 90 degrees and the bladder in my float tube popped. Heat makes the air in the bladder expand. I was lucky and fairly close to the take-out. Don’t make that mistake and always take a repair kit.”

    Get out this summer and float some of many great fishing streams that course throughout Kentucky. Just use some simple precautions and common sense and you’ll arrive home safe and sound.