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Lake levels on Kentucky Lake are receding and headed back to normal summer pool elevation. That’s good news to most anglers and pleasure boaters as the Memorial Holiday weekend, the unofficial kickoff of the summer season nears.

The reservoir crested earlier this week after rising more than 2 1/2 feet above summer pool in the aftermath of a series of thunderstorms that swept across the TVA valley. By the approaching weekend the lake should be back to normal summer pool level of 359.

Water color is clearing in most areas as the lake recedes. Surface temperatures have been in the 73 to 75 degree range. Despite dealing with a lot of variables—from wind, thunderstorms and changing lake levels--- the bite has held up well for several species such as the bluegill and catfish spawning phases plus post spawn crappie. The bass bite is okay too as their post spawn phase in underway.

Hefty stringers of bluegill have been taken lately as anglers toss light spinning tackle toward shallow shoreline weedbeds and buck bushes. Depths of 2 to 6 feet are holding bedding bluegill and a few redear sunfish (shellcracker).

Baits of choice have been crickets, wax worms and redworms plus nightcrawlers. Most anglers are using slip bobbers to help regulate depth and detect light strikes but some are tossing small grubs and hair jigs in the 1/32-ounce size without a bobber while adding a small lead split shot to assist the cast.

Battling big bull bluegill on ultralight tackle armed with 6 to 8-pound test line is quite a thrill. Kids love the action and so do a lot of us old folks!

Tipping the tiny jigs with a wax worm or cricket helps stimulate strikes. Dragging the bait presentation across the spawning craters of bluegill is a deadline technique.

Another full moon arrives on the calendar May 23rd which should see a surge in bedding activity by bluegill and shellcracker. The last few weeks have been good and odds the bite will last into early June.

The catfish bite has held up well during the changing lake levels. Fish seemed to move up as the water was rising and have dropped back slightly on rocky banks and rip-rap levees or shorelines as waters receded.

Dandy coolers of catfish have been taken by anglers using mostly nightcrawlers for bait but several commercial baits have produced as have homemade concoctions offered by veteran catfishermen.

Post spawn crappie are known to be somewhat scattered and finicky but some anglers have managed to land decent stringers at times by fishing deeper brushpiles and stakebeds. Depths of 11 to 15 feet have been yielding a few fish.

The crappie bite will likely improve even more in the next few weeks as more fish return to a structure oriented pattern.

Bass fishermen have had a broad menu of opportunity lately as lake levels jumped up high and inundated shoreline buck brush, weedbeds and willow trees.

Tossing a spinnerbait has worked well as have Texas rigged craws, lizards and worms in the pumpkin-pepper and green pumpkin-pepper colors. Cotton candy and motor-oil sporting gold metal flake have also been popular color selections.

For bass anglers fishing main lake ledges current has entered the picture the last few days as TVA pulls water after flooding rains. That should benefit some of the humps and ledges as bass pull offshore in their post-spawn phase.

Kentucky Lake’s fluctuation threw a curve to not only anglers but scores of lakefront property owners concerned about boat docks and piers. Shoreline erosion is another factor when the lake gets high and strong winds blow in.

Also of concern are farming operations in low lying areas such as state and federal wildlife refuges. Flooding backwaters prohibit planting for winter waterfowl crops, another negative impact from swelling lake stages.

High water has a rippling effect on a lot of things. Hopefully the crazy weather patterns will soon settle down and normalcy will return.