BFL Regional Kentucky Lake

[Team houston]

Left Friday morning with my practice partner so we could be there for daylight Saturday. The day dawned with heavy clouds and mist and cool temps. We fished the midlake section and found one area with a concentration of fish. Mostly shorts but some good keepers mixed in. We ended the day with about 5 keepers out of about 20 fish caught total. Not including a sauger caught on a trap.

Sunday was still overcast and rainy and we fished farther South. We found some more promising areas that gave up 7 Keepers. Most fish were caught on spinnerbaits.

Mon the wind was unbearable at about a sustained 30mph with higher gusts. We battled it for a couple hours but had to eventually get back into some creeks. We still caught a couple keepers on the day with spinnerbaits again doing most of the damage.

Tue was my day, I caught 4 keepers while fishing South again. I would have had about 12lbs with the four I had. It was a fun day with some good blowups on a buzzbait by quality keepers and shorts. We had about 15 fish total on the day. I know these numbers do not sound impressive but believe me these Regionals in Oct are always very tough.

Wed was a short day and we fished the North end till about noon so we could prepare for the tourny. We caught two fish. One was a short and the other was a 4lber, both caught on a shakey head. By the way the weather was still cloudy and rainy. Day 1 tomorrow.

[Team houston]

Day 1
I am paired with Tim Burke in boat 135 out of 147. Tim says he found a small pocket where he had seven blowups. Hooked and landed three that were between 3 and 5lbs and left until the tourny.

After a 20 minute ride down Kentucky lake we arrive. We start on the point leading into the pocket. Right away I catch a short on a spinnerbait. As we get into the pocket proper its time for topwater.

Tim is throwing a Strike King sexy dog, I am throwing a Spitn-image walking bait. We fish are way to the back until both motors are dragging bottom. Tim mentions that when he caught them in practice they were hanging around a mudline. There is no mudline now and the water is very clear.

We make two complete circuits around the bay without a bite. Tim has been alternating between the walker, a small rico, a buzzbait and a shakey head. I have tried the walker, a buzzbait, a spinnerbait and the dropshot. What fish eating shad could refuse a Strike King Zulu shaking in their faces, these fish apparently.

On the third circuit honestly my confidence was waning. I decide to break out my Rico which is one of my favorite topwater baits. It was a bigger size than the one Tim was throwing. First cast halfway back to the boat, KAPLUSHHH a huge blow up. My lure is gone, only a toilet bowl flush of water left in its place. I set the hook hard and get a solid hookup.

Fight the fish to the boat and into the net. YES! At least I will have one for the weigh in. A 3lb plus fish at that. We continue across the pocket and half way across another fish slurps my lure under. I hook up and get the fish in, but it is only 14 and a half. In this tourny LM and Spotted bass must be 15inches and SM must be 18 inches.

We reach the far side of the pocket again and on a cast straight out behind the boat I am rewarded with another huge blow up similar to the first one. Luck is on my side as I hook up again with an even bigger fish that jumps twice, the second just before the net. The hooks hold and in the net she goes looking to be about 5lbs.

We continue to circle the pocket but after that fish I am charged up. I got the first one approx 9:45. This one came at 10:15. With a 4 pm check in there is plenty of time to get three more.

Back again now on the other side where I caught the first one I get another huge blow up. My luck has run out as on my hookset I haul water. I quickly put another cast on the spot and she strikes again with less enthusiasm. Again I get no steel in her and repeated casts with multiple baits don't produce any more bites.

As we approach noon the sun has come out and you can feel the change. This is pretty much the first sunshine all week and it is supposed to continue with cloudless conditions tomorrow.

Tim decides to run to Jonathon creek and fish docks. This produces 3 shorts on the the shakey head. We save the last hr for back in the pocket. With no more bites its back to weigh in. My two go 8lb 9 oz. I weigh the bigger one for curiosity. The fish has the head of a 6lber but with a skinny body only goes 4lb 10oz. That makes the second one 3.15  My weight has me in 11th place a great start. If I can scratch up one keeper I can make the cut.          Day 2 tomorrow.

[Team houston]

Day 2.
Today I am paired with Dave Fricke. Dave and his partner zeroed yesterday on Kentucky lake. He says we are fishing Barkley today. After a 15 minute run we pull up into a small pocket and proceed into an even a smaller pocket. Dave says he had some good blowups here in practice and starts throwing a buzzbait.

We fish about 10 min and one slurps it under. It measures just over 15 inch and he is on the board. I was throwing the rico, how could I not? It was the only topwater they would touch yesterday. Another 10 min goes by and another one slurps Daves' buzzbait under. This one would also keep.

Man what I would'nt give to have one of those. Knowing one fish today will probably put me in the cut. I am now throwing a buzzbait. The sun is up early today with not a cloud in the sky. After one more half hearted swirl on Daves buzzbait the topwater action stops.

The rest of the day is spent pitching jigs, soft plastics and shakey heads to rip rap banks with wood  mixed in. A couple hrs after the first fish Dave catches another keeper. A couple more hrs after that another one, both on the jig.

I end up catching four fish on the day all shorts. If its meant to be its meant to be. It obviously wasn't meant to be. I have to mention Dave was a great guy. He did everything he could to get me a keeper. Having me throw back first when he would miss a bite. Even backing the boat into a spot were he felt I might get a bite and not even throwing there himself. A real class guy.

Anyway I figured I would fall about 20 spots. I was surprised to find the fishing got even tougher and I only fell 6 spots to 17th. The $200 check made the sting a little more bearable. I would like to give my congrats to my travel and practice partner this week Randy Ramsey for finishing in 5th and punching his ticket to the All American. Thanks for letting me travel with you.

Also congrats to Heath Wagner another member of the rental house we had, who made the top 12 cut. It just didn't happen for him on the last day. Thanks for renting the house for us again.

[dartag]

Great report.  Funny all the great things you hear about Kentucky and Barkley and see the results.  Looked like lots of guys had a tough week.

[Hollada]

Great report as usual!  I heard it was pretty tough down there - and the results posted for Co's were tough.  Good job cashing a check.

[Team houston]

Every Regional I have ever been to (12) the fishing has not been great. Barren River lake in Kentucky was the most consistant. Any October tourny down South is usually tough.