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On The Fly Freshwater
November 2024
Article and photos by Jimmy Jacobs.
The strike indicator stopped at the end of a short strip. Quivering on the surface that is slightly riffled by the cold, misty breeze coming out of the north, it then slid under the water. Despite reflexes stunted by the frosty conditions, a belated hook set revealed the pulse of life on the other end of the fly line. Shortly the speckled side of a keeper-sized crappie appeared, struggling at the boat’s gunnel.
Targeting winter crappie is possible even in inclement weather.
While we usually associate fly fishing with moving water for trout, the colder months offer other action as well. On smaller free-flowing streams, winter conditions can even drop water temperatures to the point that trout become almost dormant. But, particularly across the upper southern states, this time of year still can offer some long rod action to anglers’ hardy enough to sample it.
A bit surprising, targeting crappie with flies on the region’s large reservoirs can be a way to fend off cabin fever. The angling involves a technique the On The Fly South crew picked up a couple of seasons back on Missouri’s Lake Pomme de Terre. On the other hand, you can duplicate the situation on virtually any of the big lakes in the South during cold weather.
The first requirement is to have a good fish finder in your boat to locate brush piles, or as least a map showing fish attractors in the lake you are targeting. In the fall and winter, most reservoirs have been drawn down in anticipation of spring rainfall. This puts many piles of brush and attractors very near the surface.
That structure congregates the crappie at depths that fly casters can reach. The set up for this fishing is using small weighted minnow patterns, dangled under a strike indicator. The leader beneath the indicator should be adjusted to put the fly just above the top of the brush.
Minnow imitation style flies are the ticket to success in this type angling.
Then the rig is cast beyond the underwater structure and brought back over it using a slow strip-and-pause retrieve. Any odd movement of the indicator merits a hook set, since strikes can be rather subtle.
For the traveling fly fisher, a reservoir that provides a good location for this type fishing is Kentucky Lake. The dam on this old impoundment on the Tennessee River is near Gilbertsville in the far western end of the Blue Grass State. At 160,309 surface acres of water, it is the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi River. It’s upper end floods across the border into Tennessee as well.
Obviously, with such a large expanse of water, pinpointing places to fish might seem daunting. Fortunately, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has an aggressive plan for placing fish attractors in the reservoir. These are composed of a variety of materials. Brush or old Christmas trees, piles of old wooden pallets and larger log piles, all of which are weighed down with concrete blocks are used. Other areas have beds of upright stakes anchored in buckets, or structures composed of PVC pipes and pallets. Additionally, rock piles and concrete reef balls are used. All of these are marked on a map available on the KDFWR website.
Kentucky Lake holds populations of both black and white crappie. While either might show up around the attractors, such cover is more often used by white crappie. In the fall and winter bait fish move toward shallow bays and flats, with the crappie following them. Those fish often end up around the attractors.
To make finding a fishing spot even easier, heading to Kentucky Dam Village Resort State Park can be the answer. Located on Taylor Creek at the northern end of the reservoir, the park’s boat basin provides some protected waters that also has fish attractors in it.
At the northeast end of northern breakwater at the basin entrance, a PVC pipe attractor is near the shore. To the southeast, at the end of this northern breakwater, there is an attractor made of weighted brush. Another PVC attractor is situated across the basin. It is in the cove around the point to the north. Finally, to the south in the end of the Taylor Creek arm, there are half a dozen of the stake bed type attractors. All of these could be good bets for some crappie action.
Kentucky Dam Village Resort State Park is a full-service resort, featuring a marina, conference center, motel, cabins, restaurant, golf course, hiking trails and even a sand beach for use in warmer months. For more details, visit the park website.
