July 21 was a day of changing conditions on Kentucky Lake as Jeff Cates, a local friend, and I fished for bass.  The morning started off bright and clear, but as the hours wore on, clouds built up and the darkening sky hinted that rain was moving in from the west.  Still, as the showers started falling, Jeff and I donned rainsuits and continued dragging Carolina-rigged worms and lizards along deep river channel banks.  It would take more than a downpour to push us off our spot!

This was because the weather wasn't the only thing that was hot.  Bass were biting, though Jeff was disappointed that we weren't catching more.  For the last few weeks he's been averaging 50 head a day, mostly largemouths with a few smallmouths on the side.  Today the action was slower than he'd been used to, but it was still steady enough to yield us an average of a fish every 15-20 minutes.  And the average size of these bass was 2 ½ lbs.  Evidently the bigger fish had run the little ones off the bar where we were fishing.

Jeff Cates of Clarksville, TN has been averaging 50 bass per day on Kentucky Lake, including many in the 3 lbs. and up category. 

It's no secret that Kentucky Lake is on fire!  This huge TVA impoundment in west Tennessee/Kentucky is living up to its reputation as one of the best bass fisheries in the country.  Winning catches in bass tournaments here this year have averaged 25 pounds for 5 fish.  I have another friend who won an 80-boat tournament a couple of weeks back with 31 pounds, including 2 fish over 7 pounds! 

Jeff is a financial advisor, but he might consider doubling as a fishing guide.  He's made an exhaustive study of this reservoir's sub-surface structure, logging more than 100 waypoints into his GPS unit.  Specifically, Jeff concentrates on working deep bars that parallel the main river channel.  When the spawning season ends, bass head back out to the main body of the lake and school on the bars to feed on shad.  Based on our and other anglers' catches, some of these schools must number in the hundreds or thousands of fish.

The trick is to find beds of mussel shells or aquatic grass on these bars.  This hard bottom or extra cover provides additional attraction to the bass.  Jeff finds these spots by dragging his heavy Carolina weight.  It's easy to tell the difference between a mud bottom and shells.  And when you pull the weight through grass, some of the greenery hangs on the rig and comes up with it.

When Jeff catches a fish or finds a good spot on a bar, he tosses out a floating marker for reference.  When you're unhooking a fish, especially when fighting waves or current, it's easy to drift off the honey hole.  But with a marker out, you can quickly line back up on the fish-producing spot.

Outdoor writer/broadcaster Wade Bourne doing what he does best: taking a "Vienna break" during a Kentucky Lake fishing trip with his friend Jeff Cates.

It's certainly no secret that Kentucky Lake has been producing such catches, as evidenced by the number of vehicles and empty boat trailers in the parking lot at Paris Landing State Park (TN), where we launched.  On a Tuesday morning the lot was nearly full.  Still, despite heavier than usual pressure, the fishing continues to be extremely good on this aging reservoir.  This is big water, and populations of both gamefish and baitfish are at high numbers right now.  Biologists expect this situation to continue well into the future.

So, if you're looking for a place to take a bass fishing trip, you might make the drive to west Tennessee.  Bring a good depthfinder, GPS and Carolina rigs.  Oh yeah, you might also need a good rainsuit.  We know that the old saying is true: fish do bite when it's raining.  But then, they were biting before the rains started too.