| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
KY Afield Outdoors: The redear sunfish spawn is here This is the seventh installment of the "Spring Fishing Fever" series of fishing articles. By Lee McClellan FRANKFORT, Ky. - It is the time of year when the big "bull" redear sunfish move shallow to spawn, sending a shiver of excitement through the ranks of many Kentucky anglers. When the big redear sunfish move up to spawn, it produces some of the best fishing of the year. The ability of hefty redear sunfish to use their saucer-shaped bodies to pull against a rod is legendary. If this species grew to 10 pounds, it might be nearly impossible to land one. March brought record snowfall across Kentucky and April came along with huge rainfall that set some one-day records in central Kentucky. This spring has proven tough for Kentucky anglers. However, it is Derby time in the Bluegrass with air temperatures approaching 80 degrees by early next week. A stable weather pattern with warming air temperatures and water temperatures ranging from 65 to 68 degrees make ideal conditions for redear sunfish. "The last week of April and into the first week of May is pretty consistently the time frame where you see the redear spawning," said Neal Jackson, fisheries research biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Water temperatures on Kentucky Lake last weekend exactly matched those parameters, with the main lake at 65 degrees and the flats in the bays at 68 degrees. Redear sunfish are commonly called "shellcrackers" because they feed on small mussels and snails on the bottom. They have a plate of teeth in their throats that can crush shells. Kentucky Lake and its twin to the east, Lake Barkley, are head and shoulders above other waters in Kentucky for redear sunfish. These huge reservoirs hold many redears longer than 11 inches, the kind of fish that feels like you are holding a small plate in your hands when you land one. Pan Bowl Lake in Breathitt County, Clear Creek Lake in Bath County, Fishtrap Lake in Pike County, Elmer Davis Lake in Owen County and Marion County Lake all hold good populations of redear sunfish. Corinth Lake in Grant County once boasted some of the best redear fishing in Kentucky until an accidental introduction of shad into the lake eventually blunted the fishery. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife eradicated the shad and Corinth Lake is on the way back to its old glory days. Catching redear is relatively easy, but finding their spawning beds is not. The location of bluegill, who also nest this time of year, indicate where to search for redear sunfish. "If I was targeting redear and I pulled up on a spot and started catching nice bluegill, it would be hard to leave that scenario," Jackson said. "But, if you want big redear, I wouldn't keep fishing that spot. They are in similar places, but the redear are in a little bit deeper water. Move out into 4 to 6 feet of water." Jackson recommends staying in a spot once you locate some redear sunfish. "Hit that area hard and stay there for a while," he said. A size 6 or 8 Aberdeen-style hook tipped with a quarter inch chunk of red worm or night crawler with a BB-sized split shot about a foot above the hook works great when fished on the bottom for redear. Many anglers tip a small 1/32-ounce yellow or black feather jig, commonly called a Popeye jig, with bits of nightcrawler, wax worms and meal worms and suspend them under a bobber just above bottom. "You've got to have contact with the bottom," Jackson said. "They are not feeding anyplace but on or near the bottom." Ultralight spinning tackle spooled with 4- or 6-pound monofilament line makes great sport for redear. Anglers tend to prefer ultralight rods less than 6 feet long. Those fishing weedy lakes may fare better with 6-foot light power rods and spinning reels spooled with 6- or 8-pound monofilament. The redear spawn is here. Hit some of these waters and catch a mess for a tasty feast. The flesh of a redear sunfish is as good as any fish in Kentucky waters. Author Lee McClellan is a nationally award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing. Get the latest from Lee and the entire Kentucky Afield staff by following them on Twitter: @kyafield. This story was posted on 2015-04-30 14:31:16
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know.
More articles from topic Ky Afield Outdoors:
KY Afield Outdoors: Elk hunt application deadline Apr 30 KY Afield Outdoors: Spring turkey season opens Sat 18 Apr 2015 KY Afield Outdoors: Streams eventually will return to normal KY Afield Outdoors: Spring is prime time for trophy bass KY Afield Outdoors: Crappie time is just around the corner Golden eagle captured in Bernheim Forest KY Afield Outdoors: March brings Muskie Madness KY Afield Outdoors: White Bass runs around the corner KY Afield Outdoors: Fish hit close to home at FINs lakes KY Afield Outdoors: Why buying your fishing license is important View even more articles in topic Ky Afield Outdoors |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
