Fishing Report Archives

Bass fishing in August is a time of transition going from summer to fall. Many shad will migrate to shallow water flats on the main lake and in the back of creek arms and bays.

Last year the bass fishing in August and September was better than the last three years due to the increased amount of shad and the number of keeper sized bass in Kentucky Lake.

There is also an evening migration of shad that occurs most evenings where 30 to 40 minutes before dark, large schools of shad will come to the surface approximately 300 yards off shore in the main lake. They will then slowly move in to the bank, usually close to some kind of a point. At that point bass will start to feed on the shad.

In this scenario top water baits work well, but sometimes a lipless crankbait is the best choice.

Water temperatures and ambient temperatures are still very hot and apparently it does not affect bass in shallow water because you can catch them all day in water as shallow as 6 inches.

Last year I saw many big fish feeding in less than a foot of water in locations so shallow I could not reach them. In Kentucky Lake, there are always bass holding in deeper water. Reason being is that there are so many ledges with some having lots of wood cover on them creating year-round comfort and feeding zones. Typically the deeper water will produce larger bass.

Lures I like to throw this time of year are topwater stick baits for shallow water and 10 inch worms, Carolina rigs, and dragging a football head rig while fishing ledges.

I like the Strike King Sexy Shad and the Whopper Plopper while fishing the shallow flats and prefer a bone or silver colored belly.

This is a great time of year to be out fishing and I am here to help everyone have a great day whether you want to learn techniques, ledges, electronics behavior patterns, or need an edge for a tournament.