Scott McGlinchey

I can’t believe it is almost September. With fall approaching, the migration of shad moving shallow starts to scatter the bass all over the lake.

You can catch them on top water, in shallow water, or you can get them on the river and creek channel ledges. Some of the great ledges from early summer that got hammered everyday come back to life when fishing pressure slows down. So you can do really well fishing shallow, medium, and deep water.

If you prefer to fish the deeper ledges out on the main channel or in the creek arms, you’re in luck because there are still significant amount of fish holding in the deep water. There are still a lot of shad in deep water.

The other way to catch bass is fishing super shallow water out on the main lake and in the creek arms and bays. The top water bite is on right now and it’s a lot of fun to catch on the surface.

Many shad have migrated into the creek arms and the bass follow them. My preference for fishing shallow water right now is using top water baits and I stick with super shallow water 3 feet to 6 inches.

If you prefer to use other baits in shallow water, you can. Sometimes it is good to switch to spinner bait, swim bait or a finesse worm if the top water bite is slow.

If you compare the summer ledge fishing this year to 2023 and 2022, it was hands down a lot better. Kentucky Lake has really bounced back. The lake has more big fish and a ton of keeper sized bass in the 15 to 17 inch range. There is a surplus of baitfish in the lake and the bass weigh more than they should for their length.

My favorite ways to catch ledge fish are using a plastic worm, wobble head, Carolina rig, crankbait, and a 1 ounce single bladed spinnerbait. If the wind is to strong to hold in one place I like to let the wind push me down a long ledge and I will use a crankbait.

If I’m fishing for the shallow bass I like top water baits like a sexy dawg stick bait, a whopper plopper, and a buzzbait. I also like to throw a finesse worm or a small swimbait when they slow down from hitting a topwater bait.

White bass fishing is very good right now. You have to find the schools first - then you can catch them. Look for them in 15 to 30 feet of water. You can also find them by watching for the schools to surface while they are smashing the shad then throw a topwater bait to them.

To catch them in the deeper water use heavy blade baits like the steel shad or silver buddy. Another preferred bait is a large half ounce inline spinner like a rooster tail or Kens spinner which is a local bait that works amazingly well.

As always I have included a few pictures from the last 30 days one of which is a 9lb largemouth caught in Kentucky Lake in mid July around 7PM.

If you’re in town fishing for fun or here preparing for a tournament I am sure I can help you in either department. If you just want to enjoy a day of catching quality bass, panfish, catfish or are wanting to learn how to effectively fish offshore I am as good as it gets!

I had excellent results in my career as a baseball and wrestling coach and use the same skills to help my clients learn bass fishing. I have over thirty years of ledge fishing experience and have spent 4000 hours diving underwater on various bodies of water observing fish in their home.

If you want to book a trip with me please try to call me as the communication over the phone is much more effective and consumes less time than emails. I do respond to all forms of communication as quick as I can.

Please check out and like/follow my Shelldivers Guide Service Facebook page. I will have additional pictures posted there some are underwater photos of fish and shellbeds.