Fishing Seminars

Fishing Seminars and boat shows:
Opportunities to learn new techniques to catch!

By Chuck Smick

Would you like to improve your fishing success this season? Would you like to learn new methods and techniques to catch fish on your favorite lake, river or stream? To gain this knowledge and education, you need to plan to attend the many boat shows that occur during the winter months. These boat shows provide an outdoorsman with many opportunities to gain knowledge and education on fishing and other outdoor activities.
An outdoorsman can preview new boats and determine if he needs to upgrade to a new boat (if his wife will allow it), and view new lures and tackle to determine his needs for the upcoming season. A fisherman should also take advantage of the educational opportunities through the many fishing seminars that are offered at these boat shows. The West Kentucky Boat show featured Jerry Maupin on crappie fishing, Pat Hahs on Kentucky Hydro Grafx, Capt. Dave Stewart on locating bass on the twin lakes and Jack Devor on catching redears.

Jerry Maupin on Crappie Fishing
Maupin is a local guide on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes; and a master at catching crappie all year long. He uses a variety of lures and techniques to catch fish. A key item in Maupin’s arsenal to catch fish is a 1/16th ounce roadrunner jig, with a willowleaf blade. He prefers jigs in bright colors such as chartreuse, yellow, shad and bright green. A key item in fishing a jig correctly is a good tight knot, so the jig will remain vertical and square on the line at all times while it is being fished. Checking the jig and line frequently between casts and catches is critical to catching fish, to maintaining a proper presentation. Maupin also uses small spinnerbaits in the above colors to catch aggressive fish in the spring. Later in the season, when fish are deeper and relating to structure, he uses deep-diving crankbaits that “match the hatch” for shad, to catch fish. He also uses chartreuse crankbaits with bright green backs to catch fish. Maupin recommends fishing these crankbaits slow, bumping the bottom frequently to trigger bites.
Crappies can be caught all year long on the sister lakes, but springtime is when the shallow water action heats up. Fish can be found in the shallow water from late March through early May. Look for black crappies along logs, shallow brush weeds and moss. Black crappies typically come into the shallow water earlier than their white brethren. White crappies are usually found around rocky banks, with quick steep drop-offs.
Maupin recommends keying in on changing weather patterns, especially right after a rain. This brings fresh water into the lake and causes an influx of moving baitfish. Another item he recommends is taking advantage of rising water. Rising water also causes an increase in baitfish activity, which improves the crappie bite. These two items can be put to use all year long by smart fishermen to catch fish consistently. Maupin can be reached by phone at 270-753-5136 or through his web site at www.jerrymaupin.com

Patrick Hahs of
Kentucky Hydro Grafx
Hahs discussed the use of maps, GPS, structure fishing and fishing reports in his seminar. Kentucky and Barkley Lakes are river impoundment lakes. Some of the key areas to catch fish on these lakes are creek channels coming into the lake and main river channels. There are secondary barge channels that form additional structure and fishing opportunities. GPS units can be used to mark these key locations when quality locations that are productive, are found. An important tool for fishing the twin lakes is good quality maps that show in detail, the structure and cover that are present on these lakes. Maps are critical for successful fishing on the twin lakes, as these maps are critical for locating fish via productive locations.
Hahs’ company makes these high quality maps, which can be purchased from many outdoor stores around the lakes. His seminar presented in great detail on how to use these maps to increase a fisherman’s success on the lakes. Hahs can be reached at his web site, www.hydrografx.com or by e-mail at pdghahs@kentuckyhydrografx.com. He is a fisheries biologist and is very knowledgeable about fishing and maps.

Capt. Dave Stewart of
Bass Busters Guide Service
Stewart discussed the best methods to eliminate water and find bass on the twin lakes. He stated the best methods to accomplish this, is through the use of high quality maps to perform a “map recon” to eliminate water, before he puts a boat in the water. Stewart firmly believes that nature rules the natural world. A key piece of information for locating bass is water temperature. When the main lake water temperature is 50 degrees or less or over 75 degrees, bass will be in deeper water on the main lake ledge areas and around creek channels where they enter the main lake. Once the main lake water temperature reaches 50 degrees or more for sustained periods, the bass will travel these creek channels back into the bays to feed and start the spawning ritual. This migration back into the bays occurs in the fall also, when water temperatures start to fall below 75 degrees and bass “feed up” for the winter months.
Stewart believes that location is the key to finding bass throughout the season. Key locations for finding bass are locations where creek channels come in close to points. These points will prove to be even more productive if there is cover in the form of brush, stumps or rock piles on these points.

Kentucky Lake and Barkley Lake have many crappie fishermen, who fish the lake all year around. These fishermen place brush piles on these points to attract and concentrate crappie. These brush piles also attract baitfish, which attract the bass and crappie. Bass also use these brush piles for ambush points; and these locations are critical spots to catch bass regularly.
Bass utilize a variety of food sources on these reservoirs. Shad are the main food source for bass on the twin lakes. Shad need well-oxygenated water and stable water temperature to survive. These shad feed on algae too. Sunlight causes algae to bloom around this wood cover; and cause the shad to be active. Where the shad go, the bass are not far behind; and when the shad are active, the bass are active.
These are critical elements to locating bass throughout the season. If you are interested in learning more about locating bass or improving your fishing, contact Stewart at 270-354-5039 or dave@kentuckylakeguide.com. You can visit his website at www.kentuckylakeguide.com.

Jack Devor on
Secrets of Redear Fishing
Devor has been a guide on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes, and is the owner of Jack’s Tackle Shop near Benton, Kentucky. His specialty is catching big redear sunfish on the twin lakes. These fish can reach a weight of one-and-one-half pounds to over three pounds in size. Devor says “These fish fight as hard as any smallmouth bass that I’ve ever caught and are the best eating fish on the lake”! He recommends using seven foot light action spinning rods, six pound test line and a quality spinning reel to catch the redears. Devor uses a 1/32ounce jig with a “gill-kracker” soft plastic body of his design, to catch these fish. He recommends making long casts to water that is from four to eight feet deep to catch fish and avoid spooking these fish. Devor says redears are found in areas with sandy or pea gravel bottoms, along with plenty of snails in the area. Snails are the primary food source for the redear sunfish according to his research. For a lot of fun and exciting fishing, along with some good eating, give redears a try this spring!