Explore the Kentucky Lake Area for Oversized Blue Catfish
By: Tom Berg
Last September I fished Kentucky Lake and the surrounding waters when I attended the annual AGLOW (Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers) conference. Kentucky Lake is an excellent fishery and my partners and I caught several species of fish – including largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow bass, white crappie and freshwater drum. There are also blue catfish, channel catfish, white bass, bluegills, giant redear sunfish and many other fish species in this expansive reservoir.
Several years ago, fish populations in Kentucky Lake were suffering due to the influx of invasive Asian carp, among other things. But the lake has truly rebounded and the gamefish are doing very well now. Largemouth bass, and smallmouth bass in particular, are really thriving. More about that in another article.
When I fished here last fall, I fished for bass on the main lake one day and fished below the dam for blue catfish the following day. Both outings were very successful, but I enjoyed the catfish trip the most because the action was absolutely nonstop. We didn’t catch any really big blue cats that day, but we did catch more than 50 eating-sized catfish.
Big blue cats put up a tremendous fight in the river’s current. Photo courtesy of Tom Berg.
I fished with local expert Tony Travis that day, and he has been fishing the Kentucky Lake area all of his life. He especially likes fishing for blue catfish below the Kentucky Lake Dam and the nearby Barkley Dam. Although we caught lots of eater-sized catfish last September, Tony recommended I come back in June or early July when the really big blue catfish are present. That sounded good to me!
As luck would have it, I could not make the trip in June, so I postponed the trip until mid-July. I knew the biggest fish would probably be gone by that time, but Tony said we should still have a chance at some good-sized cats. He was absolutely right!
Tony picked me up at the resort where I was staying and we fished for catfish below the Barkley Lake Dam on two consecutive days. Tony brought along his son Tucker each day, and the fishing for the three of us was awesome. There was a lot of current coming out of the dam, and Tony used his expert boat-handling skills to get the boat in position “in the boils”, as he called it, and hold us steady as we motor-drifted downstream on each drift. If he would have killed the engine completely, the strong current would have made the boat drift much too fast for efficient fishing.
Tucker Travis smiles over a big blue catfish that he caught and released while fishing below the Barkley Lake Dam. Photo by Tom Berg.
Our catfish rigs were very simple. Tony likes to use extremely short, stout rods, with a bottom-bouncing rig composed of a 5-ounce weight and a #4 circle hook. Tucker and I were in the front of the boat, and Tony instructed us to drop our baits to the bottom, but to keep them just “ticking” along the submerged rocks as we drifted. If we let them actually rest on the bottom, they would almost instantly get snagged on the rocks.
The water was anywhere from 10-15 feet deep depending on our drift, and all three of us kept our baits down near the bottom. The action was not as fast and furious as it had been last September, but we still caught a nice-sized blue catfish on almost every drift. And these cats were larger on average than the “eaters” we caught last year, too. Many weighed several pounds and some of the biggest ones weighed in the upper teens. My biggest blue catfish weighed more than 16 pounds.
Freshly-caught skipjack herring are just one of the popular catfish baits here. Photo by Tom Berg.
We released all of the big catfish that we caught on this trip, but we did keep several of the smaller blue cats. Blue catfish make for fine eating. Tony kept the fish we saved on our first day of fishing and I kept some on the second day. My room had a freezer so I was able to fillet the fish and get them frozen solid before heading back home to Indiana.
On this trip, my wife and I stayed at the Hickory Hill Resort on the west side of the lake near Benton, KY. This first-rate resort is located right on the water and features pontoon boat rentals, a private dock for those that bring their own boat, golf cart rentals and a brand new screened-in fish cleaning station with double sinks and running water.
This resort is perfect for families, pleasure boaters and serious fishermen, too. They also have a nice swimming pool and a playground for the kids. Be sure to check out their website at: https://hickoryhillresort.com/ or give them a call at 270-252-8822.
The rental units at Hickory Hill Resort have fully-equipped kitchens for those who prefer to cook their own meals. Each unit even has its own private outdoor grill. However, for those who want to leave the cooking and dishes behind, there are several good restaurants in the nearby area. My wife and I can definitely recommend The Pond Restaurant and Fast Eddie’s Place. We tried both restaurants and they were excellent. The Pond specializes in fried catfish (including an “all you can eat catfish” option) and fried frog legs – one of my favorites. They also feature “all you can eat” hushpuppies and white beans (a local staple) with every meal. You will not leave hungry.
Fast Eddie’s doesn’t look fancy from the outside, since the sign says Fast Eddie’s Bait & Tackle & Restaurant (and it is attached to their gas station). But once inside, the restaurant is actually quite nice and the food and service was absolutely great. We ate lunch there twice during our short stay if that tells you anything!
Fast Eddie’s is a great local dining option. Highly recommended! Photo by Tom Berg.
Besides the obvious fishing, there is a lot to do in the Kentucky Lake area. There is golfing nearby, the Kentucky Opry, Patti’s 1880s Settlement, Venture River Waterpark, Land Between the Lakes and much more. Be sure to explore two of the area’s websites at: https://visitkylake.com/ and https://parks.ky.gov/ to discover additional ideas.
The blue catfish bite for “eater-sized” fish will remain strong throughout the autumn, but now is the perfect time to start planning next spring’s getaway since resort dates fill up fast. I’m going to try to get there even earlier next year. The bass and crappies will be biting and the bigger catfish should be ready to play, too!
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