Kentucky - Barkley Lakes are sister lakes with over 3,300 miles of shoreline and a combined 200,000+ surface acres.  The lakes run parallel divided by "The Land Between the Lakes" and joined by a canal on the north end of both lakes.  With a healthy and diverse population of fish the lakes have earned the reputation as on of the finest fishing destinations in the nation.  Long referred to as the "Crappie Capital of the World" the two impoundments continue to produce the slab-sized 2lb. to 3lb. fish it was famous for in the early 60's.  The lakes are now rated as one of the top 10 bass fisheries in the states, containing abundant populations of both largemouth and smallmouth.  Largemouth in the 5 to 9 pound class and smallmouth in the 4-7 pound class are not uncommon.   Recent tournaments on the lakes have produced 5 fish limits of smallmouth weighing 25+ pounds at the scales.  Imagine taking a trophy largemouth and smallmouth from the same body of water in one day.  Another bonus on the lakes is the booming panfish population.  Coolers full of 6-10inch bluegill and limit catches 1/2 - 2.5lb.  Redear sunfish are commonplace from mid-April to mid-June.  Not forgotten are the northern lakes walleye fisherman, most anglers aren't aware that Kentucky Lake contains an often overlooked population of sauger in the 1.5 to 4lb range.  Limit catches of the tasty sauger are not unusual from mid-October to the end of December.  Add to these the excellent population of white bass, rock fish, blue catfish, channel cats and yellow bass and you have all the ingredients for a successful fishing vacation.
    Most anglers don't realize that Kentucky-Barkley Lakes are truly year round fishing lakes, with our winters increasingly warmer and our springs starting earlier, our fishing seasons have drastically changed in the last 10 years.  The black crappie now the dominant species in the lakes begins its pre-spawn activity as early as mid-February.  With the spawn starting the first week of March and peaking in mid-march.  The white crappie also are beginning there spawns earlier with pre-spawn activity beginning in mid-march and spawning activity peaking in late March to early April.  The bass fishing the last several years has proven that early and late season fishing is the route to take, with some of the best days of smallmouth and largemouth fishing coming in late fall, the winter months and early spring.  The sauger, rockfish, and black crappie are also very receptive during these time frames with the largest fish of the year taken in this time period.  Advantages to fishing this time of year include fantastic fishing, lack of fishing pressure on the lake, and greater availability and less expensive quality lodging.  Instead of letting that cabin fever and those wintertime blues get you down try some of our great early and late season fishing this year.