Need Help With Right Lure(S) For Deep, Rocky Lake

[Dogman65]

Hi all,

 

I need some advice.  I'm not sure if this is the right forum based on descriptions on all of them so if it's not I apologize.

 

Here is my question regarding lure choice.  One of the lakes I fish is Herrington Lake in Central Kentucky.  It is a river like older impoundment.  The lake is narrow and the banks are extremely steep and rocky, basically much of the lake is steep limestone dropoffs.  The lake depth in the channel is 250 ft in places, you can be 15 feet off a bank and be in 60 feet of water regularly, even in the coves and creeks.  There are boat docks floating off the shore but the back of the dock may be touching the shore while the front is sitting in 60 or more feet of water.  There really isn't much timber but every now and then you will find some vegetation handing off your lure when you bump bottom with a crankbait.

 

I just went out yesterday for the first time fishing this year, the weather started in the 40's and went up to the 60's by 3pm.  It was pretty windy (10-20 mph) on the lake itself and the surface temps were between 46.5 and 48.7.  I don't have a temp probe to look at temps other than the surface.  I would say the water was stained....I could see my lure down to 4-6 feet.  I have a less expensive lowrance that was showing fish hanging out in the 12-14ft range.  I could see tiny schools of fish near the surface and twice I saw a little top water splashing in the middle of the lake in the sheltered coves.  The wind was too strong to really see if there was much action out in the main lake areas.

 

I tried a deep diving crankbait (10-12 ft) and a 15ft in both red and chart in the sheltered areas and the wind blown points (not much of those by the way) and around the docks.  I was basically reeling it down to depth then trying to dig bottom by casting more parallel to shore on the points and also fishing all sides of the docks.  I tried a char/white spinnerbait with white trailer and tandem blades in the same places.  I slow rolled it best I could but the lake is deep and I sort of pumped it round the docks.  I tried a black/red 3/8 jig with pork trailer anywhere I could find that wasn't a 20 foot wall from the shoreline.  I also tried a squarebill under the docks (5 ft).  I tried a suspending jerkbait around the docks and near the steep walls also.  I also tried a lipless crankbait, retrieve pause, and yo-yoin it near the shore and docks.  I spent about 5 hours working three different areas near the dam (two creeks and the main lake). 

 

I had zero luck except for a tiny shad I hooked on a crankbait as I was reeling it in...so at least some of those baitfish were in the 10-12 ft range (showed on my depthfinder there).  My question is this....am I just doing this wrong with these lures?  Am I using lures that sound reasonable for my conditions?  If these lures aren't reasonable choices what are and what would you all try.  This lake has a reputation for being very difficult to fish and finding info on it is really hard, I researched a ton before yesterday but really could find no info other than "fish at night in the summertime" regarding LMB, although I know it has some nice fish in it.

 

On the upside....I am getting into this after being out of it for 10 years.  Got a new boat that I actually got to go fishing off of for the first time and it was FANTASTIC!  I would like to catch a fish though, so my wife doesn't think this is a total waste of money .

[roadwarrior]

On Pickwick jerkbaits, Red Eye Shad and The Rig are on fire. They should work on your lake, too.

Focus on cover and structure in 5'-15' of water, especially around the mouth of coves or anywhere

there a creek empties into the lake.

 

 

 

 

[backwater4]

X2 on the suspending jerkbait, also try a football jig, hair jig around docks and a single colorado blade spinberbait. These work for me on deeper rock lakes.

[Dogman65]

Thanks for the tips all.  I'll give those suggestions a try.

[Blues19]

anywhere you can throw a jig I would also throw a shakey head. shakey heads have always been very good for me on chunk rock banks in about 7-10 foot of water.

[Crestliner2008]

Try a blade bait. Bass have a hard time refusing these when the water is that cool.

[Dogman65]

Try a blade bait. Bass have a hard time refusing these when the water is that cool.

 

Sorry if this is a dumb question.....what is a blade bait?  Spinnerbait?