Howdy Hall of Fame family,
I hope this blog post finds you well, with a jerkbait tied on and a bass on your line! It’s that time of year, fall is winding down and winter is all but here. Jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits, and spinnerbaits are some of our favorite baits to throw this time of year. Just a few days ago, several baits, including a Yo-Zuri 3DB jerkbait, Megabass Vision 110, Strike King Red Eyed Shad, and a War Eagle spinnerbait littered the deck of my kayak. Here in the Midwest, lures like these have become a late fall/early winter staple for us here at Hall of Fame.
For Veterans Day in November, (thank you veterans!!!) Paul, our cousin Jordan, and I took a 1-night camping trip down to one of our favorite spots: the Land Between the Lakes National Recreational Area. It's a narrow strip of land nestled right in-between Kentucky and Barkley Lakes, and is a great spot for camping, hiking, boating, fishing, and horseback riding. Jordan is an Air Force veteran, and he had never fished in Kentucky, or any of the TVA. Paul and I really wanted to put him on some nice Tennessee River bass for the first time.
We camped at Hillman Ferry on the shores of Kentucky Lake. Booking the campsite online wasn't the easiest thing in the world, and it was hard to navigate and even interpret the interactive campground map. We like camping right on the water, so I took my best guess as to where a lakeside site would be. Spoiler alert, I was wrong. Leading up to the trip, weather forecasts for Monday night were calling for temperatures in the low 20s but dry with little wind. Veterans Day, Tuesday, didn't look much better. Highs in the upper 40s, partly cloudy, and strong winds. Not a great forecast for our camping and fishing trip. We were still very excited, nonetheless. Paul and I heard through the grapevine that smallmouth bass in Kentucky Lake were making a strong rebound following the Asian carp invasion.
The Land Between the Lakes is just over 3 hours from my house. Definitely doable for a day trip, but we wanted to be right there on the water when we woke up. After stopping for subs at Jimmy Johns on the way down to Kentucky, we finally arrived at Hillman Ferry around 10 pm Monday night. We were greeted by temps in the low 20s, and I knew we were in for a long, cold night. Unfortunately, the campsite I reserved was on the side of a fairly large, steep hill, and was not really even close to the lake. (Facepalm). We threw on a few layers, started a fire, popped open Jordan's bottle of Makers Mark Cask Strength, and then set up our tents. There were not many great options when it came to picking a spot for our tents. The only flat surface we had in our entire camp was a gravel pad put in by the park service. However, the pad was not very big, and the firepit and picnic table took up quite a big portion of it. Even further, I was unable to securely stake my tent into our only flat area due to the pad consisting entirely of gravel and rock. I eventually settled for placing my tent on the hill, facing upwards. Yay. Paul ended up on the gravel pad, but his tent was jerry-rigged in place, tied off to the table and a nearby tree. Jordan had it the worst, though. (He's not always the most prepared), When packing, he allegedly couldn't find his tent, so he decided to bring his hammock and face the elements while suspended in air. BUT, he forgot his hammock straps in his truck at my house, rendering him without a tent or hammock on a November camping trip in sub-freezing weather. I offered to let him sleep in my truck with the heat on, but maybe in-part because of the flowing whiskey, he opted to sleep on ground, directly on the flat gravel pad and right next to the firepit "for warmth".
All of our backs hurt when we woke up the next morning. It was a frigid night in the one-man tent; I woke up several times because my face was cold. Sometime in the night, Jordan must've gotten a little too close to the metal fire pit, and his new sleeping bag melted. Somehow, Jordan didn't even notice his singed sleeping bag until Paul and I woke up and told him! Poor guy had a rough night.
After a quick donut breakfast, we broke down the camp and hit the lake. We started the day fishing in and around the campground. The lake was in winter stage, so water levels in the lake are much lower than typical. We didn't fish around Hillman Ferry for long, as the water near the site was shallow with barely cover. Our guides kept freezing, too. We then checked out of the campground, making a mental note never to reserve Hillman Ferry site A-72 again. Thankfully, we spent less than 12 hours at that campsite. Our next stop was the Barkley Canal, the strip of water that connects Barkley and Kentucky Lakes. By this point, wind gusts were already picking up, and it was barely 30 degrees. Paul, Jordan, and I fished a good stretch of the canal on foot, and it did look promising. The shoreline consisted of large riprap, and it was deep right off the bank. Despite this, our trio did not have any bites in the canal. By 9:30 that morning, we decided to move and hit a location that Paul and I are familiar with, that being the Kentucky Dam.
Due to increasing wind gusts, we opted to not launch the kayak and small boat at the dam and stay on foot. I was throwing a matte ghost Yo-Zuri 3DB jerkbait, a PBJ football jig, and a sexy shad colored Red Eye Shad. Jordan was fishing a small white rooster tail in the wind somehow, along with a lipless crankbait. Paul was tossing a jig, chatterbait, and jerkbait. Not long into fishing the dam, something crushed my jerkbait not far from my feet. I set the hook and quickly hoisted a nice smallmouth into the air. That fish went 2 lb 13 oz and definitely made up for the rough night sleep. Confidence was beginning to brew, as it was barely past 10 am. Unfortunately for the three of us, we would not catch another fish even half that caliber for the rest of the day.
After a couple hours, a lure or two had been lost, and it was time for lunch. Chips and PBJ sandwiches are a staple on our trips, and this windy lakeside lunch would be no different. Before lunch, we had navigated the riprap down a large portion of the dam without catching any more fish. I was a little surprised to have only caught one fish at Kentucky Dam between all of us, as Paul and I have had success there in the past. I guess beggars can't be choosers while bass fishing in the winter.
Once our stomachs were nourished, it was due time to get the boats in the water. Jordan volunteered himself for the kayak, while Paul and I were in the Bass Raider. I knew a kayak in that wind would not be ideal, but I wasn't even sure how my other boat would manage. I have a 1962 Mercury 3.9 HP outboard rigged on the back, and a trolling motor up on the front of my little barge. It is a really sweet setup, if/when the outboard runs. Sometimes I can't even get it to begin turning over, while it runs great other times. It's really a toss-up, and I don't have the extra time or money to further invest into it at the moment. Unfortunately, the old outboard wouldn't cooperate in the cold. Paul and I did make do with the Minn Kota, but having that outboard would've put us in a better position. Jordan, on the other hand, did not have the most relaxing kayak outing of his life either. The wind had its way with my 12T, and he struggled to keep it in position. Thank God for trolling motors!
There is an area near Kentucky Dam that is well protected from the wind and connects to Kentucky Dam Marina. With the lake in winter stage, however, there wasn't a ton of water back in there like there usually is. We still launched the fleet and were able to get out onto the water, despite the howling wind and low water levels. We subsequently hammered the surrounding riprap and brush as hard as we could before getting back into to the marina. That smallmouth I caught was still our only fish to this point. Basically, all we had fished to this point was riprap, so it was a little refreshing to see docks and other cover to throw at. After fishing this area thoroughly and having no bites, we finally found a handful of fish willing to eat back in the far end of the marina. It was nearly 3 pm before Paul and Jordan doubled up and simultaneously ended their skunks. Paul caught a largemouth on a Vision 110, while Jordan landed a tiny yellow perch on a Ned rig. Paul's bass would've gone 1 lb if it was lucky, and that yellow perch was a new species for Jordan. These fish weren't big, but it was nice to see life on the end of our lines again. On the way back out of the marina, I caught a buzzer beater white bass on a golden shiner Zman Original chatterbait off the very last dock we fished. Not big by any means, but I would take it! We fished the same riprap and storm walls on our way back, and unsurprisingly, we had the same result as before. No more fish.
The sun was setting on Kentucky Lake, bringing our time on the water to an end. None of us were excited for the 3+ hour drive home. We were all cold and our backs still hurt from the night before. The wind was still gusting, and we only caught 4 fish all day. Jordan's sleeping bag melted, and he did not catch a Kentucky Lake or TVA bass. And despite all of this, any one of us would tell you what a great time we had. Trips like this one are not easily forgotten. Laughs were had, drinks were shared, fish were caught, and memories were made. Thinking about trips like this makes me excited for future our adventures. Time spent fishing and camping with two of the closest people in my life is always time well spent, no matter what L's we may take. I would not trade experiences like this with Paul and Jordan for anything. Thanks for reading!
Tight lines,
Erik Hoffman, Hall of Fame Outdoor Co