Live Blog: March 8 – Practice Day!
Thursday March 8, 9:20 pm
Another practice day is in the books here on Kentucky Lake for the Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash – presented by Berkley. Anglers are traveling from across the country to Paris, Tennessee in hopes of catching giant bass and taking home the grand prize.
The overwhelming storyline of this week so far, is the water level out on Kentucky Lake. The lake has been well above normal for more than a week now as the area has seen large amounts of rain. As of tonight, the lake is at 364.24 feet. For reference, the winter pool draw down by the TVA sets the lake at around 354 feet. Projections for the coming days have the lake dropping to around 361 feet by midnight on Saturday.
Dropping water levels will have a giant impact on these fish. Given the time of year, the bass in Kentucky Lake are wanting to begin their migration to the shallows. Newly flooded cover and muddy water provide the fish with ample areas to feed and ambush baitfish. This could all be brought to a stop with falling water levels. If the water begins to drop at a rapid rate, all of the fish that made the push shallow could pull back out off the bank and position on creek channel bends, points, and offshore structure. Keeping an eye on the water levels in the coming days will be key to finding out where the bass are located.
One other thing of note, in regards to conditions entering this event, is the current weekend forecast. On Saturday, the projected high is 58 degrees with a 40% chance of rain. Then on Sunday the temperature is expected to drop by about 10 degrees, with a forecasted high of 49 degrees and the chance of rain increasing to around 60%.
Changing weather conditions drastically impact early spring time fish. Naturally, as the seasons change, fish want to start to move shallow. Just as quickly as the transition can begin, it can also stop equally as fast. The smallest change in variable can send bass back out deep with lock jaw. The anglers who are able to keep an open mind, and adapt with the conditions should have a good chance of succeeding in this event.
Continue to follow along with the blog as the tournament draws near, and throughout both of the tournament days. We will provide live updates, along with pictures as they come in. Tomorrow is the final day of official practice, with registration taking place tomorrow afternoon.
