Anglers speed off into day two

Local anglers likely to hold top positions in Kentucky Lake EverStart Series event

BENTON, Ky. – After day one of the EverStart Central Division event, the top-20 field reads like a who’s who of Kentucky Lake local experts.

Of the top 20, 16 anglers are from either Kentucky or Tennessee.

“More than half of the top 20 are some of the best locals on this lake,” said day-one leader Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky. “It’s going to be a tight race come Saturday.”

So what is making the locals so dominant?

“We know where those offshore places are – those little key spots that take years and years to find,” he said. “We know where they are, and more importantly, we know how to fish them.”

Another thing playing into the locals’ hands is the time of year.

In the spring, bass in Kentucky and Barkley lakes move shallow, leveling the playing field for all competitors.

But when the fish are done spawning and the water temperatures begin to rise, the fish go back to their homes on the main creek and river ledges where they spend the summer mawing down on shad.

“Other than the spawn, they live out there year-round,” Morehead said. “They just position on the structure differently, depending on the current and their moods.”

Anglers will enjoy calm waters and bright skies today – one more thing that will play into the favor of those locals fishing the deep-structure game.

The day-two weigh-in for the Kentucky Lake EverStart begins at 2:30 p.m. Central at The Moors Resort and Marina.

Thursday’s conditions:

Air temperature: 65 degrees

Water temperature: 76 degrees

Wind: light winds from the north

Day’s outlook: sunny, high of 80 degrees