Most people know Harold Knight, of Knight & Hale Game Calls, as a hunting and calling sensation. Calling turkeys in the spring woods or chasing whitetails in the fall, Harold is pretty darn hard to beat. However, he's also a remarkable angler. In fact, recently Harold Knight placed in the top five of the BASS Northern Tournament Tour on Kentucky and Barkley lakes.

Knight grew up fishing the river and hunting the area long before it became a lake. He has accumulated a wealth of knowledge about both lakes, but is extremely tough to beat on Barkley.

Strategy #1:
LAUNCHING AT LAKE BARKLEY STATE PARK MARINA
Harold Knight lives only a few minutes from the State Park Marina and during June, he loves to fish this section of the lake. He likes to focus on the topwater bite early in the morning, before the sun is out, fishing around shallow-water cover.

"Sometimes in June, we have high-water conditions, creating a situation where there are flooded bushes," commented Knight. "I like to target this type of cover with the SPRO Frog, buzzbaits, and Zara Spooks. The topwater action can be explosive during the early morning hours or under overcast conditions."

Knight utilizes his depthfinder to find schools of baitfish and bass on ledges and dropoffs. He feels strongly that finding baitfish is key to fishing at this time of year.

Like Craig Hipsher, Knight also likes to target suspending bass in the post-spawn pattern, especially when the topwater bite shuts off. These bass will be away from the bank. In fact, Knight uses his depthfinder to find schools of baitfish and bass on ledges and dropoffs.

He feels strongly that finding baitfish is key to fishing at this time of year. He prefers to fish a 3/8-ounce jig around the rock cover and ledges. In recent years, he's been catching more and more smallmouths on Barkley around this type of cover. Focusing on ledges and drops can pay off big during June on Barkley.

Strategy #2:
FISHING U.S. ROUTE 68
BRIDGE -- DEVILS ELBOW
Another area in which Knight has a great deal of confidence is the section of the lake around the U.S. Route 68 bridge. Harold will launch at the Devils Elbow boat ramp and target bass along the shallow flats where the river turns, focusing on the logs and treetops.

Fishing this type of cover with a spinnerbait, square-billed crankbait, and 6-inch worm with a 1/8-ounce sinker can be a lethal strategy. A high-impact technique is to cast the Texas-rigged worm past the cover and let the current carry the worm into the wooded structure.

Generally, large schools of fry and baitfish will be holding around the wood cover, the best of which is found along the shallow flats where the river narrows. These prime locations are loaded with bass during June.

Many anglers who are busy focusing on the main lake dropoffs and ledges often overlook this section of the lake. However, this shallow-water pattern can generate some intense action-packed trips during late-spring and early-summer months.

Strategy #3:
FISHING EDDIE CREEK MARINA
Harold Knight also catches a lot of bass on the main lake after launching from Eddie Creek Marina. There are a number of good points, dropoffs, and roadbeds on this section of the lake. Fishing this type of structure with crankbaits, Carolina-rigged Brush Hogs or lizards, and a shaky-head worm can be all it takes to fill your boat with lunker bass.