Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

Tying into a brute largemouth and battling it into the boat is the thrill bass anglers live for, and one of the main reasons we all take to the water. Thankfully, all across the Bluegrass State, we have some tremendous waters to seek bass. Much of the credit for our great bass fishing goes to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) for its excellent management of the resource and for the information it provides on these quality fisheries.

Some bass lakes seem to always offer great largemouth fisheries each year. Others are cyclic to a degree, go through periods of great fisheries and then slip into a down cycle, due to bad spawns or other conditions.

Luckily, the KDFWR constantly monitors our fisheries and keeps us well informed of what to expect. Each year, the KDFWR publishes an annual fishing forecast for all the major waters across the state, including almost all game fish that are present in the body of water. The forecast gives a prediction on how good or bad the fishing will be for each species for the coming year.

These predictions are not just random guesses, but are the result of much hard work and years of comparing data. Fish species are "sampled" by fisheries biologists through various methods, depending on the species. Gill nets, hoop nets, and electro-fishing are all used to collect fish, record data, and then return them to the water unharmed. The sampling is performed at different times of the year, according to the species being sampled.

Electro-shocking is the primary method used for largemouth bass. Biologists position boats in sampling areas and then use a device to send an electric charge into the water. This temporarily stuns the fish and allows the researchers to collect them. Various data are assembled such as numbers of fish, age, length, weight, body condition, and more.

The KDFWR has developed an assessment method to rate the largemouth fisheries across the state. The data collected during sampling then allows the biologists to rate the fishery as either poor, fair, good, or excellent.

The assessment and subsequent rating is based on 5 parameters, the first being the length of bass at 3 years of age. This is the growth factor, which lets biologists know how fast the bass in the lake are growing, compared to other lakes. It also allows them assess how fast spawned fish will move into groups of various sizes.

The second parameter is the number of 1-year-old bass collected. This is the recruitment factor, which tells biologists how good the spawn was the previous year. This and all size parameters except the length of age 3 bass are based upon the number of fish collected during one hour of electro-shocking. Years of sampling at the same locations and same time of year help biologists develop comparable figures to reveal patterns.

The remaining three parameters are based on length. One is the number of bass between 12 and 14.9 inches. Next is the number of bass 15 inches and longer. The final parameter is the number of bass 20 inches and longer.

These show the size structure or distribution of bass within the fishery. This lets biologists know if there are missing or diminished year-classes, the strength of each size group, and the trophy potential for that body of water. Size distribution helps paint a picture of how good or bad the fishing will be and helps biologists plan long-term management strategies.

During assessment, each of these individual parameters receives a rating of 1 through 4, based on the results of the sampling. The total of the ratings for all five parameters determines the rating for the lake.

Any lake with an overall assessment rating below 8 is considered poor. Between 8 and 12, the fishery is rated fair. A rating of 12 up to 16 means the fishery is good. To be considered excellent, a fishery must receive an assessment above 16.

There were a total of eight different lakes whose bass fisheries were rated as excellent for 2007. These are some of our top waters across the state. Following is an alphabetically organized look at each of the "excellent" largemouth bass fisheries.

LAKE BARKLEY
It may surprise many anglers to learn that Lake Barkley actually has twice the largemouth bass fishery, as does neighboring Kentucky Lake. There is a tremendous bass population at Barkley, although the sizes of the fish generally don't run as high as at Kentucky Lake. But there are good numbers of decent-sized bass, so anglers at Barkley are likely to have a blast this year.

Lake Barkley has seen average spawns over the past several years, and the fishery remains stable from year to year. Fisheries biologist Paul Rister says the largemouth population is in good shape and should yield some great angling opportunities. An increase of aquatic weed growth is helping the fishery by increasing the percentage of surviving bass fry.

Fish sampling from 2006 showed very good growth rates and good numbers of fish. The number of fish in the 12- to 15-inch range was exceptionally good. There were also plenty of fish above 15 inches. All in all, 2007 should be a great year to be on the water at Lake Barkley.