SEPTEMBER
Flathead Catfish
Dewey Lake
Dewey Lake can provide good bank-fishing and boat-fishing for flathead catfish. However, bank-fishers may need to scout a little for suitable locations, given the quantity of weed growth that has occurred during the spring and summer.

The lake holds very good numbers of flathead catfish up to 20 pounds. A few are caught each year in the range of 40 to 50 pounds.

Channel catfish are also present in the lake, but to target flatheads specifically, anglers need to stay away from the stinkbaits typically used for channel cats. For flatheads, fishing live sunfish or large minnows at night will get the best results.

At night, the flatheads will move shallow and patrol shoreline areas for food. During the day, they will be primarily sedentary, resting near large rocks, logs and weedbed edges. However, they will hit bait if you place it close to them.

Flatheads are caught throughout the lake. Favorite locations are often the shoreline areas at the mouths of coves, rocky points and the submerged brushpiles that hold small sunfish and crappie.

OCTOBER
Crappie
Rough River Lake
Everyone thinks of the spring crappie run, but there's another great time of year to tangle with those ole papermouths. The fall season isn't quite as fast and furious as the spring, but there's a lot of excellent fishing opportunity out there this month.

As the water cools after summer, the crappie leave their deep-water haunts and begin migrating back toward the banks and into shallower water. First they move up to transition areas, then into relatively shallow water. So each fall, anglers have a window of opportunity when they can fill their livewells with these tasty panfish.

At this time of year, all the usual crappie baits will work. But perhaps none is more effective than that old standby, the minnow.

Of course, sitting stationary and watching a bobber dance on the water's surface is not for everyone. So lots of anglers will opt for artificials. Jigs, spinners, spoons, crankbaits and others all come into play. Anglers will often need to experiment to learn what baits, colors and depths will likely produce the best action.

NOVEMBER
Muskies
Green River Lake
When muskie fishing is brought up, Green River Lake is not always the first water in the Bluegrass State that's mentioned.

However, it has a fine muskie fishery, and Green River Lake anglers often pull out some real trophies.

The KDFWR stocks muskies into the lake each year. The most recent assessments have shown the fishery to be excellent, with good size distribution and a lot of quality fish in the lake. In fact, there are plenty of fish available that will exceed 40 inches!

In the fall, after the water temperature cools a bit, muskie fishing really gets going. Cooler waters draw the big fish back into the shallows as they follow small preyfish. Anglers can find success by casting or trolling in the early part of the day and then again in late afternoon. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits and large minnow-type plugs are the most effective offerings.