04-15-2008, 12:09 AM
Frankfort, Ky. - Place names such as Rankin Bottoms, Bryant's Camp, Broad Ford, Bacon Creek and Glensboro hold special significance for white bass anglers in Kentucky. These areas lie in the headwaters of Herrington Lake, Nolin River Lake and Taylorsville Lake and produce white bass each spring year after year.
Warming water along with the current provided by spring rains signal white bass to run upstream into the headwaters of these lakes from mid-March to mid-April. This could happen earlier if we have a dry, mild winter or later if have a cold, wet winter.
When white bass make their spawning runs into the shallow headwaters of these lakes, the fishing is fast and furious. A minnow cast under a bobber catches these fish as does a white or silver in-line spinner, a chrome or golden spoon, white or chartreuse curly-tailed grubs rigged on a lead head or shad colored crankbaits.
The white bass run may extend up the Nolin River all the way to the KY 224 Bridge at Millerstown in spring. Be careful if navigating a boat upstream of the Bacon Creek Boat Ramp as the lake quickly returns to the pools and riffles of Nolin River. The Broad Ford Bridge on KY 1214 provides bank fishing opportunities.
The peculiar thing about the white bass run in Salt River above Taylorsville Lake is there didn't appear to be any white bass present during the early years of the lake. They appeared during the early 1990s and populations continually increased. The run is now one of the strongest in Kentucky.
Boating anglers may launch at Van Buren Boat Ramp and venture upstream or may access the Salt River by way of Taylorsville Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA) off KY 248.
White bass fishing in the headwaters in Herrington Lake is returning to its glory days of the 1940s and 1950s, when anglers from all over Kentucky and surrounding states came to Rankin Bottoms to fish. Old photos show long lines of cars and trucks up and down KY 52 near the bridge over Dix River between Danville and Lancaster.
The good spring fishing starts at Bryant's Camp and continues upstream to Rankin Bottoms. A white curly-tailed grub is deadly on Herrington Lake white bass during the spring runs.
Warming water along with the current provided by spring rains signal white bass to run upstream into the headwaters of these lakes from mid-March to mid-April. This could happen earlier if we have a dry, mild winter or later if have a cold, wet winter.
When white bass make their spawning runs into the shallow headwaters of these lakes, the fishing is fast and furious. A minnow cast under a bobber catches these fish as does a white or silver in-line spinner, a chrome or golden spoon, white or chartreuse curly-tailed grubs rigged on a lead head or shad colored crankbaits.
The white bass run may extend up the Nolin River all the way to the KY 224 Bridge at Millerstown in spring. Be careful if navigating a boat upstream of the Bacon Creek Boat Ramp as the lake quickly returns to the pools and riffles of Nolin River. The Broad Ford Bridge on KY 1214 provides bank fishing opportunities.
The peculiar thing about the white bass run in Salt River above Taylorsville Lake is there didn't appear to be any white bass present during the early years of the lake. They appeared during the early 1990s and populations continually increased. The run is now one of the strongest in Kentucky.
Boating anglers may launch at Van Buren Boat Ramp and venture upstream or may access the Salt River by way of Taylorsville Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA) off KY 248.
White bass fishing in the headwaters in Herrington Lake is returning to its glory days of the 1940s and 1950s, when anglers from all over Kentucky and surrounding states came to Rankin Bottoms to fish. Old photos show long lines of cars and trucks up and down KY 52 near the bridge over Dix River between Danville and Lancaster.
The good spring fishing starts at Bryant's Camp and continues upstream to Rankin Bottoms. A white curly-tailed grub is deadly on Herrington Lake white bass during the spring runs.