Nolin River Lake Bass Fishing Reports

[Ranger375]

Reports for Nolin River Lake...

[Wil]

Hi everyone,

In about 2 weeks, I have a Jr. KBF Tournament on Nolin.  I have never seen, or even heard about this lake before.  Can anyone tell me a little about this River/Lake.  I am trying to gather the max. amount of knowledge I can before the tourney.

Thanks A Lot

-Wil

[Mike Cork]

Wil thanks for posting, this lake has had over a hundred views but no one posts. Hopefully now that you have started, it will get moving. Come on folks that are watching, gotta post something to get the info flowing. Lets help Wil out here 

Wil, give us some back ground on the JR. KBF tournament?

[Ranger375]

Howdy!

I made a quick phone call and this is all I could find out on short notice...this is from this weekend.  Largemouth are really starting to turn on the bite was on any crawdad imitator of course the lake is still up from winter pool.  I will get more information as soon as I can. I just couldn't get in touch with anyone tonight.

I will let you know what I find out.

[bassman20002002]

Thanks for the Info.

I didn't do well, and the fishing conditions couldn't have been worse.  It was near freezing, pouring rain/ice/snow, 44mph winds, and the lake rose 15ft, the week before i got to fish.

Well, I am in need of help once again.  I managed to make it 3rd as Angler of the Year, and qualified to fish in the state championship.  And guess what, it is on Nolin again.     So, I come for you help once again.  I still know nothing of the lake, I didn't learn anything last time, it was to dog-gone FREEZING!  The Tournament will be held on Oct. 1st and 2nd.  So get those post rolling in please.  Or email me!

wphouchens@Juno.com

Thanks a lot
-Wil

[DAWG]

Will,I am trying to dig up some info for you.As soon as I can get something recent I will post it here .

[Lipripper]

Will welcome again and if there is any new information out there DAWG will find it for you  Sounds like you and cold weather fishing don't mix  It's is tuff trying to fish when it's cold and all your trying to do is keep warm at the same time  Good luck and hope to see you around some more.

[bassman20002002]

Thanks guys,

You are so right.  I hate fishing in near freezing temps.  It wasn't the temperature so much, it was the rain.  I went totally unprepared.  It was supposed to be relatively warm, in the 50s.  But the temp droped below freezing the night before, and I was TOTALLY stuck with just the few layers of clothes that I had. 

But thanks for the help guys.  I seriously appreciate it.  More than you can imagine.  At this tournament I will be fishing against some of the best.   Including last years Jr. Bassmaster Champion.  And he is seriously one of the best I have ever seen.  As long as I make atleast 3 place I will get to advance to the next level.  There are only 15 people in my age group so, I stand a chance. About a 1 in 4 chance.  So keep the post rolling in.

Thanks a million.

[wareagle71]

Hey Wil, that is awesome.  You know everyone here at UB is hoping for the best for you.  Get that top 3 and maybe even better. 

Good Luck and Go Get Em'




WAR

[bassman20002002]

Thanks everyone,

If anyone happens to hear anything, or finds out anything, please let me know.  I go for practice this coming Sat. the 24th. and the tournament is the next Sat. and Sun. 1st and 2nd. 

So if anyone does hear something, PLEASE post and let me know how things are going.

THANKS A MILLION!

[bassman_as_guest]

What would you do in this situation, that might result in upgrading your catch?

This weekend I prefished a tournament on Nolin River here in KY.  The lake is really deep and has lots of standing timber.  At the end of the day I had 4 keepers in the boat weighting about 6.5lbs. after culling my slot fish about half a dozen times.  I caught plenty of 14 in. fish, but I never had one cross that magic 15in. mark.  I caught most of my fish, cranking a crankbait through vertical timber over about 20ft. of water.  I was using a 300series bandit.  After finding plenty of fish, I began scouting the lake for other ways to maybe upgrade my catch.  I worked jig-n-pigs around rip-rap rock points and still managed only the smaller slot fish.  Boat docks didn't produce anything either.  The water up the lake was kinda clear (visibility about 2ft).  Toward the dam visibility increased to about 8ft.

Topwater, spinnerbaits, and texas rig, all produced about the same, with the crankbait far out fishing the rest.  In the morning, fish were easily caught throwing a sinko to individual trees.

What would you do to increase your chances of possibly filling the livewell with some bigger fish?

-Thanks  

[wareagle71]

Maybe a Carolina Rigged plastic dragged through some deep structure down where the heat/sun can't get through so easily.  I am certainly not the expert... but I really thought about your situation and wouldn't have done much different probably.

WAR

[Kirk]

Im fishing the Fishers of Men National Tournament Trail this year and the Reg. Qualifer is here in July and I know nothing about the Lake please post some info.

[wareagle71]

Anglers from near and far come to Nolin River Lake for fishing. Nolin is known for excellent populations of walleye. Largemouth bass and crappie are caught in large numbers, as are tremendous numbers of channel catfish. The lake also has good populations of white bass and bluegill.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources releases rainbow trout in the Nolin River at the Tailwater Recreation Area boat ramp three or four times each summer. Numerous fishermen come to take advantage of these releases.

The Corps of Engineers has constructed fishing piers in three areas to assist anglers in fishing. These piers are located in the day use portion of the Moutardier, Wax, and Dog Creek Recreation Areas. Use of these piers is free.

For fishermen wishing to create their own "hot spot," the Corps of Engineers offers a free permit allowing a person to install fish attractors in the lake. Usually comprised of stake beds or "recycled" Christmas trees, these fish attractors provide habitat for various species of fish around the lake. No fish attractors may be installed without this free permit. The location of the fish attractor will be placed on a map in the Nolin River Lake project office; maps are available to visitors upon request. Anyone may fish at these fish attractors.

When fishing Nolin River Lake, remember that all Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources fishing regulations are enforced at the lake. For additional information about fishing regulations, including size limits, visit the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources web site.


LARGEMOUTH BASS   Fair   Overall population numbers are improving; bass 15 inches or larger represent 14% of fish sampled.    3/3/2005

CHANNEL CATFISH   Good   Lake has good population of 1-4 lb fish and some impressive larger fish.    4/6/2004

WHITE BASS   Good   Population numbers are up in 2003 and 2004; creel clerk reported good numbers in headwaters; most fish are 10-13 inches; best bet is to fish in the headwaters in the spring (Bacon Creek area).   3/3/2005

BLACK CRAPPIE   Good   Large numbers of intermediate size fish (8-10 inches); a few larger fish; should be a good spring fishery.    3/3/2005

WHITE CRAPPIE   Good   Large numbers of intermediate size fish (8-10 inches); a few larger fish; should be a good spring fishery.    3/3/2005

BLUEGILL   Good   Similar to last year; most fish are 5-7 inches, but are numerous.    3/3/2005

WALLEYE   Poor   Poor survival of stocked fish in 1996-2000 and 2002-2003 have reduced population levels; we are stocking more fish than in past years and making other attempts to increase survival of young walleye; slight improvements have been noted.   3/3/2005

SMALLMOUTH BASS   Unknown       3/7/2004

Factoid: Nolin River Lake has an average annual visitation of over two million and maintains one of the lowest drowning rates in the State. Known for its unique blue/green water, Nolin is one of the top five lakes in Kentucky for catfish, bass, crappie, and walleye fishing. The majority of the path Nolin River follows is located within the boundary of Mammoth Cave National Park, making for very scenic canoe trips.


WAR

[BandDCustomLures]

I have property on Nolin and thats my favorite local lake .

Need any info on it let me know.I'll give up a few spots or so.hahaha

Just remember there are lots of smallies t=in there and they don't get pressured like the Ky's and LM

[Lipripper]

Sounds like a great place to Fish.   Kentucky Lake is about the only place I've fished at in   Kentucky but this looks like a great spot 

[metz]

I am heading to the lake in May. just wondering if anyone has been to Center Hill lake in Tennessee, and if Nolin is anything like that.  From what I understand it is a very deep and clear lake.  What does it look like when you go up the river?  Does it get shallow and a little dingy in water color?  Is there a good population of smallmouth and spots on the main lake?  Does the lake flood in the spring and are there bushes in the water to flip in?  Or are the banks too step?  Any help would help I am sure. 

Thanks in advanced for any info.

[Kirk]

I heard through the grapevine there are a good number of smallies here. Is this true?

[BandDCustomLures]

There are some good size grapes on that vine and my fishin partner has a 6.7lber on the wall from Nolin!
He and I are heading there next weekend and I'll report back

[wareagle71]

I stopped on my way by Nolin the other day.  I fished from the bank for about an hour and 45 minutes.  Nothing huge, but I managed 5.   Husky Jerks and Bomber A's. 

The weather was beautiful, and that area is gorgeous, so I had fun.

Looked like the lake was way down, although it's my first time there.  I will be going back.  no doubt.


WAR

[bassman20002002]

Any one know any updated info. on Nolin.  I'm headed up there for an inner-state divisional on November 4th.  Never been up there this late in the fall.  Heard that there is some really really good buzzbait fishin then.  So, if you know a little something about it, just shoot up a post for me to read.  Thanks a lot everyone.

-Wil

[wareagle71]

I stopped by Nolin again Friday.  I had a seminar to give at Mammoth Cave, and Nolin was the closest water I could find.

It looked to be down some from a a previous level earlier in the month.  But still up quite a bit from the last time I was there.  I fished the same cove near the marina, with basically the same results.  It was about 48* air temp, and the water was close to the same.  Very off colored, almost muddy.  I ran spinnerbaits for a while with no success, and then turned to the jerk baits and crankbaits again.  Start stop action on each produced a few largmeouth.  Nothing of much size.  The temps dropped steadily as the sun got lower in the sky and I finally had to bail.  About an hour and 45 minutes in. 

Better than getting shut out I suppose.

WAR