Land Between the Lakes Tips

[Geronimo!]

I'm going backpacking at Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky and Tennessee in Mid-March.
Have you been there?
If so, any advice on good fishing spots?
Anything I should know about the park before I go?

[crashdive123]

Haven't been there, but looks like a beautiful area. http://www.lbl.org/Home.html

[Barefoot]

lbl was a 20 min drive from my house and was my roving grounds growing up. my family and i literally spent every summer camped out up there fishing, hunting, backpacking etc. i know the area very well.

i assume you are planning on backpacking the north south trail? tis a 68 mile trail that meanders along the "trace" following both ky and barkley lakes in places. an awesome hike and a great mountain bike trail as well. when i was a young pup i could bike that trail in 6 hrs and still go hit the taverns later on.

as for fishing, if you have a boat i can recommend some excellent places for tons of panfish. if your trip is going to be in mid april you are in for a treat as the bluegill and redear spawns are on. my dad and i fish this spawn about every other year. you can literally catch healthy fish one right after the other all day long on a good day. the hybrid redear sunfish get up in the 2-3 lb range quite frequently. generally one day on the water and my dad and i can stock up on enough freezer fish for 1-2 years though i think they actually put a limit on them this year. cleaning them is a 12 pack task!

you dont need a boat to fish the spawn per say. the trail will run you by some bays. all you need to do is look for shallow bays and drag any bait across their beds. they will pick up anything lying on the bed to move it and that's when you set the hook. you can see the beds if the water is clear and the angle is right.

really though, i guess i need to know more about your intentions and expectations. please feel free to fire away with specific questions.

edit> ok, re-read and saw you already plan for mid march. you should hold off until april if fishing is important to you. though, sometimes in mid march they will at least start to move up if conditions are right.

enjoy!

[Barefoot]

come to think of it, there should still be sauger and walleye stacked up behind both dams in mid march. there are some fishing access points along the dams if i remember right but (of course) a boat is preferred.

[Geronimo!]

come to think of it, there should still be sauger and walleye stacked up behind both dams in mid march. there are some fishing access points along the dams if i remember right but (of course) a boat is preferred.

Barefoot,

That's great, thanks for the advice.

Because of the ice storms, the only backcountry areas open right now (ice storms) are on the Tennessee side so we're going to take the north-south trail north from the south welcome station and set up camp along ginger bay. Then we'll head back south and explore the Fort Henry hiking trails a little.

Edit: no boat, we're broke and a duct tape boat would only last so long ; )