There is no other lake like it in the world. Kentucky Lake runs hard and fast from the Tennessee boarder to the Kentucky Dam. This hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River is just one of nine dams on the river that’s owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA). It covers over 160,000 acres and has a canal that connects it to Lake Barkley on the Cumberland River. Both of these reservoirs have numerous ledges that hold large schools of bass and other game fish. Few lures can catch as many fish as a crankbait off these ledges, but how can you catch more fish on a crankbait on these ledges? Professional Bassmaster Elite Angler Ben Parker has been catching bass off these ledges with crankbaits for years and gives these three tips for cranking Kentucky Lake ledges.

Mega schools of bass can be found around certain ledges on Kentucky Lake. Finding which ones are productive to fish is the key to catching them. A ledge is some type of structure found at a creek channel or main river channel. “I define a ledge on Kentucky Lake as any kind of bar or drop-off into the main river channel and old creek channels. Most of them will have shell beds making them prime areas for catching bass. The first tip is to watch your sonar unit looking for bass. I like to see them with my electronics before I start casting. Sometimes schools of bass will move around from on top of the ledge to the ends or to where it breaks into deeper water. Most of the ledges are around the 10 foot depth, but that can change according to the season or current,” said Parker. Parker uses down imaging, side imaging, and sonar when searching for schools of bass. “Bass or schools of bass have a distinct look when you go over them compared to crappie or white bass. Once you see it, you will know what to look for. If you haven’t I recommend that you get one of my Bass Under Glass DVDs (www.parkersoutfitting.com) that show you how to use your electronics to find fish,” said Parker.

After finding a school you have to cast to them. “My next tip is to use the right rod to fish with. This is where many anglers have issues. They try casting with rods not capable of making long casts with crankbaits. I use a 7’11” Grim Reaper (www.grimreaperrods.com) medium heavy action Ben Parker signature Series Rod to make a really long cast with a crankbait. “The rod blank feels like a compromise between a graphite rod and fiberglass rod. The rod is sensitive enough to feel the bite or bottom contour while soft enough to load up to make a long cast.”

This blank is not heavy, but has enough backbone to handle a big bass and cast a Bomber BD7 or BD8 (www.bomberlures.com) with no problem,” said Parker.  Most of the time Parker fishes with 8- to 10-pound monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line when crankbaiting. “This year the new Bomber BD8 came out and it gets down fast to those ledges. It’s the same size as the Bomber BD7 crankbait, but dives down to 17- to 19-feet deep. When you’re ledge fishing you want your crankbait to be grinding on the bottom,” explained Parker. Many of the ledge tops Parker fishes are 16- to 18-feet deep. “In June, July, and August the east side or LBL side between Paris Landing and Kentucky Dam are productive areas to fish. I like to fish deep contours, shell beds on the top of ledges, river bends and swings that have current,” said Parker.

The last tip Parker had was on what color crankbait to fish with and where. “What color crankbait really depends on water clarity. The clearer the water I’m fishing, the clearer the crankbait. In water clarity that’s clear I will use more translucent color patterns like the Bomber phantom shad. On the north end of Kentucky Lake is more stained so a citrus shad pattern is better there while I like using solid chartreuse/blueback around the Paris Landing area,” said Parker.

For an angler going to Kentucky Lake or any reservoir that has ledges or break lines these tips by Parker will help you catch more and bigger bass. The key is finding the right location and schools of bass with your depth finder, making long casts with the right fishing rod, and using the right color crankbait.

To learn more on how to catch bass on crankbaits check out Parker's DVD Bass Under Glass (www.ParkersOutFitting.com or click on the link below). Parker also offers a one-of-a-kind on the water educational electronic tutorials service where he goes out in your boat and shows you on your electronics how to read and find fish.