It’s always exciting going to a new lake that you’ve never been to and know nothing about! Or at least it is to me! The challenge and wonder of what kind of fish are in the lake make it an adventure. This year we took a family vacation with Talkhunting.com at Pennyrile Resort in Western Kentucky. I was really excited to get out on this lake ever since reading about it on the website to the park. One of the most intriguing things to me was that no gas powered motors were allowed on the lake. To some, this means a lot of work such as having to paddle your self around to fish. To me, this means no pollutants in the water and a lot less boat traffic! Another thing about going to a new lake for me is to see how my “go-to” lures work on fish from other areas.

One thing that I recommend when going to a new lake is to always evaluate the lake. By this I am talking about learning something about the lake and what kind of fish it might hold. This can be done many ways. Personally I like to do it by scouting. You hunters can appreciate this as well. Only thing is, as a fisherman, you have to be able to tell what is below the surface of the water. There are many resources to use these days to accomplish this. You can even use Google Earth in some cases to see the kind of structure the lake has. There are also maps sold in outdoor stores that will show hot spots and such. Me, I like the hands-on way. This gives me a live, real time assessment of the lake. A lake’s habitats and structures change daily as the water rises and lowers, whether it rains or not, the clarity of the water, the water surface temperature and the list goes on and on.

The lake at Pennyrile Resort is a really great lake to fish. The lake holds many species of fish and is fairly protected from the wind. The water in this lake is clear and has a lot of forage and cover for fish. The lake is also plenty deep to support all kinds of fish. I didn’t go after catfish (this time). My personal key fish was large mouth bass.

Another VERY important thing when going to a new lake is choosing the RIGHT partner! My partner on this trip was Tom Bepler (gutshot). I think we made a good team as we both have a passion for the outdoors and safety. Safety is key when fishing in close quarters as we were. I admit that it took a little bit to figure out the fish, but it was fun doing it. Once we had them locked in, the fish had no chance! We didn’t get to fish as much as we would have liked on this trip, but next time we will have to make more time to satisfy this addiction!

The baits that seemed to work the best in this lake were the watermelon-red super fluke and the kiwi senko type bait. I did catch a few on beetle spin baits also. I was using the beetle spins to go after crappie (white perch) but also caught bass on them. My daughter (Katelyn) even caught one while trolling on the back of a paddle boat while Mom and big Sister (Macy) were peddling.

I found that there were many species of fish in this lake that would make fine table fare or just fun to catch. I even caught what we call a Warm Mouth. Some call it a rock bass. Either way, they are fun to catch and great to eat.

If you are in Western Kentucky and you like the challenge of a new lake, I recommend giving Pennyrile Resort a try.

By Anthony Meshell

Staff Writer Anthony (ameshell) Meshell was born in Houston, Texas. Anthony married his High School Sweet Heart and Best Friend, Melody in June of 1989.  Anthony has two beautiful daughters, Macy and Katelyn.

As a young child, Anthony was raised on the water. Anthony’s family was always around water and the outdoors. He caught his first bass at the age of 5 years old and has been chasing them ever since. He also chases after Speckled Trout and Redfish now.

After graduating Pearland High School in 1987 (man he is getting old), he enlisted into the U.S. Navy.  He served during the Gulf War and was stationed in Mayport, FL.  Anthony is now a Police Officer for the City of Manvel, TX. Manvel is only a few miles from where he grew up.

The past few years have been a really great learning experience for Anthony and his family. Anthony has always had a passion for hunting, but had never really been able to pursue the passion until now. He hunts Deer, Dove, Squirrel and Hog. His older daughter, Macy, has also taken an interest in hunting and the outdoors. She is in FFA and they are raising Rabbits for show.  Anthony now has a deer lease to take the family hunting on and they enjoy every minute that they can there.

These days if Anthony is not fishing or hunting, he is thinking about fishing or hunting.

Comments(2):

1. Awesome Fishing

   Great Read... Now I did have my Fishing equipment with me but it was oh Hot but you guy's did real well...

   Thursday, August 04, 2011 Dennis

2. Great Friends, Great Fishing

   Looks like You and Gutshot had a great time. Had my rods, did not find the time. Hope to take time to fish next year. Thanks for the article!

   Monday, August 08, 2011 Steve