Area lake levels have remained stable, with current levels at New Johnsonville holding at 354.9ft. We still have nearly a foot to fall; usually TVA will have the lake at 354ft by the 1st week in November. Flow rates remain slight, with an average around 25,000cfs. Water temperatures have continued to fall, with average surface lake temperatures now in the low 70’s. Both the Duck and Buffalo rivers are extremely low due to the ongoing drought, with the Duck at Dyer road just under 1ft, the Buffalo is at 3ft at Lobelville. Boaters should take caution on the rivers.
Fall fishing is here, although the fish must not have received the memo. Crappie remain tough to find on Kentucky Lake, although some fishermen North of us have found some good crappie in fairly shallow water. They tried 15-20ft depths and came up empty, but a move to shallower water in depths of 5-10ft made all the difference! Bass have also moved shallower, with some reports of fish coming from the shallow water, in depths of 1-3ft, in the backs of creeks. Look for shad activity with the bass chasing them. Catfish continue to do well; the flatheads are being taken with more regularity, especially by fishermen using live bait fished near heavy cover. The blue cats are still being found out on the river by fishermen using nightcrawlers, and some are using chicken breast and coming up with some good fish.
Archery deer season continues, with the total harvest in Humphreys Co. now over 60 (not including this past weekend's harvest); the statewide total is now over 6,500 deer. No turkeys so far have been harvested in Humphreys Co. but archery hunters are allowed 1 bearded turkey/County. The fall shotgun season will begin on October 15 and run through October 28th. The limits for both the archery and shotgun fall hunts are one (1) bearded turkey per county, a hunter may only harvest 1 turkey per county, but can go to any other open county to harvest another. Refer to the most current hunting guide for more information. The ‘rut’ has begun, with bucks already looking for does, although the peak of the rut usually won’t occur until the end of the month.
TWRA will be holding a couple of events in Buffalo at the ‘Buffalo Ridge Refuge’, one will be the annual Youth deer hunt on Saturday October 29th and the other a BOW (becoming an outdoor woman) muzzle loader hunt being held on November 11-13th. For both events, hunters must register by visiting TWRA’s website; TnWildlife.org or by going to gooutdoorstennessee.com to register.