News and Music Discovery
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WKMS welcomes community members to self-voice self-authored compositions that express opinion, introspection or humor on topics of interest and importance to our audience. If you have an opinion, interest or review you'd like to share with WKMS listeners, please see the guidelines below. The views expressed in commentaries are the opinion of the commentator and don't necessarily reflect the views of WKMS.The station will review every script before it is recorded with respect to:Libel or slander.Content that is more promotional than provocative.Accuracy.Personal attacks and ad hominem attacks.Political or religious content that promotes rather than informs.Appropriate usage, language and form for civil discourse.The station will assist authors with:Making appropriate edits.Bringing the communication to proper time length, generally about 600 words or 3 to 4 minutes of spoken word.Recording the communication in the WKMS studio (unless other arrangements that yield equally acceptable audio are agreed to).Editing the communication and placing it in the WKMS schedule.WKMS will require authors to provide the station a final script that will be filed in the news department and will be placed on the station's web site.WKMS will need authors to provide a suggested introduction for each communication as well as a standard announcer outro script that includes author name, general place of residence, and whatever other personal information might lend authority or authenticity to the communication.WKMS will schedule produced communications and inform the author of time(s). Generally these are aired three times each, but the rotation is solely at the discretion of the station.WKMS will refuse to air communications that violate rules of the Federal Communications Commission for non-commercial, educational stations. Further, WKMS will refuse to air communications that would, for any reason, undermine its goodwill with the audience it serves.If you find these terms agreeable, please email msu.wkmsnews@murraystate.edu to schedule a time in a studio to record.

FLW Fishing Report: Good Fishing Despite Low Lake Levels

Scott Ellison here, with the FLW Weekly Fishing Report.

As there hasn’t been enough rain to settle the dust, the lake is about three feet low and there’s no sign that it’s going to go up anytime soon. Still, the air temperature has moderated, the water level is staying fairly stable and the fishing has gotten a lot better for most species.

The hot ticket now is bluegills, as apparently there’s been a big surge in spawning activity all over the lake. Limit stringers are coming off shallow points and in the backends of pockets where there’s a mixed bottom of pea gravel and sand. Redworms and crickets on splitshot or dropshot rigs are the best natural bait. By the way, have you noticed how big the bluegills and shellcrackers have gotten on average over the last 4 or 5 years? Used to be, all the fish you caught were about hand size, which indicates overpopulation. Now, fat bull bluegills that measure 8 or 9 inches and shellcrackers that go 10 or 12 inches are pretty standard. And, boy, are they good to eat.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but if you just want to catch a mess of bream for supper and not go to a lot of trouble to do it, try some of those dark-colored Phyliss’ bluegill bugs that are sold at Benson’s and elsewhere. Use an ultralight spinning rig with 6-pound-test monofilament and tie on a 1/32th-ounce bug if the wind isn’t blowing, or a 1/16th if it is. Cast out the bug, let it settle to the bottom and then drag it back by using the rod tip. It finds fish fast, and sometimes it doesn’t even get to the bottom before a bluegill nails it… A great way to locate beds, and best of all, you don’t have to mess with worms or crickets.

Although there still are a few bass spawning or cruising the banks for the dwindling shad spawns, the fishing focus for them has turned to the ledges. Guys cranking the mid-depth ledges with big crankbaits are bringing in some good stringers, but really just about any of the standard soft-plastics or jigs are catching bass anywhere from bank cover to the drop-offs.

There’s an Everstart Tournament out of Moor’s Resort this weekend and the way the bass are biting, it’s going to take daily average weights of 22 to 25 pounds to stay in the running. The fish have only just arrived on the ledges and they haven’t been pressured too much yet. That means they’re easy to fool right now, though that won’t last long.

Mark June 7-10 on your calendars. That’s the weekend the Walmart FLW Majors Tour visits Kentucky Lake for a big tournament with all the big-name pros. On Saturday and Sunday, June 9th and 10th, the semi-final and championship weigh-ins will be held in the CFSB Center. You won’t want to miss those, and the free outdoor show that accompanies them. This is a very kid-friendly event with all sorts of games and attractions for the youngsters. Again, the dates are Saturday and Sunday, June 9th and 10th, in the CFSB Center.  I’ll have more on it later.

That’s it for this week. Bass are biting, bluegills and shellcrackers are biting. Go get ’em. This is Scott Ellison, signing off for FLW.

Scott Ellison is a lifelong fisherman and FLW College Fishing Promotions Manager.

Tracy started working for WKMS in 1994 while attending Murray State University. After receiving his Bachelors and Masters degrees from MSU he was hired as Operations/Web/Sports Director in 2000. Tracy hosted All Things Considered from 2004-2012 and has served as host/producer of several music shows including Cafe Jazz, and Jazz Horizons. In 2001, Tracy revived Beyond The Edge, a legacy alternative music program that had been on hiatus for several years. Tracy was named Program Director in 2011 and created the midday music and conversation program Sounds Good in 2012 which he hosts Monday-Thursday. Tracy lives in Murray with his wife, son and daughter.
Scott Ellison is a lifelong fisherman and FLW College Fishing Promotions Manager.
Related Content