Recent heavy rains in western Kentucky caused water levels at Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley to rise and crest earlier this week. But some fish species started reproducing as the waters were rising – and now that those levels are receding, some wildlife experts are concerned about how those eggs will be impacted.
Adam Martin, a fisheries program coordinator with the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources Department, said the temperature in the lakes – currently sitting at 62 degrees Fahrenheit – is a little too low for most species to begin spawning. But two types that are in the early parts of their reproductive seasons are the bass and black crappie populations.
“Those are potentially the most important, since they're the ones that receive the most fishing pressure,” Martin said.
Both bass and black crappie lay their eggs along the banks of lakes and creeks. Steve McCadams, a Paris, Tennessee-based fisherman and professional guide for more than four decades, said high water levels can be destructive for fish that tend to reproduce in these shallow parts of the lakes.
“You worry about the eggs getting up in the shallow areas. They spawn, and all of a sudden they pull the water out from under them, and they just don't survive the spawn,” McCadams said.
Martin said the effects of a possibly poor spawning season will not be noticeable for another three to five years, when those fish would begin to reach keeping size.
The KFWRD is going to continue to monitor environmental effects on the spawning process to help the fish in any way they can, Martin said. But, he noted that the variety of variables impacting fish reproduction – like future weather conditions and dropping water levels – can make it hard to predict how the fish species will fare in the coming years.
