Wilgreen

Update: July 9, 2011

Took the kayak to Wilgreen on a nice Saturday late afternoon.  After  fishing a couple of hours, several lures found no fish. I dropped some  wax worms on the bottom, and got one nice fight that ended up tangled in  a tree. Altogether, caught 3 small fish (very small catfish, small  bluegill, very small largemouth).

At dusk, I started to head back, and the water came alive–with shad.   The lake was boiling with shad, who feed close to dark on plankton near  the surface.  This explained much–a lake full of shad is a terrible  place to fish, in my experience.  Bass are well fed, and other species  get crowded out.  I hope Wilgreen can be revitalized, or remain  fishable.  The other boats and anglers I saw were primarily catching  bluegill.

August 29, 2009

I got a late start on a Saturday afternoon, but packed the kayak and  headed south to Wilgreen Lake, on the southwest side of Richmond,  Kentucky.  I knew very little about the lake, but decided to find out  more first hand.  With days drawing shorter, I would have less than two  hours of light to check out the 169 acre lake, but I was determined to  get on the water and fish.

Wilgreen is not hard to find—take I-75 to exit 87, then go west about  a mile, turn left (south) on Curtis Road, drive a couple of miles, then  turn left at the sign for Wilgreen. There is a large gravel lot and a  small marina, selling bait, snacks, ice, etc.  There is a fee of $5 to  launch a boat or fish from the shore or fishing dock.

The water was clear and clean the day I was there. There was no major  weed cover or algae floating.  I never once got hung up on anything in  the lake.  The lake is idle speed only, so boats just putter around.   Overall, on a nice Saturday afternoon in August, the lake was quiet and  still—except for the baitfish cutting the surface.

I started fishing with my usual test pattern.  A chartreuse  roostertail, followed by a shallow crankbait, then an in-line spinner  rig with a white grub.  The roostertail yielded nothing, but I managed  to land a nice 10 inch crappie near a submerged tree on a green/white  shad crankbait.  I looked for my stringer, but it was gone, having  fallen out while packing my gear. He would have been a nice dinner.

The light was fading, so I paddled to a point where there was a lot  of surface activity. There I threw a spinner rigged with a large white  grub.  A couple of casts later, the line jerked, and a bass jumped out  of the water. He fought hard, and took off under the boat when I reeled  him close, he finally gave up, and into the boat. Just over 12 inches,  he too would have been a nice dinner, but I pulled the hook and let him  go.  A very scrappy largemouth.

It was getting dark, so I paddled back to the ramp.  I will have to return to Wilgreen again; two hours is not enough.

Overall the lake is pleasant, clean, and not far from Lexington. The  floating fishing dock is attached by a ramp, and is accessible for those  who have trouble getting around.  The marina, open until 7 PM the day I  was there, was well stocked with tackle, a variety of live bait  (crickets, minnows, worms), as well as snacks, drinks, and ice. A fish  cleaning station is also located at the dock.