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Lake Cumberland Fishing Report Updated
June 25, 2009
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THE LAKE CUMBERLAND STRIPER FISHING REPORT
By Captain Jim Durham – StriperFun Guide Service
Staff Writer for fishin.com
DATE OF REPORT: June 24, 2009
• Latest water temperature: 86.2° F surface (Beaver Creek) June 23, 2009
• Latest water temperature: 85.9° F surface (Main Lake) June 22, 2009
• Latest water temperature: 85.6° F surface (Indian Creek) June 23, 2009
• Current lake level is 684.17 feet.
Currently, the lake level is right at 684.17 above sea level which is 4 feet above the normal (working on the dam) elevation. It is about 38 feet below the tree line, which is 725' above sea level. I will keep you posted.
Greetings to my readers! Life is good! I hope the world finds you and your family doing well!
It has been one week since my last report.
ACTIVITY / CURRENT REPORT
Fishing over the last week has remained red hot!!! Life is great!!! We are catching limit after limit with huge fish every day or so. See above yet another big monster Striper caught by a StriperFun client, plus a photo of just a few of the other nice fish caught!
It is still “Kapow” “Kabam” “Kapow”, with planer boards and down lines “ripping down” so hard the rod tips are in the water in 1/10th of a second and the rod holders “creaking” from the sudden pressure! I hope it lasts all summer!
But alas, as everything in life, things work in cycles. We will see.
Once again, just a few days ago, a huge monster Striper evaded us right at the boat. This fish (like the one 2 weeks back) was so huge it looked like a shark (with stripes) in the water!
After a prolonged battle by my customer, I got ready to net it and when it made one last dive, the hook came out. Nothing my client did wrong, a huge fish like this gets hooked in the meat of the mouth and sometimes the close pressure by the boat causes the hook to rip out. It just happens. I was just stunned. Just like last time, I think I could have died on the spot! It could have very well been a record fish (it truly “was’ that big).
Never forget that a big fish does not get to be a big fish being a fool! Just like last time I am still waking up in the middle of the night seeing the fish swim away. Crap!!!!!!!!! But she is still out there and we will eventually land her (same spot on the water too!!)!
Now is the “magic time” for which we all wait for every year! The reels have been screaming with big fish taking massive yards of line before our customers put them in the boat. Striper “Fun” at its best!!
JAMESTOWN RESORT MARINA
LODGE / CABIN & HOUSEBOAT RENTALS!
As a professional fishing guide who has boated and fished on Lake Cumberland over 40 years, I always want to make sure my customers are taken care.
For the very best resort style “on the water” room accommodations, cabin rentals and for “world class” houseboat rentals, I always recommend Jamestown Resort & Marina! With a great restaurant, small boat rentals, houseboat rentals and world class views of Lake Cumberland, you are sure to have an enjoyable stay at Jamestown Resort & Marina!
CLICK THE PHOTO OF JAMESTOWN MARINA ABOVE BY MY PHOTO TO BOOK YOUR LODGE / CABIN ROOM OR HOUSEBOAT TRIP AND CAPTAIN JIM WILL DO THE REST!!
You can always also call me to make your reservation at 1-866-575-3770.
THE PRODUCTIVE FISHING PATTERN
The early summer pattern is holding course. The fish are in the main lake near the mouths of the creeks (because their food the shad is there). They are now staging directly on the “drop offs” where the water comes straight up and down off out of the channel from 100 feet or so of water onto a flat area 25 to 40 feet deep. These drop offs are very tight, being no more than 20 to 30 feet across. It is kind of like fishing on the edge of an eight story building. That is how “sheer” the canyon wall edges are.
The Stripers are bunched up nicely into huge schools right on the cliff edge. Always remember, where the shad run so do the Striper! You may have to hunt with your fish finder for a while. Do not be afraid to spend some time doing this before putting your lines out. Pay close attention to your fish finder to watch for large schools of shad on these cliff edges. The water is more oxygenated on these cliff edges, thus, more shad (and more Stripers!). Once you locate large schools of shad, the Stripers will be close by (even if you do not mark them).
We are down ling these river channel cliff edges, 25 to 40 feet deep with the baits. Go out to the main lake now and hunt until you find them! Look where the river channel curves and is against a canyon wall near a creek mouth.
The water temperature is hovering in the mid 85 degree area. The surface Striper fishing is finally improving. We are also catching large Stripers and throwing the new “Captain Jim Special” “Dominator” buck tail jigs and the new “Tantalizer” casting Striper spinner, as well as on the new “Captain Jim Special – Tiny Terror” lures (which are also producing truly “massive” Smallmouth Bass – one Smallmouth caught was actually 2 feet long!).
A good trick is to watch the gulls. If they are diving in a “Tornado” looking vortex, then you can bet the Stripers are under them driving the bait fish to the surface. You may also catch a monster in the jumps, so have plenty of fresh line on your reel!
If you find a school, you may have to position the boat over them and try to stay on them. On a windy day, you may be better off not using planer boards, but rather just use all "down lines" as it is easier to stay positioned over top of the fish this way.
The fish are still averaging about 13 pounds are all very fat and healthy! If you get a big hit, be sure to let him run at least 5 to 7 seconds to get the bait hooked solid.
If you catch a Striper less than 24 inches, try to keep it in the water, get the hook out of it and release it ASAP to give it the best chance to live (if you do not do this, the fish will likely die).
Watch out for logs in the water. Enjoy the quiet beauty and majesty of Lake Cumberland. As always, there is the occasional day or two in a row where the bite turns slow (or off). It is generally weather related (like a big low pressure front). If the bite is slow for you, don’t feel alone. On slow days, I get calls from guides all around the lake on my cell phone asking if we are hitting them (because they are not hitting them either). You just hang tough and keep fishing. Always remain positive. Remember, you are on one of the most beautiful bodies of water the Lord created. Enjoy it! Slow days can suddenly become “great memory making days” if you hit a school that suddenly turns on and every rod goes down! You can never make a shot you do not take. Stay after them!
NEW STRIPERFUN “ONLINE” STORE
Because of continued demand for super high quality fishing equipment (including improved designs for Striper and Walleye lures), I am pleased to announce the “grand opening” of the StriperFun “online” store. You will find terrific & cutting edge new products available on the StriperFun “online” store, as well as basic things you need.
IF YOU APPRECIATE MY FISHING REPORTS, I WOULD APPRECIATE A CHANCE TO EARN YOUR BUSINESS!!
Click the link beside my photo at the top of the page to go to the StriperFun website – then click the link to the “online store”!
StriperFun Guide Service now has four (4) guides to serve your charter needs. We can handle large group and corporate outings!
My Captains and I are all Federal Coast Guard Certified and State licensed, insured and are well trained with no less than 30 years experience per man!
If you want to catch Monster Stripers this summer, then you better book soon! The prime summer dates are booking up, so do not wait too long to lock in your weekend trip! All of StriperFun’s guide boats are covered and heated as well, so come see us.
If you see a school of Stripers on the surface feeding, be sure to not run your boat directly into the school. Come down off of plane at least 150 feet away then approach by trolling motor on high speed. Be patient as well, do not throw until your lure can reach the edges of the school (that is mentally “hard” to do).
Be respective of other boaters as well. Unfortunately, you may not always get the same treatment.
The reality is that the fish usually will not stay up long. However, check the time on your watch and stay in the general area. My experience this time of year is that they re-surface every 6 to 8 minutes as they “herd” the large schools of shad to the surface (like any predators herd their pray). Many times, I find that if I “run” over towards them when I see them come up, by the time I get there they are “back down”! Then, when I look over, they are coming up “right where I just came from”! This is a technique you just have to learn (to be at the right place at the right time). Truthfully, sometimes it is just “luck”.
Striper fishing at its best!
It is always a good time to “trophy” hunt!
AGAIN, LEARN TO ADAPT AND SURVIVE!!!!
I demonstrate many of these techniques on “Striper Fish like a Pro” Volume # 2.
We are now into the early summer season. Summer solstice was just two days ago! The days will now begin to get shorter again as “twilight” now rolls around just a little earlier each night. It is great to welcome in another new season, and exhilarating at the same time! Count your blessings each day and live “in the moment”, not in the future.
Our life cycle welcomes in this pattern/ change again as we hunt these trophy fish! It is time to tie your strongest line onto your stoutest rods and sharpen your hooks! There are monster Stripers in Lake Cumberland and they are hungry! I remain truly “pumped”!
Remember to “clean” the algae from your line after each deployment (and check for nicks in the line).
I have lots of great recipes on the striperfun.com website. Click on to check it out!
If you want to see more photos of recent catches, including some huge stringers of large Stripers, go to the StriperFun website for this as well!
Stripers will sometimes eat their body weight in shad, then not eat for a day or so. Some days, you may hit a school the day “after” it fed. Be patient, you cannot slay them everyday (or at all times of the day). Eventually, these schools will begin to yield large trophies!
If you are going to fish live bait, only the freshest bait will work. The Stripers have a lot of bait to eat (millions of alewives and gizzard shad per square mile) and slow “worn out” bait does not work well (if at all). Customers tell me all the time that the two main reasons they hire a guide is that we always have the freshest bait and we know where to go to catch the big ones!
JIM STRADER RADIO SHOW
Be sure to listen in to the "Outdoors with Jim Strader" show that airs weekly on Sunday Evenings from 6-8 pm on 84 WHAS-AM, a 50,000 watt Clear Channel radio station in Louisville Kentucky (you can listen in on line!). Tune in and catch Captain Jim’s Lake Cumberland Striper Fishing Report on Sunday night to see how the prior week’s fishing went!
If you have any other ideas, techniques or subjects you want me to write about, drop me a line!
I am many times asked “What are the advantages to hiring a guide”? In essence, you hire a guide to utilize the guide’s many years of experience and lake knowledge, to learn new tactics and techniques to increase your chance of “landing the big one”. Guides use top of the line equipment and the freshest live bait. Also, if you cannot afford your own boat, it is a very cost effective way for you or your group to fish (cost per fisherman). Even professional fishermen hire guides to learn a lake and new techniques!
We hope to see you on the lake! Good fishin!!
Captain Jim Durham
Toll free 866-575-3770
United States Coast Guard Licensed Merchant Marine Officer License No.
1037731
Kentucky State Guide License # 007
captainjim@striperfun.com |
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Current Lake Records
Sturgeon*: 36lbs 8 oz. Caught By:
Barney Frazier, Corbin Ky. 10/3/54
No current population of Sturgeon known to exist in the lake
Striped Bass*: 58 lbs 4 ozs Caught By:
Roger Foster, Somerset, Ky. 12/11/85
Sauger*: 7lbs. 7 ozs. Caught By
Rastie Andrew, Jamestown, Ky. 4/28/83
Walleye*: 21 lbs 8 ozs Caught By: Currently 3rd Largest
ever caught..
Abe Black, Shaker Heights, Oh. 10/1/58
Muskie: Mike Casada (Unofficial Record) NO weight
submitted.
Tailwaters Records
Brown Trout*: 21 lbs 0 ozs Caught By:
Tom Malone of Crofton, Ky. April 30, 2000 *State Record
Lake Trout*: 5lbs 5 ozs Caught by:
John McDonough, Jeffersontown, Ky. 4/4/83
No known population in river, Lakers Were stocked in Cumberland Lake and
In Dale Hollow, and it is surmised the fish came from there or from a
stocking of lake trout in the 80's in Lake Cumberland.
Rainbow Trout*: 14lbs 6 ozs Caught By:
Jim Mattingly, Somerset, Ky. 9/10/72
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