Fishing Kentucky's Cumberland River by Dustin Fackler Kentucky is known for a heck of a lot of stuff. Bourbon, baseball bats, Corvettes (Bowling Green Assembly Plant/Corvette museum), horse racing, UK and U of L basketball, U of L football, Bluegrass (both the music and the plant), Ashley Judd, Muhammad Ali, and Johnny Unitas are among the more interesting attractions. UPS’s main hub is in Louisville. Abraham Lincoln was born in Hogenville, KY. Fort Knox is home to the largest gold reserve in the world. Historical documents have proven that Louis and Clark began their journey in Louisville, not St. Louis. The baitcasting reel was invented in Kentucky, and for years thereafter, most of the best reels were made in Louisville and Lexington. Despite all these cool things, Kentucky, like Rodney Dangerfield, gets no respect. Continuing with this theme, one of the world’s best coldwater fisheries is right here in Kentucky. While so much attention, and so many anglers, go to the “glamour” fisheries in the Rockies and New England, Cumberland River flies way under the radar and gives up monster fish like clockwork. The coldwater fishery I’m speaking of is the tailwaters to Lake Cumberland. Lake Cumberland is about 50,000 acres in area and is so deep that 200 feet is actually an incredibly common depth. Due to the size and depth of the lake, the water flowing out of Wolf Creek Dam remains cold enough for Trout to thrive year round for over 85 miles downriver (the average summer temperature at Burkesville, KY -35 miles downstream from the dam- is 56 degrees to give you an indication on how cold the water stays). That’s right, 85 miles of trout fishing right smack in the middle of southern Kentucky. Trout between 16” and 20” are incredibly common, and you won’t seriously raise a Cumberland River veterans’ eyebrows unless your fish reaches 2 feet or better. It’s not unheard of for an angler catch up to a dozen trout over 20” in one day. Landing two or three 20 inchers in a day, while not a triply occurrence, is common. Kentucky stocks about 240,000 trout in Cumberland River annually, about 160,000 8”-12” rainbows and 80,000 browns ranging from fingerlings to 10“ in length. The creel limits of 5 Bows under 15” OR 4 Bows under 15” and one trout over 20” (brown OR rainbow, not both) have added up to incredible Browns and some darn nice Rainbows. The current state record Brown and Rainbows were caught out of this magnificent fishery (21 pounds and 14 pounds, respectively). Fish much bigger than the current state record Brown are swimming around in the river right now. Cumberland veterans believe the eventual state record breaker will probably top out at 30 pounds or more. The author’s current personal record brown (25”) caught above Winfrey Ferry Not only is the Lake Cumberland tailwaters a truly world class trout fishery, it is a world class striper fishery as well. The Cumberland River system is arguably the best landlocked striper fishery in the world (with Lake Cumberland, Lake Cordell Hull, Old Hickory Lakes and their respective tailwaters being gargantuan striper machines).  Thanks to Tennessee’s stockings in Cumberland River and Lake Cordell Hull (which is home to Tennessee’s state record of 65 pounds 6 ounces), and thanks to their highly nomadic nature, Kentucky benefits from both of these stockings, for a large population of these fish end up calling Kentucky home. 20 pound stripers are common, and 40 pound fish aren‘t rare. Fish in the 50+ pound range are seen and caught every year. So how do you go about catching these trout and stripers? Read on. Trout Cumberland River, like most tailwaters, is very fertile with bugs and fish swimming and crawling around everywhere. As far as bugs go, you can find mayflies, grey caddis, midges, stoneflies, and scuds hiding amongst the rocks, timber, and vegetation. Dry fly fisherman can find grey caddis hatching in the spring (peaking in May and often reaching blizzard proportions), BWO’s and sulphurs in the fall, and midges year round (though midge fishing peaks in the winter). Japanese Beetle patterns are also very effective during mid-late summer. As far as nymphs go, imitations of caddis and mayfly nymphs are lethal on Cumberland River. Luckily you don’t have to get complicated on patterns. Prince Nymphs, Pheasant Tails, Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ears, and Brassies and Copper Johns (red, black, and green), all in the #14-#18 range, as well as thread midges (particularly zebra midges) from #18-#22 are the best immature insect patterns on the river. Using a hopper/dropper rig is the best way to nymph. Irresistibles, Humpies, Wulff style dries, and terrestrial patterns get the nod for the “hopper”. There is no topwater action at all with stoneflies, but Cumberland River is home to a huge population of these bugs and the fish LOVE their nymphs. Dark stonefly nymphs up to 2” in length are a must on the river. Dubbed bodied nymphs, Woolly Buggers, and Chicago Flies (Woolly Bugger with a teased Mohair Yarn body) are popular stonefly imitations. Fish are also high on the menu for Cumberland River trout. Minnows and shad-like baitfish, skipjack herring, and other trout can be found throughout the river. White Woolly Buggers, pearl Sparkleminnows, Dave Whitlock’s Sheep Shad, as well as the infinite variations on the Lefty’s Deceiver and Clouser Minnow are all effective (I like ‘em pretty flashy). They are most effective when tied in the 2”-3” range, but you simply can’t throw a fly too big for a Cumberland River trout. If you want to chuck a 14” rainbow trout imitation, you’ll still have trout smack it. Some die-hards will only throw the big streamers on a 9 or 10 weight for monster browns and stripers. Natural shad and trout colors are best, but chartreuse, firetiger, and black/gold/orange will catch fish too. It’s best to have a few different colors on hand. A nice 21.5” brown all dressed up for the spawn Sculpins and crawfish also are high on the menu for Cumberland’s trout. Woolly Buggers, Double Bunnies, rabbit-strip leeches, and Muddlers such as the Zoo Cougar and conehead twin-tail Madonna are effective in tan, olive, and black. Tie double bunnies in the same colors, but don’t forget to bring a few with an orange belly. At times orange can be red-hot. 6 weights and sinking lines are the rule for fishing all normal sized streamers, and make sure your reel has a good drag for these fish are very strong. For the guys who bring along conventional gear, Yo-Zuri jerkbaits (2-3/4” and 3-3/4” sizes), Rapala Shad Raps, Rebel Craws, and a small array of inline spinners and spoons will round out the tackle box. 6-8 pound test is ideal and make sure your rod has some backbone and your reel has a good drag (you‘ll need a good drag for these fish or you’ll be humbled- as I’ve been before). Med-light and medium power spinning rods used for bass fishing are the most popular, but light-tackle rods with some backbone such as G. Loomis’ SJR700 are my personal favorites. Early morning, evening, and periods of rising water are the best for fishing streamers. During the fall the browns will hit streamers all day due to their spawn. Bug patterns are best during low water (non-generation) periods and during the day. Riffles and wadeable runs hold a lot of feeding fish, but don’ forget to throw your fly around the timber. If the area you’re fishing is too deep to wade (which is the rule for Cumberland), concentrate on the rocky banks. The rocky banks typically hold the most fish. Downed timber (Cumberland has an underwater forest of downed timber) also holds a lot of fish, and if you have a rocky bank or run/riffle with downed timber, you have a fish magnet. Big browns are notorious night feeders, but unfortunately for anglers, night fishing is dangerous and difficult most of the year because of thick blankets of fog, and the fact that you need a boat to access most of the river. My friend with an 18”-19” class brown; fish like this are everywhere and are common catches Striped Bass There’s some good news and some bad news regarding Cumberland River’s stripers. The good news is that Cumberland River’s stripers are HUGE. Like I said above, 20 pounds is common, and 40 pounders aren’t rare. Fish in the 50 pound class are seen and caught every year. The bad news is that catching one of these beasts is difficult at best. Blind casting foolong (and bigger) streamers with a 10 weight (and a reel with a good drag) ALL DAY is the only way to target these fish. You simply won’t find river stripers on the jumps, either. Since stripers are highly nomadic, they also tend to be very elusive. There are many guides in both Kentucky and Tennessee who specialize in striper fishing and include Cumberland River in their repertoire. These guides make a living by keeping tabs on the stripers and know what the stripers are doing all year, and will give you your best shot at tangling with one of these brutes. Most of the big ones are caught in the spring due to a large striper run from Lake Cordell Hull, but your best chance of a striper on the fly is June through October when the water levels are more reasonable. If you choose to do it yourself and not hire a guide, bring your 10 weight and an array of sinking lines, some giant streamers imitating rainbow trout and skipjack herring AT LEAST 10” in length (the bigger the better), and focus your efforts below the town of Burkesville. Creek mouths, downed timber, and pools all can hold striper. Just remember that most Cumberland River striper anglers troll footlong gizzard shad and skipjack exceeding 20” (yes, twenty inches) in length using planer boards, so big flies (sparse is best) are a must. Don’t be afraid to run up and downriver to try and locate fish, because they are constantly on the move. One interesting note on the stripers, Cumberland River is one of the few freshwater fisheries with natural reproduction. Other Fish There are two other gamefish in Cumberland River that have decent populations, white bass and walleye. Before the construction of the dam, Cumberland River was home to a fantastic walleye fishery with runs of mythic proportions. Today, the combination of the many dams along the river and gill netting has had disastrous effects on the native strain of walleye. I’ve actually been told that the native strain is completely extinct by the owner of a local fly shop. According to him, the walleye in Cumberland River are all migrants from Cordell Hull. No matter if the walleye residing in the river are from Cordell Hull or if they are the native strain, they are there and can be caught on baitfish patterns. There is also a winter run of walleye and can be caught below Wolf Creek Dam during its peak. The size limit on walleye in Kentucky is 15”. They are legendary table fare and fight like crap, so I’d highly recommend keeping a few for the grill if you run into some. White Bass are also a frequent accidental catch. Access Unfortunately for the wading angler, shore access to Cumberland River is very poor. It carves its way through private property and limestone cliffs throughout its length, which leaves only a handful of public shore access points. Cumberland River is also a very wide, deep river. There are only a couple spots where an angler can wade across in the 70 or so miles in Kentucky, and that’s only under the low flows. The boat ramp/state park/national fish hatchery at Wolf Creek Dam will give you good wading and shore access, as will the Helm’s Landing boat ramp and Rock House (a gigantic natural rock arch formation). If the flows are low enough, the Winfrey Ferry boat ramp can be very wade friendly. Within the first 20 or so miles below the dam, there are good opportunities for wade fishing, but they get few and far between when you hit the town of Burkesville. You also need a boat to access most (if not all) of them. Far and away the best way to fish and access Cumberland River is by boat. Jonboats and jet sleds with engines having at least 25hp are the ideal crafts, but canoes and kayaks will do the job nicely. The author striking a pose at the Winfrey Ferry boat ramp There are six public boat ramps on Cumberland River, all on the northern shore. Starting from the dam and moving downstream, you have: the ramp at Wolf Creek Dam, Helm’s Landing, Winfrey Ferry, Burkesville, Traces on the Cumberland (a private ramp but you can launch for a nominal fee; they also offer jonboat rentals), Cloyd’s Landing, and McMillan’s Ferry. My favorite run for a canoe or kayak is from Rock House to Winfrey Ferry. It’s a 4 or 5 mile float, but only a mile or 2 between access points by land so its easy to float twice in a day and easy to jog back to the car. If you have 2 cars, you have more options. The boat ramps are situated where you can float from one ramp to the next one downstream in one days fishing if you limit your wade time (except Burkesville to Traces; you can float that twice easily). If you have a jonboat or jet sled, you can put in at any ramp and motor anywhere you want. There’s a good dispersion of quantity and quality throughout the river, but typically the first 25 miles or so will hold more fish and the next 50 miles or so will hold fewer but bigger fish. The 10-15 miles up and downstream from Burkesville will be your best bet at trying to wrangle with a new state record.   Ideas for the Vacationer For the angler traveling from afar, it would be worth it to mention the other fantastic fishing in the area. Within a 30 minute or so drive from the town of Burkesville, you have both Lake Cumberland and Dale Hollow Lake. 60-90 minutes is Green River Lake and Barren River Lake. Lake Cumberland is famous for its striped bass and has a nice smallmouth and largemouth fishery. Dale Hollow’s reputation for producing monster smallmouth is unmatched by any fishery in the world (4 of the six biggest smallies of all time, all over 10 pounds and including the 11lb 15oz  world record, were pulled from Dale Hollow). Keep in mind that with a Kentucky license the Kentucky/Tennessee border is enforced so keep an eye out for the border. It would be a good idea, in fact, to go ahead and buy a 1-day or 3-day Tennessee license since the majority of the lake is in Tennessee. Green River Lake, best in spring and fall, is one of the world’s top lakes for monster muskies (lumped with Cave Run Lake in Kentucky as one of the top 5 fisheries for 50” muskies by Field and Stream). Dale Hollow is also a solid Muskie fishery, and both Lake Cumberland and Dale Hollow offer outstanding fishing for crappie, panfish, and walleye. Barren River Lake is the state’s best hybrid striper fishery and a solid largemouth lake. There are cabin and hotel rentals in Lake Cumberland State Park, the town of Burkesville, along the length of Cumberland River, at Dale Hollow, as well as camping at Wolf Creek Dam, so you have lots of lodging options and no reason not to come visit this fantastic area.      Hatches Magazine Subscription Price: $6.95 for each issue The Premiere issue is ready for shipping & the Fall 2008 issue will be available September 1st. Hatches Magazine Subscription Price: $6.95 for each issue The Premiere issue is ready for shipping & the Fall 2008 issue will be available September 1st.