• Latest water temperature: 78.1 ° F surface (Confluence of Beaver and Otter Creek) June 25, 2013
• Latest water temperature: 77.9 ° F surface (Indian Creek) June 26, 2013
• Latest water temperature: 77.8 ° F surface (North Shore by the dam) June 25, 2013
Currently, the lake level is right at 704.4 feet above sea level. The lake is now about 21 feet below the tree line. The tree line is normally at 725' above sea level. With the repairs finished on the dam, the lake is forecasted to be back at 725' above sea level by late summer.
THIS IS MY 161st EDITION OF MY LAKE CUMBERLAND STRIPER FISHING REPORT!
It has been 2 weeks since my last report. Greetings to my readers! I hope the world finds you and your family doing well!
As a former United States Air Force Airman - military veteran and as a current U.S. Merchant Marine Captain and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Patrol Coxswain (Captain), I understand the great importance that our brave service men and women play in our society. Their service is why you speak English, can vote and can enjoy the freedoms you do!
We also cannot forget the duty and service provided by our Policemen, Fish and Wildlife Officers and Firemen.
STRIPERFUN OFFERS A 10% DISCOUNT on all charters to currently active Policemen, Fish and Wildlife Officers and Firemen as well as to all active military AND retired military veterans (with proper verification ID provided by the person booking the trip).
This is our way of saying “THANKS” to these important men and women for your service.
FISHING CONDITIONS AND TECHNIQUES - RECENT ACTIVITY
The fishing continues to be simply tremendous! Same story day after day! The planer boards and down lines getting “viscously” slammed and the rods being bent over double with the rod tips buried in the water!
Bam! Bam! Kapow! What a blast!
I recently had the great pleasure of taking fishing Mr. Jim Figuerado, owner of Grider Hill Resort Marina. I have enjoyed getting to know Jim in the short time StriperFun has moved to Grider Hill and I figured it was time I got him out on the water and into the Stripers.
Well, I can tell you the big fish did not disappoint!
We went up on plane at 4:30 am and ran out to the main lake to a favorite spot. I deployed eight (8) large live baits and we settled in. It took just a few minutes when it was “Bam! Slam! Kapow! One rod after another went off!
When the dust settled, we had limited out. We were back at the dock with the fish cleaned by 6:00 am and had to actually sit and wait an hour for the restaurant to open. As a side note, Grider Hill’s “on the water” restaurant serves up about the best breakfast you will find anywhere. Be sure to try it out!
Check out the photos below of other StriperFun clients with great catches!
Grider Hill Resort Marina is now StriperFun Guide Service “Headquarters”!
Grider Hill Resort Marina offers the most comprehensive recreation, entertainment, fishing and houseboat experience on Lake Cumberland. Grider Hill provides great dining at their “on the water” restaurant along with terrific lodging in their beautiful landmark lodge, luxury suites with balconies and lake views and beautiful secluded cabins in the woods! When you add in the cleanest and best priced houseboats on Lake Cumberland, as well as great prices on boat slips, day boat rentals and with new ownership dedicated to excellent customer service, it is no wonder that Grider Hill Resort Marina is the fastest growing resort on Lake Cumberland!
StriperFun Fishing Guide Service - Grider Hill at Lake Cumberland Striper Fishing
Click the above link where it says "StriperFun Fishing Guide Service" to learn more and to watch an informative video or to book any of the great services provided by Grider Hill Resort and StriperFun.
When you book any service with StriperFun or Grider Hill Resort Marina, be sure to ask for the “Captain Jim Special” to get a great FREE gift!
StriperFun Guide Service is the largest fishing guide service on Lake Cumberland! With many charter guides to serve our customers, StriperFun runs hundreds of fishing charters a year. All StriperFun Captains are Federal Coast Guard Certified and State licensed insured and are well trained with no less than 20 years’ experience on Lake Cumberland.
All StriperFun boats are modern and spacious. Several of our boats are 30 foot plus twin engine Pro Line and Boston Whaler boats, with other boats in our fleet being very new and not much smaller. Most also have full toilets or portable potties. All our boats have top of the line electronics, fishing gear and Coast Guard safety equipment and are also covered and heated in inclement weather for customer comfort!
Specializing in “Trophy” Striper fishing as the owner of StriperFun Fishing Guide Service and “Captain Jim Special” fishing lures, Captain Jim (as the owner) is a Kentucky native and State licensed guide who has fished Lake Cumberland for over 50 years. He is also a U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine Captain and former Search and Rescue Patrol Officer with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Captain Jim is also the creator of the Striper Fish like a Pro instructional DVD series.
Where the fish are!
The Stripers are now on the main lake and will remain there until late fall (December). They are moving quickly! You may find them holding on the surface in the morning and then in 10 to 45 feet deep (in 100 feet of water) later in the day. They are in large schools! The trick is to find the schools!
HUMMINBIRD COMBO GPS AND FISH FINDER UNITS
All StriperFun Captains use Humminbird Side and Down Imaging units. Humminbird Fish Finder / GPS units are simply the best on the market! When you have to depend on your marine electronics to navigate safely at night and in the fog, as well as help you find fish, it is one of your most valuable tools!
My Humminbird 1198 CSI has a huge 10.5 inch screen that is easy to read from the back of the boat. When trolling artificial lures or live bait, I just don’t troll “hoping” to run in to a school of fish. I am scanning up to 240 feet per each side of the boat, looking for schools of bait and fish. When I see them (example: 3 o’clock to the starboard or 9 o’clock to port!), I can then “turn” my boat towards the schools of bait and fish to “get in to the strike zone”.
Once arriving on the schools of bait and fish, I can switch over to the “Down Imaging”, “Quadrabeam Plus” or “Switch Fire” sonar systems to let me see with great clarity (each technology providing a different yet important view!) exactly where the fish are and how they are orientating.
Why troll “blind” when you can scan surrounding water to see where the “big ones” are!!
It makes all the difference in the world, turning a slow fishing day into a great catching day!
My Humminbird Fish Finder is a guide’s best friend. As a Field Staff member of Johnson Outdoors, I strongly recommend this product to any open water fishermen. To be successful, you need to learn to use your marine electronics. If you are looking for new marine electronics, feel free to call me and I can make some solid suggestions on HUMMINBIRD COMBO GPS AND FISH FINDER UNITS.
I will be releasing new video soon of these exciting Humminbird units in action. Stay tuned!
Umbrella rigs
When we are also trolling, looking for schools of fish (with high water the Stripers are scattered some days – troll to find them) and they are absolutely “slamming” my Captain Jim Special Dominator umbrella rig (in Chartreuse color and “Tiger” pattern). I am running 4 nine jig full rigs out the back and 2 Captain Jim Special “mini” rigs with five jigs out the side. This presents 46 jigs at a time in the water. It has simply been tearing them up, with 20 to 30 fish caught per day with lots of nice keepers.
Remember if the fish is less than 22 inches to keep it in the water and release it quickly and it will most likely survive - no problem.
It is important when live bait fishing that you have perfect control with your trolling motor.
MINN KOTA TROLLING MOTORS FROM JOHNSON OUTDOORS
I only use the Minn Kota “Rip Tide” trolling motors from Johnson Marine and so should you! As a professional fishing charter Captain, my livelihood depends on my trolling motor working every time – every day! For 15 years I have used Minn Kota trolling motors and my “Rip Tide” trolling motor never lets me down!
With “cool” features like the hands free “Auto Pilot and “I” Pilot functions, I can set my motor and turn my back to deploy lines and have full confidence it will stay on course no matter the weather conditions! I would never consider using anything else but a Minn Kota trolling motor!
Take a kid fishing!
My dad always took the time to take me fishing and taught me to enjoy and respect the outdoors. These valuable lessons serve me even today. SO TAKE A KID FISHING! Fishing is “family fun”.
Come see us soon! StriperFun has guides available this weekend so come see us! To get in on the great fishing action, you can book a Striper fishing adventure with StriperFun! Click the following link: Book a Charter with StriperFun Fishing Guide Service - Lake Cumberland Striper Fishing and Fish like the pros
Many times our customers do not initially realize that the Striper fishing is 365 days year round. However, as the largest guide service in Kentucky, all of our boats are covered and we virtually fish almost every day.
We live for this type of fishing and you can too! Come see us!
Equipment section
Where “on the water” to buy Captain Jim Special StriperFun lures
You can now purchase all of the StriperFun – Captain Jim Lures and products (hair jigs, blade baits, umbrella rigs and multi lure casting rigs, DVDS and more!!) at Grider Hill Marina on the western end of Lake Cumberland (ask for Lucas or Gwen!)!
THE UMBRELLA RIG FISHING IS ALSO GETTING RED HOT!!! You can buy the full line of Captain Jim “Dominator” Umbrella rigs directly on the StriperFun website store! Just click the link below:
UMBRELLAS | Striper Fun Guide Service!
SURFACE ACTION AND FISHING ETIQUETTE
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 respectful of other boaters as well. Unfortunately, you will rarely 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”.
If the Stripers are still all over the surface, we are absolutely hammering them throwing my Captain Jim “Little Friend” blade baits and my “Dominator” hair jigs, as well as the Kentucky and Tennessee “Thumper” rigs and the new “Striper Mugger” rig (multi lure casting rigs)!
LURES TO THROW
Captain Jim Lures, a Division of Striperfun.com, sells the top of the line the “Striper Mugger”, the "Kentucky Thumper" the “Tennessee Thumper” and the “Walleye Dazzler”! These lures have been heavily field tested, are super easy to cast (or troll) and besides being Striper magnets, they also absolutely wear out the Large Mouth, Spots, Walleye and Small Mouth!
DO NOT BE FOOLED BY IMITATORS LURES NAMED AFTER OTHER STATES!
The “Striper Mugger”, the "Kentucky Thumper", the “Tennessee Thumper” and the “Walleye Dazzler lures are all “higher quality” products that sells for much less than the competition AND THEY COME FULLY RIGGED where the competition’s rigs do not! They are tougher than any other multi lure casting rig and they will deliver for you!
Click the link below to go to the StriperFun website and watch the new lures as their photos will appear (a new photo “pops in” every few seconds) in the middle of the top of the screen on the first page. Click any photo of any lure that to go in and read more about the newly designed lures and to see enhanced photos!
You can also watch them demonstrated on YouTube by clicking the links below:
"Kentucky Thumper": Kentucky Thumper Lure - YouTube
To buy this lure click: "KENTUCKY THUMPER" [1234] | $24.99 | Striper Fun Guide Service!
“Tennessee Thumper”: Tennessee Thumper Striper Lure - YouTube
To buy this lure click: "TENNESSEE THUMPER" [1235] | $24.99 | Striper Fun Guide Service!
“Walleye Dazzler”: Walleye Dazzler Lure - YouTube
To buy this lure click: "WALLEYE DAZZLER" [1236] | $20.99 | Striper Fun Guide Service!
“Striper Mugger”: Striper Mugger Lure - YouTube
To buy this lure click: STRIPER MUGGER [1021] | $21.99 | Striper Fun Guide Service!
I also demonstrate these techniques on my “STRIPER FISH LIKE A PRO” instructional DVDs. You can buy the DVDs and umbrella rig lures on line off of the StriperFun website, or at Grider Hill Marina or at Lee’s Ford Marina (StriperFun Headquarters!) in the ship store.
Come book a charter with me and get in on the fun surface casting action!!!
GIFT CERTIFICATES
The gift of a weekend package trip (or even a one day Striper fishing trip) with StriperFun makes a great Father’s day present for Dad, a brother or for the family and kids, or can make a great bonus for an employee or a promotion for a customer! We fish year round and our trips are very popular and our booking dates fill up fast!
Fishing is family friendly and wholesome. So if you are interested in catching “trophy Stripers” or giving the perfect gift to that special someone, order a StriperFun Guide Service gift certificate today!
StriperFun also offers an extensive variety of products that make great gifts, including numerous types of fishing lures, Super bait tanks, Hydro Glow bait lights and much more!
We take VISA and MASTERCARD credit cards!
Call me for details at 513-304-8825 or click my photo above to go to the StriperFun website to send me an email!
HYDRO GLOW BAIT LIGHTS
I get lots of calls about catching bait. For years I have been using the “Hydro Glow Bait Light” to catch bait and so should you! It allows me to be “mobile” and catch bait on the main lake as well as at the dock!
The "NEW" Hydro Glow Fish Light (JUST RELEASED!) is actually an "LED". IT IS TWICE AS BRIGHT BUT IS HALF THE SIZE (and is less expensive than the older models!). It is designed to use 12 vdc low amperage fluorescents to produce a green glow similar to that emitted by chemical light sticks in widespread use by divers to lure fish. It will work all night on one battery!
The patented design utilizes the green light technology for improving your fishing activities during the night time hours. The light is designed to vertically submerge with only the top 3 to 5 inches of the light above the water level. This insures the entire illumination of the light is in the water where to fish are, not the bugs!
Boy, does it ever draw in the bait fish!
Click this link to go to the StriperFun store to order: HYDRO GLOW | Striper Fun Guide Service!
SUPER BAIT TANKS
You will need to put your live bait you catch in a bait tank. To really hit the “monster” Stripers, you need to use the freshest live shad. Not only can catching fresh shad be tough, keeping them alive used to be virtually impossible! Not any longer!
The SUPER BAIT TANK has a triple filtration system, a built in oxygen infuser, a built in light for night use and is insulated. This system has been tested to hold gizzard shad & blue black herring for up to one week.
I use only the SUPER BAIT TANK. Every guide I know uses it and so should you! StriperFun is the exclusive NATIONAL "on line" dealer of the SUPER BAIT TANK.
Click this link go onto the StriperFun website to learn more or buy your super bait tank!
SUPER BAIT TANKS | Striper Fun Guide Service!
LEAGUE OF KENTUCKY SPORTSMEN!
Regulations that govern hunting, fishing, and habitat are formed by both the Kentucky Wildlife Commission and the legislative process. The League of Kentucky Sportsmen (League) helps keep the hunters and fishermen on top of today’s issues. The combined voices of sportsmen are a powerful tool used to more effectively influence the decision making so that sportsmen can actually have a say in how the resources are managed.
The League works with individuals, Government Agencies, and Club Affiliates to constantly support the use of scientific wildlife management practices on public lands, private lands, and corporate lands. The League also supports the Kentucky heritage of hunting, trapping, fishing, and the right to keep and bear arms. The League also provides assistance with organizing events to bring kids and adults together in the great outdoors.
No single individual or organization can do it alone. The League needs your help. Become a member today.
Contact the LKS office and order your membership over the phone at (859) 858-0135. Or click on to their website: League Of Kentucky Sportsmen | Kentucky Hunting Enthusiasts > Home
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 are now moving into the early summer season. “Twilight” now rolls around just a little earlier each night as the summer “solstice” has come and gone. I look forward to seeing all of you this year on the water.
Count your blessings each day and live “in the moment”, not in the future and always remember to stop and shake the hand of a person in uniform or wearing garb that shows they are a veteran! Their service is why you speak English, can vote and can enjoy the freedoms you do!
Remember also to always obey all Kentucky fishing regulations while on Lake Cumberland or any Kentucky waterway. Following the rules is a must! It is important that we all be good stewards of our fishing resources. If you have any questions about fishing regulations or to report poachers, call Kentucky Fish and Wildlife at 800-858-1549.
Until next time, blue skies and tight lines!