Click the photo above to learn
more about this terrific fishing
boat for sale.
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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: May 9, 2012
LAKE CONDITIONS
• Latest water temperature: 77.6° F surface (Halfway out Fishing Creek) May 8th, 2012
• Latest water temperature: 78.3° F surface (Needle Point) May 8th, 2012
• Latest water temperature: 76.5° F surface (Main Lake) May 8th, 2012
• Current lake level is Lake Level: 685.06 feet.
Currently, the lake level is right at 684.06 feet above sea level. This is about 3 feet ABOVE the normal (working on the dam) elevation of 680.00 feet above sea level. The lake is now about 43 feet below the tree line, which is 725' above sea level. I will keep you posted.
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. 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 and firemen.
STRIPERFUN OFFERS A 10% DISCOUNT on all charters to currently active Policemen and Firemen as well as to active military AND retired military veterans (with proper verification ID provided by the person booking the trip).
This is our way of saying “THANKS” for your service to these important groups.
SPECIAL NOTICE!
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!!) directly at StriperFun headquarters at Lee’s Ford Resort Marina on Fishing Creek in Somerset Kentucky! Ask to speak with Bobby Maynard or Hunt Prather at the marina ship store down on the water!
SPECIAL NOTICE!
For you Striper fishermen (or wanting to become Striper fishermen!) out there, please click the boat photo above to see information (and be transferred to a detail page!) regarding a great fishing boat for sale!
This (20 ft) 2002 Sea Fox 196 Center Console has been meticulously maintained, has low hours and is in terrific “ready to fish” today condition! In brief, it has a 2002 Honda 130hp 4 Stroke Outboard (with Stainless Steel prop) and comes with a 2002 Single Axle galvanized trailer with new tires. The electronics on the boat are “top notch”, sporting a new Lowrance LSS-1 High Definition HDS 10 (10 inch screen!) with structure scan & Navionics Platinum east card. It also comes with a large Sunbrella top with full clear vinyl enclosure, (2) Cannon Mag 20 Electric Downriggers, a 72 lb thrust 24 volt Minn Kota with CoPilot & control modules and “many more” items!
Click the photo of the boat above to see more information (and be transferred to a detail page with more data and photos!) regarding this great fishing boat for sale!
THIS IS MY 140th EDITION OF MY LAKE CUMBERLAND STRIPER FISHING REPORT!
It has been 3 weeks since my last report.
RECENT ACTIVITY
KAPOW ! BAM! KAPOW! ALL OVER AGAIN!
BIG FISH AND LOTS OF THEM!!!!!
The fishing continues to be extremely strong!
See above the photo of another “huge” 30 pound 40 plus inch monster Striper caught on an albino sucker on a planer board in the mouth of Fishing Creek!
See also above the photo of the Greg and Misty Mullins group who fished with me personally and nailed 42 Stripers (with a nice stringer of keepers!) on live bait and Captain Jim Special umbrella rigs last Sunday!
We continue to catch great numbers of Stripers and solid numbers of 20 pound plus fish (even a 30 pound fish!)! I am so very pleased to see the “big fish” bite maintaining! We have been catching lots of numbers this spring and some huge trophy fish too! On almost every day it is Kapow! Kapow and “Wham” with many times limits for all StriperFun guides, lots of fish overall and several huge monster Stripers to boot! We continue to be “tearing them up” with rod tips getting “yanked hard” into the water with fish after fish! I, Captain Dave, Captain Larry and Captain Jared have all been “blistering” the fish.
Yee Hiii !!!!!! You live for this type of fishing!!
Check the StriperFun website under “recent catches” for “photo after photo after photo” of nice limits StriperFun is delivering for other clients as well.
The fishing this time of year can be absolutely spectacular! You can find massive schools of Stripers and big Smallmouth (that have trapped huge herds of bait fish1) suddenly show up on the graph and “Kabom” down the rods go! We begin to catch a lot of nice Walleye this time of year as well!
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 heated and we virtually fish almost every day. Do not worry about the weather or let it keep you away!
The big Stripers will be bouncing back and forth between two patterns:
PATTERN ONE
On milder weather days (sun or a little sun and low wind) the Stripers will be lurking near the surface and continue chasing bait everywhere! When you find these conditions, the bite can be tremendous! The bait fish (on these milder weather days) are stacked up in huge (cover the entire graph) schools in this warmer water and the Stripers are “gorging” on this “easy to herd” bait fish.
Pulling boards with live bait is the ticket. I fish four weightless boards (two on each side near the banks), two boards at 6 feet deep (one on each side) and two boards at 12 feet deep (one on each side).
I also fish several slip bobbers out the back with the last one back 100 feet weightless, the next closest at 70 feet back 6 feet deep and the closest slip bobber 40 feet back at 10 feet deep.
Seeing the big predator Stripers take the live bait on weightless boards is like watching a prehistoric moment! It is “KABAM” and the rod gets “ripped” down in 1/10th of a second!! If you happen to be watching that board, you can many times see the “bright silver flash” as the huge monster fish traveling 20 MPH eats the bait!
Sheer adrenaline and pure excitement (like zip lining with pin wheels)! Yee Hi !!!!
If the wind then picks up, the planer board bite might turn off. If it does, then be flexible and adapt. Many times I will continue to catch quality Stripers by “bottom fishing” on transition banks (rock and mud) and deep shale banks. We catch huge Walleye and Smallmouth as well doing this. Again, learn to be flexible. Every day is different.
I demonstrate both of these techniques on “STRIPER FISH LIKE A PRO” Volume Two you can buy on line at www.striperfun.com, at Lee’s Ford resort or at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Lexington.
You should also be casting lures while you are fishing the above pattern. You can read more on surface techniques below. We throw the Captain Jim Lures line of Little Friend vibrating blade baits, Dominator hair jigs and the new multi lure in one casting rig series of Kentucky & Tennessee “Thumper” baits and the new Striper Mugger and Walleye Dazzler lures.
You can buy these on line at www.striperfun.com, at Lee’s Ford resort or at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Lexington.
PATTERN TWO
UMBRELLA RIG TIME!
When I am trolling, looking for schools of fish (Stripers are scattered some days – troll to find them) they are also 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.
See the StriperFun website to see the frequent occurrence of 2 Stripers hitting one umbrella rig at the same time! My Captain Jim Special Dominator umbrella rigs have simply been tearing them up, with 10 to 20 fish caught per day with lots of nice keepers.
Many times at day break or at dusk in July, the Stripers will to feed (strength in numbers!) as they drive the bait fish in to tight pods and then attack them (see the photos above). However, naturally like most big game marine predators, they will prefer the more “moderate” temperature zone for most of the day. Once the morning “blitz” bite is over, you will need to hunt to find them many days.
Having top notch electronics is a “must”, especially for the summer months when you have to move around a lot to find the Stripers in deeper water.
However, this is also where fishing the umbrella rig can pay major dividends!
As always, find the bait and you find the predators! But pulling live bait around you can only travel at most about 1.0 MPH on your GPS without stressing and killing your bait. You cannot “hunt around” much at that speed. You also do not want to just be “cruising” around searching with nothing in the water (and “0” chance of catching anything!).
So what is the compromise? It is the umbrella rig!
By fishing an umbrella rig, you can cover a lot of water quickly as you hunt for schools of bait and fish, but can also be fishing at the same time! I equate it to a “search and destroy” mission. Being, that once I begin to hammer the fish on the umbrella rigs (I have found the fish!), I can then go back and drop live bait on them! Many days, I will just stay with the umbrella rigs if they are producing well.
Fishing an umbrella rig also gives you the added advantage of not having to get up at 2:00 am to catch bait. Additionally, some of the best Striper fishing with umbrella rigs is in the heat of the middle of the day! The big Stripers, once the morning bite has subsided and the sun is up and hot, many times will simply lie on the bottom on the edge of the temperature variance zone and will wait for a nice meal to come to them. When you run a set of umbrella rigs right over their head they get “excited” and it is “kabam” and “kapow” as the rigs get nailed!
So what exactly “is” an umbrella rig?
Basically, it looks like an infant’s mobile turned sideways coming thru the water. It has a weight in the center (generally at least a couple of ounces) and 4 to 6 metal arms that stick out various lengths depending on the type of rig. Off of various places on the arms of the umbrella rig and from the center of the rig will hang lines of various lengths on to which you tie or clip lures.
If you scroll up to the top of the report you will see a photo of a Captain Jim. Click the photo to go to WHERE You can order them on the StriperFun website.
What the umbrella rig “mimics” is a small school of bait fish swimming thru the water. When running 4 to 6 umbrella rigs at once it will mimic a larger school of “fleeing” bait fish that Stripers cannot resist attacking!
On days when the larger rigs are not producing as well as normal, you can also use a smaller 7 inch arm Captain Jim Special umbrella rig from which will hang 5 lures. Just as on the larger umbrella rig, the jig that hangs directly from the center of the smaller umbrella rig should be hanging about 6 inches “lower” than the other jigs.
This smaller rig is absolutely “deadly” as well on the Walleye and Smallmouth bass!
EQUIPMENT TO USE
Obviously, when pulling a standard umbrella rig with 12 inch arms and 9 one ounce jigs you are pulling at least 12 ounces of weight thru the water! Thus, you need to use short and extremely “stout” rods. You also need to use much heavier duty reels than normal that can hold 200 to 300 hundred yards of line.
I run a minimum of 40 pound test line on my umbrella rigs with 12 inch arms and 9 one ounce jigs and a minimum of 25 pound test line on my umbrella rigs with 7 inch arms and 5 one half ounce jigs. All reels must have line counters as well, as the distant back you run the rig in conjunction with the speed of the troll will control the precise “depth” at which the rig is running.
DEPLOYMENT OF THE RIGS AND THE SPEED TO TROLL
It is paramount when deploying your umbrella rigs that all of the lures are hanging down straight and unencumbered (not caught together) so that the rig will run correctly in the water. If you do not, it will not look like the “natural” presentation of a small school of bait fish as it is suppose to look like.
It is also important that when you put the rig in the water you do so slowly with the line clicker on your counter reel to make sure the rig does not go out “too fast” and thus tangle. Many times, I will also keep a little pressure on the spool with my thumb until I can tell the rig is running correctly in the water. If it is, I release the pressure and then as the clicker begins “clacking” loudly (the rig is deploying rapidly while sinking and pulling line quickly) I will put the rod in the rod holder and then watch the line counter until it as reached the depth at which I want the rig to run, based upon the speed I intend to troll. Once it has reached that distance, I simply reach down (the rod is already in the holder) and engage the reel.
The rod will “bow” hard immediately, as again, you are pulling a lot of weight. It is urgent that you loosen your drag just until the weight of the rig begins to pull line out, then you tighten it slightly. That way, if you snag something (or more likely when a fish hits your rig), the reel will “squall” loudly to alert you of a hook up. You then adjust your drag according to the size of the fish will fighting it!
The following is how I run my Captain Jim Special umbrella rigs:
I first deploy on each side of the boat (in the front rod holders) a Captain Jim Special Dominator mini umbrella rig with 7 inch arms and 5 one half ounce Captain Jim Special spinner jigs. These smaller rigs will run much shallower, as they weigh so much less. I run them back about 100 feet. I then, connect them to an “Offshore” brand planer board. Once I do this, I will then run the planer board itself back another 100 feet, then engaging the reel. The planer board will quickly move out to the side.
At 2.5 miles per hours, the smaller rig will run about 16 feet deep. This allows you to run the smaller umbrella rigs close to the bank on channel wall ledges or out over mud flats that are 20 to 25 feet deep.
The results can be “heart pounding”!
I also deploy four of the umbrella rigs with 12 inch arms and 9 one ounce Captain Jim Special spinner jigs. I run two straight out the back in rod holders about four feet apart. I then run one out each side of the boat as well. I run the ones on the side back 80 feet and the two in the back out 90 feet.
At 2.5 miles per hours, the side 9 jig rigs will run about 28 feet deep, with the back 9 jig rigs running about 32 feet deep. These four rigs will be running within a foot of each other. But as long as you do not turn immediately around in a circle, they “will not” catch each other.
When bringing the rigs in after a deployment, you will find that you might occasionally drag one rig into the other. To avoid that happening, bring in the rigs in the exact reverse order in which they were deployed. You will also see that, once you bring the rig in and it hits the surface, the rig will usually be caught up on itself to some extent. Do not panic, the rig was running correctly while deployed. It was the hitting the surface that cause it to flip slightly and catch itself.
You now have 46 lures running thru the water at various depths. It is urgent that you never allow the boat to get shallower than your deepest rig so that you do not lose your equipment.
As far as “where” to fish umbrella rigs? Most often, you will find me running the canyon walls and mud flats, as described in prior articles.
In certain States, you can only have one hook per rig. Be sure to also follow your State’s guidelines. On Lake Cumberland, there is no such restriction.
Click onto the StriperFun.com website to then click onto the umbrella rig section were you can click onto a demo link that will show you a UTUBE video demonstrating how these lures are used!
On video # 3 of StriperFun’s “Striper Fish like a Pro” DVD training series, there is a full 40 minute training session on fishing umbrella rigs correctly. If provides a myriad of additional tips and data that this story could not accommodate. If you want to really learn how to correctly fish umbrella rigs, I would encourage you to book a charter or purchase the DVD as you do not want to get started by losing or damaging your equipment.
Remember if the fish is less than 24 inches to keep it in the water and release it quickly and it will most likely survive - no problem.
“BLOOD RED” CLAY BANKS
For whatever reason, the food chain in the late winter / early spring tends to “bunch up” at the depth of the thermalcine directly out from these “blood red” clay banks. Such banks may only be 50 to 100 feet long. I would have to believe that this “rich earth” somehow holds a little more heat or provides an extra dose of nutrients that the plankton like. The bait fish eat the plankton and the entire process of life and death occurs etc. (“Find the bait fish and you find the Stripers”)!
All I can tell you is that this technique works!
You can always look for a “vortex” of swirling birds actually diving into the water to help you find fish. As explained above, what this means is that the fish are eating the bait from below, driving the bait fish to the surface right into the feeding birds!
SURFACE ACTION AND FISHING ETIQUETTE
When surface fishing, the above described Captain Jim lures will deliver for you!
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 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”.
NEW LURE DESIGNS
As I reported in the last few months, Captain Jim Lures, a Division of Striperfun.com, has recently released new Striper lures! They are 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 absolutely wear out the Large Mouth, Spots, Walleye and Small Mouth! Email me and I can email you the last few reports that explain these new lures in depth.
I am mentioning these lures again as I have just made “several improvements” to these new lures simplify casting that that I am sure you will enjoy!
See above the photo of the newly designed “Tennessee Thumper”!
We have been catching all species of these large predators with these rigs when casted in shallower water back in the creeks and when trolling the lures 100 feet back at 2.5 MPH.
The stripers are simply “inhaling” them!!!
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!
Go to the StriperFun website and watch the new lures as their photos will appear in the middle of the top of the screen on the first page. Click any photo to go in and read more about the newly designed lures and to see enhanced photos!
You can also watch them in action on YouTube!
Captain Jim Lures are always in stock and ready for delivery!
MINN KOTA TROLLING MOTORS FROM JOHNSON OUTDOORS
I (and ALL StriperFun guides!) only use the Minn Kota “Rip Tide” trolling motors from Johnson Outdoors 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! My new trolling motor also allows me to automatically “hover” over top of feeding fish automatically without having to touch the trolling motor. This makes “down line” fishing a lot easier!
I would never consider using anything else but a Minn Kota trolling motor!
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 toll free at 866-575-3770 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!
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
SPORTSMAN’S WAREHOUSE
All StriperFun fishing products are carried by Sportsman’s Warehouse! Sportsman’s Warehouse is America’s fastest growing “Premier Outfitter” national chain of sporting goods stores! They carry everything you need for your hunting and fishing needs!
The closest Sportsman’s Warehouse to Lake Cumberland is in Lexington KY off of Interstate 75 - exit # 10. Their address is:
SPORTSMAN’S WAREHOUSE
2200 WAR ADMIRAL WAY
LEXINGTON, KY 40509
You will not find better Striper lures than the Captain Jim Special brand! Captain Jim gets his equipment at Sportsman’s Warehouse and so should you! Ask for Duke or Dean in fishing!
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 well over 100 years of combined experience! If you want to catch Monster Stripers this summer, then you better book soon! The prime late spring and summer dates are already booking up, so do not wait too long to lock in your weekend trip! All of StriperFun’s guide boats are covered as well, so come see us at beautiful Lee’s Ford Resort!
Lee’s Ford Resort Marina is StriperFun Guide Service “Headquarters”!
As one of the most comprehensive recreation, entertainment and dining experiences on Lake Cumberland, Lee’s Ford Resort Marina offers fantastic dining at the Harbor Restaurant, great lodging in beautiful cottages, condos and rentals on boat slips, personal watercraft and boats of various sizes. It is also the closest marina to visitors from Lexington and Ohio!
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 are now into the full spring season. The days are getting longer again. “Twilight” now rolls around just a little later each night. 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!
Please also remember to thank the policemen and firemen who also protect us.
Until next time, blue skies and tight lines!
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
USA Bassin Tournament on Sunday May 7,
2006. Notice the 4.15 pound Smallie
weighed in on the far right. A Nice Surprise on Taylorsville Lake. They
are there.
If you would like to provide a report for Taylorsville
Lake please contact peter@fishin.com
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