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I am heading down to Cumberland this Wednesday for a long weekend and am hoping to catch some fish in the jumps. Is anyone seeing any top water activity? This time of year we normally see them on the main lake and at the mouths of the creeks so I am curious if any are seen in this area. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks BG
It's been very sporadic this year and the lake acts nothing like it use to prior to the water being lowered. I figured once the water returned to normal so would normal seasonal patterns but that has yet to be the case.
Go and fish keep a good set of field glasses with you and your head on a swivel. I would however not ''BANK'' on jumps.
Good luck
Thanks for posting! That is a little disappointing as the last few years have been great jump fishing!!! The fish have been smaller but it sure was a lot of fun chasing and catching them. Based on your post it sounds like there is some activity so we will just have to find them. If not we will pull planners but we really enjoy the surface action. Last year we did pick up one 30lbs in the jumps which was the highlight of the trip. If anyone has more information i would love to hear it. I will post our findings once i have something to share. Thanks BG
Maybe all this rain and cooler water temps will get them going. It has happened at times this year real good just not at that traditional time frame. In the old days you could set your watch and calendar by October jump fishing now for some crazy reason the mid summer can be better and that is not the normal Cumberland I have been fishing for many years. I guess we just have to adapt and be in the right place at the right time.
Pulling boards should get you fish however a lot of guides lately have been seen bottom fishing and that tells me the bite has been mighty tough. Good luck and tight lines.
Leave your topwater rods at home, leave your planer boards at home.....look for small very tight schools laying close to the bottom 35 to 60 feet of water and put the downrods right in the middle of them and work them until one goes....if one goes the rest will go and its over quick.
As far as the jumps the water temps are low 70s and should have been blowing up for close to a month now.....you are lucky if you see a decent school jump right now, and if they do jump it doesnt last over 5 seconds and they are gone....wish I knew what is going on but I dont have a clue!
As far as the bottom fishing goes it is a last resort right now and at best it will give up a cat or two....the occasional lost short striper might hit every other day.
This is a very tough time to figure these fish out, the only thing that is halfway consistent is the downrod bite.
Thanks Stripernut.
That's a big help. I've been waiting for that and was wondering why it took so long. I like that kind of fishin. In the dam work years seems like I fished this way starting in late August. I'm not real familiar with fall fishin in the pre dam work days down there . In those years I was usually Striper fishin at Mcalpine dam in the fall being that it is a mile from my office as the crow flies and those stripers are meaner than snakes.
p.s......."leave your topwater rods at home" is figuratively speaking lol....I NEVER leave the dock without a topwater rod on board lol.....you never know when a jump is going to happen....February. ...april....june....you never know
[QUOTE=stripernut1;538548]p.s......."leave your topwater rods at home" is figuratively speaking lol....I NEVER leave the dock without a topwater rod on board lol.....you never know when a jump is going to happen....February. ...april....june....you never know[/QUOTE]
I left that one alone as I thought to myself.............My ole buddy is on the brown water bad today, LOL.
I thought I was gonna have to come down there and see what the heck was the matter with you....;)
Lol....if the stripes dont straighten up soon I will be digging out the brown water!! :)
[QUOTE=stripernut1;538552]Lol....if the stripes dont straighten up soon I will be digging out the brown water!! :)[/QUOTE]
Did you get your motor straightened out?
Hey Peter can you give me some info about striper fishing at Mcalpine dam? I fish there for cats in the summer but would love to try the stripers there being close to home. :confused:
This report from Jared Harmon bight help.
[url]http://www.fishin.com/forums2/content.php/3141-Lake-Cumberland-Fishing-Report-KY[/url]