Cumberland River Skipjack/Striper Fishing

Howdy All,

I wanted to see if anyone could help me out with Skipjack fishing / Striper Fishing on the Cumberland River. I just got my boat set up and headed out for the first time Sunday morning. I have fished with the late Randle Gibson and Greg Cary in the past so know a little about this but I don't really plan on fishing as far down as Burkesville. I have a place in Jamestown and wanted to stay closer to the dam. Had a couple questions if anyone had any info.

1. Are the skipjacks up close to the dam? I plan on putting in around 7AM and casting sabiki rigs near the dam to catch skippies.
2. How to the skippies hold up in live well? Mine is keep alive aerator.
3. Do you guys catch any stripers up near the dam or the 5 or 6 miles in the river after the dam?

Thanks in Advance!
Rick Straus

Skippys below the dam yes ,anything white and moving fast will catch them and have caught lots of stripers below the dam,I dont go more than a coulpe miles

I would not fool with skippies. I would pull Husky Jerks or no.9 shad raps and catch walleye and large trout along with stripers.

Pull them behind planers?

I have caught more skipjack on curly tails than Sabiki rigs down there,just tie 2 on your line and throw in thy he swift water below the dam . Catch them from the dam all the way to the steps everytime I go down there. I have not caught a striper from the river yet, had a few follow swim baits to the boat is about it, need to try something else !!

I am going to try to catch 6-8 skippies and pull them behind planner boards and throw a big kicking stick.

In the morning the water is typically pretty low isn't it. Can you still catch them up near the dam if they aren't generating. Looks like they typically don't start generating until 10-1 when there isn't much rain.

monster striper i went down there with a guide trout fishing and we did catch a few skipjack before generation but as soon as the generators fired up it was like a war zone of skippies. idk if its always like that or the time of year we were there. it march 13th

It was the time of year on the skippies, it was their run. I pull stick baits behind the boat, the one on the bank side a little closer to the boat, about 40 feet the one on the outside about 60 feet and move upstream and cast swim baits to the bank and any cover I see.

Thanks guys!

Rooster do you do pretty well with the striper that way?

Most times I do OK, but right now it has slowed down up towards the dam. Doing some night fishing now, in the boat and from the bank. It is slow now