Cumberland lake/after dam repair

[QUOTE=first2fish;387673]Wow, i wasnt even thinking about a lot of the situations that will arise when they do start raising the lake. And i agree that they wont do it all at once. It will be a slow process as to make sure the dam repair holds. Hopefully it will be a succesful repair and the fishing will improve around the lake banks. Ihave only fished cumberland 3 times in the last 10 years because i have a lot at nolin. So mainly i go there. Cumberland to me is a mystery as to how to catch fish from it with the little amount of time i spend on it. Also you all notice that very few professional tournements are held there and i assume it because c/land is so hard to track down bass. Good fishing to you all,jc[/QUOTE]

That lake for bass is like a complicated woman, once you think you have it figured out....NOT. Although once you log enough time under your belt you'll be very surprised. I rarely get skunked and can usually put something together. And when it's on, ah man I can tell ya some stories of big brown bass, I'm getting lathered up just thinking about it.

Time on the water and and alot of frustration has to be logged in to become a seasoned Angler on the Big C that's just how it is.

So basically every tree, log and 2x4 that is now visible on the shoreline has dried out and when the lake is raised again all this junk will then be floating on top the water. Just exactly how much of this wood debris is laying on the banks and how big is it. And is anyone out out there cleaning any of it up?

If the state were that worried about floaters, they would try and get most of it cleaned up before the lake is raised. I'm excited about the possibility of having an explosion in the gizzard shad population. Those skinny 15 lb stripers will be fat 20 lbers.

The lake has a wood chopper. It's knicknamed the SS Hal Rogers after the useless senator that is over that area of the world. Thye spent a ton of tax payers money to have this floating barge with this wood chipper on it and can't use it, why use ask, ok I'll tell ya, they don't have the money to pay someone to run it, lol. This ain't here say either boys research it and you find it to be exactly what I just told you.

Scott, no offense Pal, but I had to laugh at your post. Believe me they don't have the manpower not even close to collect and burn that much stuff, lol. Not to mention the fundage needed for such an operation. So until the SS Hal comes out of Port, lol them logs, refrigerators, coaches, mattresses, Trees the size of your house, tires, buckets, and anything else that floats will be floating when they fill'er up. If it doesn't happen fellas I'll buy you all sumpin real nice, lol. First few big rains after they put the plug in the stopper and Katie Bar The Door, cause it's coming boys, and Hell is coming with it!

Sorry to call you out Mhall but Hal is not a Senator he's a representative of the 5th District, and he has done alot of really great things for the eastern part of the state...it's not his fault there isn't money in the budget to man the "wood Chopper". He has raised millions of dollars for drug, energy, healthcare, and mainly transportation programs. Hal has been a leader on securing funds for highway improvements, that have undoubtedly saved lives. So not to stir up any arguments but I really think Mr. Rogers is far from worthless.

[QUOTE=MagikSmallie;387803]Sorry to call you out Mhall but Hal is not a Senator he's a representative of the 5th District, and he has done alot of really great things for the eastern part of the state...it's not his fault there isn't money in the budget to man the "wood Chopper". He has raised millions of dollars for drug, energy, healthcare, and mainly transportation programs. Hal has been a leader on securing funds for highway improvements, that have undoubtedly saved lives. So not to stir up any arguments but I really think Mr. Rogers is far from worthless.[/QUOTE]

You are correct sir, I called him a Senator and that was incorrect, the other stuff is debatable depending on whom you talk to I guess. I know a few people that live out there that love him and some that don't. I don't live there so I probably should have left the useless comment out, I appologize for that, I shouldn't have done that.

You are also correct that it's not his fault that it's not in the budget to man the chipper to......but don't you think they might have thought about that before spending nearly a Million dollars to just build it and let it sit???

your argument is completly valid...that is absured to have spent that kind of money on something like that...that just sits uselessly..I agree totally. If you are going to spend that kind of money at least be willing to spend the money to fund an operator...totally agreeable.

I know the size of that lake. Been fishing it for 15 yrs. I just thought seeing how government of any kind tries to think of ways to spend our money to justify their jobs, it would be good to see some effort to reduce the number of busted up boats that will no doubt occur when the water rises. Personally I think it defeats the purpose of providing more structure in the lake if you round it all up and burn it. I know I've seen it so thick in the middle of the lake that you could almost walk on it. If we have been able to survive it in the past, we should be careful enough to survive the added junk. I've seen free floating boats in the middle of the night that had no one in it. I've also seen entire boat docks also in the middle of the night and in the middle of the lake. I've seen all that junk that comes out of the creeks.

As far as the fishing, I am still excited about the potential for all species in the lake after it rises. I think I can dodge a few trees and fridges to enjoy it.

Last fall the COE hired contractors that piled and burned huge amounts drift off the shores. But, after the large rains this spring you could not tell a difference.

When, if they ever do raise the lake to the old elevation their should be no guessing to what kinda of structure you are fishing. I know I will be down there with digital camera and GPS ready to mark alot of what you can see now before they star fillin her up again. Wont help me, I am terrible on that lake. Cant hurt though.

[QUOTE=PRO V LE;387618]O.K. this is just my opinion on the Lake and debris problem after 30+ years of observation. The east end, upper lake Burnside area will always have a problem in the spring of the year. They are first to get hit with all the runoff from the rivers feeding the lake, look what happen'ed to London Dock up stream as an example.
I have driven across the big bridge at Burnside when you could not see the water for the debri, by the time I get to Grider it is clear as can be on the west end of the lake.
The drift collects in certain pockets and turns as it makes it way down the lake. There are efforts being made to clear and burn/haul these areas before the water comes back up.
The tree line is 40ft. above the water line, it would take a major flood to reach that level and wash any drift into the lake at this time.
I have never seen the drift "coast to coast" on this end of the lake, upstream yes but not here.[/QUOTE]



You must not have been on the lake this past may. The log jam was so bad the buckeyes would not go past harmon creek. A person had to idle thru the logs from the mouth of wolf all the way back to conley bottoms. The best plan for raising the lake would be to bring it up ten feet higher than planned then drop it down so the logs would stay on the bank.