Stripers on cumberland

[peter]

Sunday morning at 4-5:30 am EST while netting bait out from the bank I did not hear many alewives or fish on the bank.

Monday morning 4:00-4:40 heard quite a bit of shad and fish by the bank while netting bait. At 4:40 EST they quit. Monday there was fog so it was a lot darker on the lake.

This was down by the Dam.

[Duayne]

Day action has picked up significantly so that probably means the night bite has phased down. They could make another push or not. I'd say 50/50 based on the moon phase but I would lean toward the nite bite being over really soon.

[DHall]

I fished Sunday night into Monday morning and I didn’t hear any stripers busting but we did catch a few walleye on top

[luvtohunt]

Fished Friday night and Sunday night under lights. Plenty of shad hitting the bank but not the first striper busted in them. This was in White Oak one night and on a main lake point another night.

[OutInKy]

I fished under lights in Wolf Saturday night, anchored on a point, from about 10pm to 5am. Caught 3 striper (19", 19", and 20") a Ky bass, and a decent cat between midnight and 3:30. Had tons of bait around and something would occasionally pop the surface at the bank just outside the reach of my light. Threw both redfins and slivers and never got a hit. All fish caught between 15' and 20'. I also caught a carp in the cast net...first thought I had let the net sink too far and picked up a rock!

These are the first striper I have caught since I was about 13, fishing with my dads work buddies. I am now 40 and just bought a Tracker aluminum deep V. I have a lot of fond memories of those striper trips and now I'm trying to get up to speed on how to fish for them after all these years. Even though the fish were short, I had a ball that night. I had forgot just how hard striper pull and I was grinning on every fish. That was my third attempt at striper, and I finally caught a few...now to hone in on the bigger fish!

I am so eager to hook a good striper the thought of following guide boats out, just to see where they are fishing, has crossed my mind. I would never drop in in-front/behind them to fish, but Cumberland is a big lake and right now it seems the biggest hurdle to overcome is simply picking the right spot to fish. I've already put Hummingbird Helix9 Side Imaging on my boat and it's worth every penny. I might not know where the fish are, but it will definitely tell me where the fish/bait are not!

[Duayne]

I am so eager to hook a good striper the thought of following guide boats out, just to see where they are fishing, has crossed my mind. I would never drop in in-front/behind them to fish, but Cumberland is a big lake and right now it seems the biggest hurdle to overcome is simply picking the right spot to fish.

I would highly suggest hiring a guide instead of following them. You'll learn a ton more working with a pro versus shadowing them. I had boats shadow me off and on the past few weekends and it makes it very difficult to navigate when pulling boards. People may think they are out of the way but you may not realize that I need to turn to port, starboard or slow down, or speed up (when someone drops in front). I'll usually be the better guy and change course but sometimes they just sit right with you no matter what you do.

And that happens a lot. I was stuck at one point this past weekend where a boat had me pinned and wouldn't let me get free by speeding up or slowing down.. Another, I swung out to turn around and the boat turned dead into my new route forcing me almost on the shore. And trust me, just being in the right general area is a fraction of the hurdle. I can't tell you how many times I've limited out while boats shadowing me didn't get a thing. Having a guide explain why he is doing what he is doing will increase your odds tremendously. You also will have a relationship with the guide and that would be worth the cost of the trip all by itself.

[stripernut1]

"following" a guide is bad etiquette put lightly, its downright a dirty word putting it bluntly. just remember the customers on that charter paid for that trip and all that goes with it, and then along comes "the follower" ....for free.
I appreciate your excitement and enthusiasm but would suggest you apply that energy to actually learning the game and being independent enough to catch stripers at will. trust me the journey will be a load of fun, my 40 yrs of chasing these things has been a great ride.
good luck and if you decide to take Duaynes advice PM me, I know the best in the business

[OutInKy]

Guys, don't go to hating too hard here. Yes, I know it's bad etiquette to shadow a guide, or any other boat actually. In my post I said "the thought crossed my mind" and that I "would NOT fall in in front/behind" a guide. It was a passing thought based on simple curiosity. If the guides are fishing way up creek arms in 30' of water and I'm on a main lake point in 100', there's a good chance I'm doing it wrong. Again, Cumberland is a huge lake and I don't have a lot of time to mess around finding the right area to fish in. That's why I am here, to get enough info to maybe find the fish. I browse this forum before I head to the lake almost every time I fish. I may have just joined, but I've visited this forum off and on for years. I can't be at the lake often enough to keep up with how the fish are moving, so I have to start here and make a half-educated guess.

If any of you actually knew me, you would know I'm not the type to fish anywhere near anyone else. When I meet another boat along a bank, 90% of the time I am the one to turn out into the lake and let them pass. I don't even like to anchor and night fish with people in the same area because of how easy the sound travels. I'd rather have the peace and quiet. Again, Cumberland is a big lake and there's room for everyone without being within 500 yards of another boat fishing.

And yes, I have considered hiring a guide, but I don't really want to spend $300 or $400 for a 2 hour trip and everyone limit out and be done. I would rather have a trip teaching some of the key ins and outs of striper fishing and learn something from the experience. Like Duayne said, "having a guide explain why he is doing what he is doing will increase your odds tremendously." I would be severely disappointed in a fish on, reel, fish on, reel, time to go trip!

[gforcetrivers]

Seen a picture of 60+ striper caught in KY last weekend.

[stripernut1]

oh please understand, no one was hating at all , and my sincerest apology if that's the way it came across. it was merely an attempt to share insight into evereday life in the striper world.
if you tell the guide you want a teaching trip and not a trip to the seafood market, most will oblige.
best of luck

[stripernut1]

Seen a picture of 60+ striper caught in KY last weekend.

wow!! new state record, cant wait to see it

[peter]

Seen a picture of 60+ striper caught in KY last weekend.

Can you post a link to it here please.