TN stocks strppers in Cordell Hull that effect the Cumberland. Dale Hollow is not on the Cumberland. They do not stock Dale Hollow with strippers at last look since they don't want them competing with the trophy smallmouth fishery. As far as any of the TH fish & wildlife people I have talked to know they don't stock the Cumberland with strippers directly. The strippers in the Cumberland are Cordell Hull fish that head up the Cumberland for cooler water and when they find the banquet table (trout) there they just don't migrate back. Stippers do consume a large number of trout as anyone that opens the stomach of one up knows. Several years ago the arguement was given that they were mostly close to TN. That arguement is shot to heck these days when trophy strippers are taken within site of the dam. They are a very invasive preditor At one time in the past the lake was stocked with trout, but the introduction of strippers wiped them out. That is OK trout do better in the stream and strippers did better in the lake. The real problem for strippers in the lake was the introduction of elawey (probably spelled wrong) that forced the natural shad minnows out and reduced the food source. The Cumberland above the TN line is a TROUT fishery as managed by the state the two populations do not work well unless you stock bigger trout and that doesn't help a lot. I caught a 17" brown a few years ago and it took a while to land in very hard current so I had to do some work reviving it before I let it swim away. I had no sooner let it swim from my hand when a big stripper took it in one bite. Lets face it a 17" brown isn't a trophy, but it isn't a minnow either. I have nothing against people that fish for strippers. I fish for them myself, but we have one trout fishery in KY that is viable year round and strippers and hybrids are just about evrywhere. Seems like the big boys could give the little guys one place to go??? We can't stop the strippers in Cordell Hull, but we can liberalize the limits in the Cumberland to reduce the numbers}(
Barry Morris
Secretary
Louiville Trout Unlimited