Cumberland striper

[MMax]

I'll start by pointing out I'm a novice when it comes to striper fishing. I fished Thursday morning and Saturady afternoon. Thursday in Caney Fork and the main lake around Lilly creek. Saturday around Indian Creek to the dam. Trolling slow with shiners, jigs and crank baits. I tried to keep baits around 35' to 50'. I didn't get a sniff. This is my 3rd try in the last 4 months with zero! From what I've heard from others on the water and at the ramp, I'm not alone. What am I doing wrong!

[adam7456]

LOL, your story sounds so familar. Last year was the first year I started Striper fishing, other than a guide trip a couple years ago. I was down to the lake probably 10 times and didn't get a single hit. This year I did better catching stripers on every trip except my last trip which was a couple weeks ago.

I would highly recommend you go out with a guide, like Striper Fun, and ask him a million questions. You will not only learn where the fish are but other tricks on catching them.

I couldn't find the stripers last time I was down there. Of course that is when the nasty cold front came through. The key to catching the fish is finding the fish. You can troll all day but if you aren't in the right spot it won't matter. The stripers should be headed up the creeks now. So head a creek and look for bait fish. Once you find where the bait is and how deep it is, set your bait to that depth range. Troll slow, use small shiners, and small hooks such as 1/0 or 2/0. That's the best info I can give you.

[striperfishin]

Fishing was tough. Bait and fish everywhere halfway back in beaver and otter creeks all at the same depth you found them - 35-50 ft deep. Friday, fished 4 hrs and got blankded. Went out at 6 pm and caught one short on a bucktail at sunset and threw a jig in my shad light (bc i saw 4 stripers swimming around at about 7 pm) and a striper hit my jig. That was fun but it was 23 inches long. Sat morning, i pulled shiners and there were 4 other guides in the same area NOT catching fish. at 10 pm i switched to downrigging bucktails and missed one, then got a double hook up. One fish was 12 lbs and hit a bucktail. The other fish hit a deep diving crankbait and i did not get that one in. the rest of the day - nothing. sunday morning, same style of fishing and caught one 23 inch on a planer board at 35 ft. Nothing after that.

I think the biggest challenge was the sunlight. For me, it just turns off the fishing and i never do well when i have blue bird skies. if i had shad, i would have bottom fished. the weather was beautiful and the weekend was relaxing.

[apb]

Tough weekend for me too. Pulled shiners Friday and Sunday mornings with only a few pull downs. Threw cranks and jigs Friday and Saturday nights. Partner and I got one short each on cranks Saturday night. Some areas of the lake looked like they had just turned over. Bluebird skys didn't help. Seems to be a transition period.

Andrew

[roberte68]

After zeroing out the last two weekends I finally got one ten pounder fishing near Beaver Creek on Sunday. I caught him fishing
downlines set at about 45-50 feet. I had two other bites, but I suspect catfish or bass as they chewed up my shiners but didn't take them.

Maybe I'm missing them but they just don't seem to doing the things they should for this time of year.

Does anyone know of any place to get shad/suckers. I'm getting shiners at the BP in Russell Springs but would love to find some
shad or suckers. Not quite ready to start throwing a net just yet.

Would any of you guides sell a man a dozen or two at a time? Would love to get a charter but just can't afford that right now.

[buddy]

I fished Sat. morning in Wolfe Creek. Saw several boats pulling boards and several bottom fishing in the afternoon. I did not catch anything, but a beautiful day.