death of the cumberland river?

[fishing4kids]

Trent

Great post
Thanks for bringing this to everyones attn.
Eddie

[Jbyrd]

Ok guys, Are you talking about the cumberland river below wolf creek dam? I was thinking in the past summers of the 20 plus years I have fished it that Normally they only release water 6- 7 hours a day at different times to produce electricity when they need it.Heck we would wade and fish below the **** for trout sometimes all morning tuntil 12 noon. Then when they did release water it was for only an hour or two. Been that way FOR YEARS. OF course except 2 years ago when we would get 3 inches of rain about every week . Then they had to release more.
Why all of a sudden do people think the river and lake are dry. Yes they are holding it at a lower level(lake) . But in years past when it got to summer pool they released only enough water to maintain a certain level.......

[Tim_T]

I think the biggest problem is the lack of rain.

[trent colvin]

It Isn't A Question Of Low Water, It Is A Question Of The Temp And Low Oxygen Of The Low Water. The Trout Will Start To Stress And Die When The Temp Goes Up And The O2 Level Goes Down. The Media Played It Up Big That The Lake Was Low And The Dam Might Break, But All The Hype Was The Navy That Invades The Lake Every Summer. There Hasn't Been Much Talk About The Fishing Below The Dam (and The Money It Brings Into The Local Economy) Until Now... When It May Be Too Late! The Trout, Rockfish And Walleye In The River Will Suffer. Big Rains Anywhere On The System Downriver From Burnside Will Have A Negative Effect On The River. Remember A Couple Of Years Age When The Lake Was Down And Big Summer Rains Hit The Area? The Lake Rose About 25 Feet Real Fast And The Rockfish And The Walleye Suffered Big Die-offs. Lake Cumberland Will Benifit In The Long Run From The Drawdown, But I Dont Think The River Has That Long.

I Write This Because I Don't Have Any Solutions To Offer.. I Hope Som Of You Do!

[Jbyrd]

The conditions you are describing would occur if they had to release alot of water. With the small amount that they are letting thru , (and they have to let some at all times or the river bed would be completely dry ) is coming from the bottom of a still very deep lake. All reports from fish and wildlife biologist were that if we had alot of rain the o 2 levels would deplete and the temps would go up if they had to pull alot of water thru the dam.The water wouldn't have time to cool in the depths of the lake. According to the experts the condition you are getting right now are the best for all the species below the dam...

[Chubminnow]

Sounds to me like Jbyrd did his homework. I also remember the "experts" saying that a dry spring would provide the best conditions for all party's either involved in or directly effected by the dam repair work. Can't remember where I read this but I do remember reading it.

[RoadToad]

Sounds to me like Jbyrd did his homework. I also remember the "experts" saying that a dry spring would provide the best conditions for all party's either involved in or directly effected by the dam repair work. Can't remember where I read this but I do remember reading it.

What I remember reading wasn't so much that a dry spring would be good, just that an extra wet one would be bad, because the extra (warm) rainwater would mean that extra (cold) water had to be released from lake, and the resulting decrease in the amount of cold water in the lake would be hard on stripers, who apparently aren't smart enough to move when they're under environmental stress.

Not much has been written about the effects of the draw-down on the fishery below the dam, but there are a couple articles in yesterday's Courier-Journal you might want to read. It's not good. Trout are already dying, and it's gonna get worse before it gets better.

One thing we should keep in mind, though, which the Courier-Journal articles fail to mention, is the fact that this is all temporary! Once the repairs are completed, the level will be raised again, and then they can start re-stocking the river. It may take a long time, and the trout fishery may be decimated in the meantime, but over time, it will recover. The Cumberland River is NOT dead, or dying, it's just lapsing into a coma.

[apb]

Sounds to me like Jbyrd did his homework. I also remember the "experts" saying that a dry spring would provide the best conditions for all party's either involved in or directly effected by the dam repair work. Can't remember where I read this but I do remember reading it.

There were a couple of articles on this earlier this spring. Basically, a lot of rain would raise the level of the lake with warm water. They would draw out cold water from the bottom of the lake. Eventually there would be no cool water left in the lake. The stripers and walleye in the lake would suffer and a number of species in the river would suffer due to the warm water coming through the dam rather than the cool water that comes through now.

Andrew

[Chubminnow]

Clcoutdoors - When you all fish for Walleye in the river...what methods do you use? Drifting with night crawlers or what?

[clcoutdoors]

Clcoutdoors - When you all fish for Walleye in the river...what methods do you use? Drifting with night crawlers or what?

Well Chubminnow we usually cast jigs, pull snells, and yes we drift with the current while either pulling snell rigs or jigs. Someone I know usually drifts fantail minnows and catches eyes that way. The bait of choice is either fantail minnows, nightcrawlers, and leeches.