Cumberland Walleye Help

[Angler12]

I am just getting into the walleye game on cumberland and hooked up with a buddy of mine who says he has been catching them for years. However, after going with him three times and not had much luck, I thought I would try here for some pointers. Lures, depth, time of day, section of lake, etc, etc. Any info very much appreciated.

[Angler12]

*bump*

[Monarkman]

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[Angler12]

Read the whole thing
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I just read it and dont really understand why anyone who knows anything about them thinks it has to be kept a secret. From the sound of most of the posts, it would seem no one really wants to bother with them in the first place. I agree they dont put up much of a fight but at the moment I am boatless and my buddy has the boat and all he wants to do is fish for walleye. So if thats what Im limited to, then I want to find out how to at least do it right. Thanks for the reply.

[mhall]

I just read it and dont really understand why anyone who knows anything about them thinks it has to be kept a secret. From the sound of most of the posts, it would seem no one really wants to bother with them in the first place. I agree they dont put up much of a fight but at the moment I am boatless and my buddy has the boat and all he wants to do is fish for walleye. So if thats what Im limited to, then I want to find out how to at least do it right. Thanks for the reply.

I'm by no means a Walleye guy but I've been around enough of them at the big C to know a little. This time of year alot of the fellows fish with the bottom bouncing rigs baited with night crawlers. Google it and you'll see the type of rig. Some guys use leadheads with bright colored grubs also bottom bounced fairly deep. Another method is to troll or downrig crankbaits. You have to get them deep and this can be done day or at night. This is what most do this time of year, I'ts not much for ya, but it's a start. If your buddy has fished Cumberland very long I'm sure he knows of these tactics. Many of the local guides will answer questions concerning the eyes also, give'em a call and they will give you some ideas as well. The reason that other post took a funny turn was SSKY, God bless him gets on here about every other week and asks where are the Walleye. or what happened to the Rockcastle strain, lol. It's kinda become a standing joke here on the site.

[Angler12]

Another method is to troll or downrig crankbaits. You have to get them deep and this can be done day or at night.

Define deep. We've been trolling in mainly 20 ft with fairly short lines. We've picked up a few small ones this way but that says to me we should go a little deeper but my partner wont budge.

[mhall]

Define deep. We've been trolling in mainly 20 ft with fairly short lines. We've picked up a few small ones this way but that says to me we should go a little deeper but my partner wont budge.

It depends on the conditions, weather. ect. Most of the guys I here talk about trolling from 20 to 30 feet. Gotta have dowriggers to get one to 30 effectively. Again call a guide like Lance Sasser or some of the others. They catch the eyes all the time when trolling for the stripers and can really give you a heads up in relation to where those ole toothy critters are holding at. Lance is super nice and knows Cumberland like the back of his hand and will help a fella out on some good info. I've called him before on some things and it's like talking to a family member. This I do know for sure the eyes at the big C in the summer can be very finicky. Alot of the trollers use Bagley's Bass-N-Shad crankbaits, especially the one with the blue back.

[catfisher]

If you can take not moving for a while you should try fishing under a light. Tie the boat up to a stump on a main lake point where the river channel runs close to the wall and back the boat out until your depth finder reads about 55-65ft of water. Drop anchor and tie off the slack in the line connected to the point. I always have the best of luck with the floating car lights rather than the glass tube lights that drop in the water... once you get the shad up...throw a cast net...you'll have to let it sink past 12-20ft down so you might need to add to the rope on your cast net...thats always usually where the alewives are holding and they are what we always use for bait. Drop about 5 carolina rigged rods with alwives for bait at various depths and you should soon find where the fish are holding. The bite was red hot back in june...We had many 15+ fish nights. You will catch a variety of fish this way. Walleye mainly, stripers, channels, flatheads, some drum...and the occassional gar. I usually drop my lines anywhere from 20ft. to about a foot or two off the bottom. Good luck if you try it...its always boated limits for me and my buddies.