Now I am not fishing Lake Cumberland (although I did for many years), I would be looking for the thermocline to find the bait fish and stripers this time of year. The baitfish and their preditors will be more numerous around the thermocline depths because the water is cooler there but still holds oxygen.

You can find the thermocline pretty easy...just crank up your gain on your depth finder..it will appear as a line across your depth finder. Thermocline depths can vary in a lake as large as the big C so check the location of the thermocline as you move around.

Just a note: cold water has the capability to hold more oxygen than warmer water. The reason your "cold" deep water there has less oxygen is because of the lack of movement or mixing in the deeper depths of that deep lake...hence, the thermocline is the dividing line between your oxygenated water and the very low oxygen level waters below it. The reason you put ice in your livewell is not to oxygenate the water....the cooler water caused by your ice will hold more oxygen as it is oxygenated by your aeriator...the fish in your livewell do not have to "breathe" as much in the cooler water to get the amount of oxygen they need vs if you did not add the ice to the water so they do not get as stressed.

Just the two cents of an ol guide...and no, I don't guide for stripers...lol.