Emergency Regulations Lake Cumberland-Striper

[HURRICANEBOB]

My answer.....and you WILL NOT like it..........

Don't fish for them during times when you KNOW the mortality rate is high. If you know a fish has a 50-60-70 percent chance of dying then ethically, you should not pursue them. I think that is a absolute WASTE of the resource.

It is like Laker fishing in Canada. I know BEYOND a DOUBT they will not survive being pulled from 90 ft of water to the surface. They are usually dead when they get up to the top. There is a 2 fish limit, and when I'm laker fishing, I'm NEVER just fishing.......I'm food fishing, and once I have my limit........I'm DONE.

Take this how you want......I'm not judging you, but I'd personally NOT fish during times I know what I'm pursuing will die.

Later,

Geo

Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.

[HURRICANEBOB]

Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.

OH, BTW, Haven't been to Cumberland since 21 Aug, well before the announcement.

Food fishing? Hmmmm.....I guess bass tournaments are real unethical. Cause we all know everyone of those caught and weighed bass survive.....right?

[Bass_King2007]

I would say that 95% of the bass caught in tournaments live.. Any bass fisherman that fishes tourneys and knows how to take care of fish while their in their livewell know that!!!

[apb]

Jbyrd

I have very little experience with Dale, so really cannot comment on that lake. As Geo noted, several other species in the lake that use the open water like Stripers do at Cumberland.

In all the years that I downrigged at Cumberland I never caught a bass. Yes, I catch smallies or LM from time to time striper fishing. In all cases it is when I am casting the banks or running planers close to shore. I think part of the trouble that bass fishermen are having on the lake right now is that with the lake levels down, and mostly stable, the bass have changed their habits some. Same reason that striper fishermen, myself included, are having troubles catching stripers in spring. One change to the lake is the increased numbers of Threadfin Shad in the lake. Threadfin will look for shoreline cover at night (where the bass can eat them) and then hit the open water at dawn (where the stripers eat them).

When I say that the stripers don't complete for the forage I mean that there are plenty of shad in the lake, therefore, plenty of forage for both species. No competition. Bass eat plenty of other things in the lake: sunfish, crappie, shad, alewifes, crayfish, lizards, other bass, etc. Stripers eat shad, period.

On the Norris study, NO bass showed up in the belly of a striper. Same deal for the other studies I have seen on this (Boone posted a link to a number of these). Conversely, striper fry do show up in the belly of bass (Smith Mtn Lake study). If you are really worried about the bass, stop fishing for them. ONE catch and release angler will kill more stripers in the lake in a year than ALL of the stripers in the lake.

Stripers travel in schools. During migration periods (fall) very large schools. They all feed at the same time and continue to feed until they are stuffed. They don't feed again until their stomachs are empty. They also travel in schools of the same age class. When you see those massive schools, you may be seeing a good portion of the population of that year class.

Andrew

[Jbyrd]

Sometimes I can't help but just wonder about some of the remarks posted on this board.....??

Which remark you referring to?

[JoeB]

Ok quick question . Does boat traffic add o2 to the water. I already know this answer because o2 levels in water is what I do for a living. Also current does add o2. When the lake is not moving it looses more oxygen than if there is current. Anything in the water that current moves around it adds dissolved oxygen, It might not be a large amount but it does add it in ppm. This is the reason that in extreme cases the fish will be in 1 foot of water with 90 degree water temps. The waves and boat wash add o2 to the water at that level
But back to my original question why add more fish that will use up more oxygen. 2 fish in a livewell don't use as much oxygen as 5,6,7 ect....

They did not increase the number stocked. Don't know where that came from.

[Duayne]

Actually, from what we've heard, they did increase the stocking numbers a few years ago. Studies showed stripers were using more of the lake than originally thought. The fish would be having issues now even if they had not increased the stockings.

[JoeB]

Actually, from what we've heard, they did increase the stocking numbers a few years ago. Studies showed stripers were using more of the lake than originally thought. The fish would be having issues now even if they had not increased the stockings.

They've been stocking 7 fish per acre per year for several years now. The last couple of years, that has been based on 38,000 acres, so there have been less stocked compared to a few years ago when the lake was at 55,000 acres.

[KR]

Don't get me wrong I enjoy catching them from time to time but I feel that the state makes the striper their #1 and sometimes only priority on Lake Cumberland. Just like the Green River/Cave Run musky projects. Why don't they get all flustered when the lake comes up 10 feet right as the bass start to spawn and then pull the plug and you see 4 pounders looking 5 foot up the bank at the place their nest was yesterday. I have seen bass fishing decline so much at Cumberland over the last 5 years it is ridiculous. I just want all fish to get even treatment, but money talks and bullish walks. I guess the stripers will always get preferential treatment.