lake cumberland dead fish floating everywhere

[MagikSmallie]

This is very Sad ! But I do not agree with them suspending the stocking until the Dam is done. Simply because this is due to the amount of rainfall that we have had this year. HOW DO THEY KNOW WHAT THE WEATHER WILL DO THE NEXT FEW YEARS ????? AND ALSO, When they seen this starting to happen. WHY did they not stop the draw down of the lake for a few days ???? It is not like it has been at an alarming level. Like it was back in the spring @ over 700'

Didn't this happen last year and the year before as well? It wasn't as bad thats for sure, but I thought I rememeber this happening the last couple of years.

[mhall]

Didn't this happen last year and the year before as well? It wasn't as bad thats for sure, but I thought I rememeber this happening the last couple of years.

Yes you are right it did, but nowhere near as bad as they are saying it is this year. Man from the reports I'm getting this is horrible, thousands of dead fish. Andrew I guess you and I are gonna have to make a road trip this fall to Cherokee or Norris???

[peter]

Didn't this happen last year and the year before as well? It wasn't as bad thats for sure, but I thought I rememeber this happening the last couple of years.

From my recollection this is a "carbon copy" of last year.

Been watching the temp/o2 readings at various depths since July 09.
This year in August the water down deep has been slightly cooler with slightly more 02 down deep than last year and that is good!
The larger fish followed that temp/o2 zone as it got deeper through August.
Apparently that o2 down deep has been depleted, but this has happened later than it did last year and that is good too! At least better than last year.

I remember last year in mid Aug fishing at 70 feet and two weekends later fishin at 25 and 30 feet. Seems like some of the larger fish came up into the warm oxygenated water. Some may have stayed and died down deep, who knows.

The good news this year is that the already oxygenated water 30 feet and above will cool faster than last year, I think. The highs and lows are predicted to be cooler now through Sept 15 than it was last year.

Over all this year o2 and water temp in Aug has been better per the Corp's readings.

The thing that "is" different are the number of visible floaters, and it's enough to freak any body out! I did not see it last weekend.

To me the floaters could be caused my any number of reasons more numerous than those listed below.

-catch and release- Do some quick math, #boats x # fish x#days fish float.

-Extreme high surface temps. I have no idea of the upper temp threshold for a striper of a given size is. In this case I think we are talking 23" and under. Over 86 degrees maybe? What is the temp in the Ohio River right now? Does it get close to 89 in the summer. Been so long I forgot but I know it gets hot. Plenty of 12 lb. fish there.

-Some one suggested that a fish going from 60-70 up to 30 to find bait may run into bladder expansion problems and not be able to go back down. In mid August I graphed fish yo yo'ing from 60 feet to the surface, many many times and didn't see any floaters. Maybe they were not stripers? I don't know anything about the function of a fish's bladder and lactic acid build up.

-This one is pure conjecture on my part. The smaller fish (23" and below) that were hanging out in the 86+ degree well oxygenated water 25 feet and above decided for some unknown reason to go below 30 feet to cooler water where there was no o2. For at least over a month (relying on memory) there has been no o2 from 30 feet to say 50,60 70 feet depending on the date.

Maybe certain schools all went down there together. I heard on this site that at times there would be groups fish dying on the surface within a relatively short time span in specific areas. Seems to me like this scenario would match those results. Young dumb fish? Who's in charge down there?

I am not in any way professing what I have written to be what is actually happening. These are only my observations from looking at the 02/temp numbers, talking to people, reading, watching my graph while fishing.

At this point I am not worried. I predict the fishing this fall will be identical to last fall. If I fish the same places and patterns I did last fall and don't catch anything, I will be worried.

Well, if dream up anything else I may bore you with that too if I have the time.

PS- Just read mhall's post mentioning thousands of dead fish--that is alarming. Hope for the best.

[mhall]

Yea Peter I typed that thousands with tongue and cheek but from what I'm heraing from people that live down there and fish the lake often I think it's valid. The Corp collected and removed upwards to a thousand fish by now is what many are saying, I think Duayne said over 600, I heard more than that. Now lets just say it's 500 and that was reported on the lower third of the lake. We all know stripers now are using a large portion of the lake. So what about from Jamestown on up and all the creeks??

Again fellas I want the best, it's my number one lake, the one where I own property and hope to retire someday and grow old on. But from all indications of what we are hearing if half of it is true I'm afraid we are talking a thousand plus and not hundreds, I hope I'm wrong.

BTW, Peter some decent thoughts there, you may be on to something with that school of fish theory. Especially since alot of those young year class, ''Schoolies'', will really bunch together anyway.

[Duayne]

Mark,
600 was just Saturday morning in one area.

[stripernut]

there are certainly a bunch of dead stripers, just came off the lake a few minutes ago, 6th morning in a row, it looks like the numbers of floaters dwindles each day. keep in mind though there are literally hundreds (and i mean HUNDREDS ) being pulled through the sluice gates and floating down the river. in order to do this these fish werent floating, they were deep enough to get pulled through the sluice intake....i dont think we are seeing all the dead fish. striper fishing may not be over for good, but this sure as heck aint helping. i vividly remember the fish kill last year, alot of walleye, but in no way were the number of striper fatalities even close to the number this year. this isnt something somebody told me or something i heard, i personally witnessed it last year as well as this year.

[Duayne]

And from another first hand account, these aren't small fish. My sister said the size of some of these fish would make you sick.

I have the utmost respect for the guides on Cumberland and I hope some of their optimistic views on this stands. But I also consider it's their livelihood and they NEED for this to have an optimistic outcome. It's probably not as bad as some think and probably not as good as others think. I'll wait for the dust to settle and get the official take on this before I consider how, if and when I'll fish Cumberland.

[Duayne]

Also, thanks for the first hand report on it. I've been looking to see some day to day accounts and there aren't many. I'm also glad to hear the numbers are dropping. Has their been any rain of late?

[stripernut]

duayne the roads were a little damp this morning but i wouldnt hardly call it rain, light drizzle for a few minutes. and your sis wasnt kidding about the size either, we measured 4 fish the first 2 days that were very close to being as long as the net and the net is 52 inches, great big heads, hard to tell about the girth with all the bloating, but trophy fish nonetheless. fingers crossed this works out...

[mhall]

duayne the roads were a little damp this morning but i wouldnt hardly call it rain, light drizzle for a few minutes. and your sis wasnt kidding about the size either, we measured 4 fish the first 2 days that were very close to being as long as the net and the net is 52 inches, great big heads, hard to tell about the girth with all the bloating, but trophy fish nonetheless. fingers crossed this works out...

WOW, 50 plus inch fish, I'm going to be sick now..............

[MagikSmallie]

Once the fall turnover hits they should be okay, depending on how many survive. of course when they cease the stocking those fish won't last long after next summer....