Headed to Cumberland

[missionFISHIN]

I live and fish here and this is what has happened this past week with the stripers that I only like to catch when they are in the jumps. Sunday afternoon we caught 6 keepers in the 24-26 inch size from 4 to 6 p.m. central time opposite the mouth of beaver/otter creek on the north bank of the main lake. Tuesday afternoon same time we went and nothing happening on the main lake because of the wind so we went into otter creek to the oil slick,immediate right side after actually entering into Otter Creek, and hooked 4 landing 2 keepers in the 24-26 inch size but jumps were few and didn't last long. Didn't go Wednesday but a friend told me about several jumps from daylight til 9 a.m. in front of the dam around the bouy markers and several were caught there that day. Thursday morning from 7:30-8:15 we got into some football size jumps opposite low-gap island on the south side of the main lake and caught 4 with 3 being keepers and that evening jumps were hard to find but we finally got into one in the middle of the main lake between bug woods and Lily Creek right at dark landing 3 more keepers in the 24-27 inch range. I heard this morning was a little slow from a friend, caught 1, but I haven't heard any evening reports today. We are catching ours on either silver or white colored spooks but they will hit almost anything. I hope this helps.

[Mean Morone]

Now that is a full report! Thanks.

[thunderstorm]

Thanks mission.

It helps me think I need to go get my eyes checked.

[HURRICANEBOB]

I live and fish here and this is what has happened this past week with the stripers that I only like to catch when they are in the jumps. Sunday afternoon we caught 6 keepers in the 24-26 inch size from 4 to 6 p.m. central time opposite the mouth of beaver/otter creek on the north bank of the main lake. Tuesday afternoon same time we went and nothing happening on the main lake because of the wind so we went into otter creek to the oil slick,immediate right side after actually entering into Otter Creek, and hooked 4 landing 2 keepers in the 24-26 inch size but jumps were few and didn't last long. Didn't go Wednesday but a friend told me about several jumps from daylight til 9 a.m. in front of the dam around the bouy markers and several were caught there that day. Thursday morning from 7:30-8:15 we got into some football size jumps opposite low-gap island on the south side of the main lake and caught 4 with 3 being keepers and that evening jumps were hard to find but we finally got into one in the middle of the main lake between bug woods and Lily Creek right at dark landing 3 more keepers in the 24-27 inch range. I heard this morning was a little slow from a friend, caught 1, but I haven't heard any evening reports today. We are catching ours on either silver or white colored spooks but they will hit almost anything. I hope this helps.

Thanks Mission so much for the time and effort it took to provide such a complete update. You da man!

[Rob1678]

I live and fish here and this is what has happened this past week with the stripers that I only like to catch when they are in the jumps. Sunday afternoon we caught 6 keepers in the 24-26 inch size from 4 to 6 p.m. central time opposite the mouth of beaver/otter creek on the north bank of the main lake. Tuesday afternoon same time we went and nothing happening on the main lake because of the wind so we went into otter creek to the oil slick,immediate right side after actually entering into Otter Creek, and hooked 4 landing 2 keepers in the 24-26 inch size but jumps were few and didn't last long. Didn't go Wednesday but a friend told me about several jumps from daylight til 9 a.m. in front of the dam around the bouy markers and several were caught there that day. Thursday morning from 7:30-8:15 we got into some football size jumps opposite low-gap island on the south side of the main lake and caught 4 with 3 being keepers and that evening jumps were hard to find but we finally got into one in the middle of the main lake between bug woods and Lily Creek right at dark landing 3 more keepers in the 24-27 inch range. I heard this morning was a little slow from a friend, caught 1, but I haven't heard any evening reports today. We are catching ours on either silver or white colored spooks but they will hit almost anything. I hope this helps.

Great report. Let us all learn from you. Very helpful. I am heading in the morning...will try to feedback as well as mission did:/

[missionFISHIN]

Weekend report: My brother in law went Saturday and Sunday morning without a fish and didn't see but a couple of jumps that didn't last but a few seconds. However, they did get into a few good jumps Saturday evening between low gap and bug woods in the middle of the lake and caught 3 keepers in the 25-27 inch size and had a good one break their fire line. I went Sunday evening and we saw a lot of jumps but they didn't stay up long enough to get to using our normal approach of big motor to 100 yards and trolling motor up to them from there. They were up less than a minute and several times we were just seconds from a cast into them but just couldn't make it. I don't know if it was the cold front that shortened the jumps but it was much less time than last week. We then decided to change our approach and started running right up to them with the big motor so that we could at least get 1 cast into them and even though this is usually not the best way to do it we did wind up getting 2 keepers in the 25-26 inch range just before dark. The jumps we got into was from the main lake in front of the lure lodge to the mouth of beaver/otter creek. I would assume from my 2 reports that you have noticed that these jumps can occur anywhere on the main lake between the mouth of Wolf creek and the Dam and that is why we basically keep moving in the center of the lake back and forth until we spot them. We favor from Low Gap Island to the Dam in the morning and from Bug Woods to otter/beaver creek in the evening. One thing that we have been able to do since the jumps are going down quick and especially since we have had to run up so close to them, is with the spook making so much noise, calling some extra strikes and hook ups back after they started down and that is a big advantage of fishing the spook for us. Good Luck!

[HURRICANEBOB]

Weekend report: My brother in law went Saturday and Sunday morning without a fish and didn't see but a couple of jumps that didn't last but a few seconds. However, they did get into a few good jumps Saturday evening between low gap and bug woods in the middle of the lake and caught 3 keepers in the 25-27 inch size and had a good one break their fire line. I went Sunday evening and we saw a lot of jumps but they didn't stay up long enough to get to using our normal approach of big motor to 100 yards and trolling motor up to them from there. They were up less than a minute and several times we were just seconds from a cast into them but just couldn't make it. I don't know if it was the cold front that shortened the jumps but it was much less time than last week. We then decided to change our approach and started running right up to them with the big motor so that we could at least get 1 cast into them and even though this is usually not the best way to do it we did wind up getting 2 keepers in the 25-26 inch range just before dark. The jumps we got into was from the main lake in front of the lure lodge to the mouth of beaver/otter creek. I would assume from my 2 reports that you have noticed that these jumps can occur anywhere on the main lake between the mouth of Wolf creek and the Dam and that is why we basically keep moving in the center of the lake back and forth until we spot them. We favor from Low Gap Island to the Dam in the morning and from Bug Woods to otter/beaver creek in the evening. One thing that we have been able to do since the jumps are going down quick and especially since we have had to run up so close to them, is with the spook making so much noise, calling some extra strikes and hook ups back after they started down and that is a big advantage of fishing the spook for us. Good Luck!

Thanks for the great report. Mission, try something when the you get to a jumps just as they go down. Pitch a big Hopkins spoon, or big swim bait in on top of them. Let it sink with several quick lifts to increase its flutter as it drops. Then a medium retrieve back as the lure has reached about 30-40 feet deep. Sometimes, this gets the guys who came up, missed before the shad school broke down, and are trying to pick off the injured bait that drops. Other thing that has worked for me is to cast way over where they just went down with a deep diving crank bait.

Again, thanks, and hope this helps with some "just went down" hook-ups.

[kyriverblues]

I did come to Cumberland last weekend and caught 4 keepers in the jumps across the lake from Beaver creek. The fish did not stay up long at all. Pulled live shinners also but had no luck. I am headin down next week to try them again. Does anyone know if the jumps are staying up longer????

[thunderstorm]

I did come to Cumberland last weekend and caught 4 keepers in the jumps across the lake from Beaver creek. The fish did not stay up long at all. Pulled live shinners also but had no luck. I am headin down next week to try them again. Does anyone know if the jumps are staying up longer????

Thanks and good luck. It looks like I won't make it down until the last few days of the month.

[FlyLie]

Thanks for the report. Not everyone is willing to report when they get skunked. Sorry about the motor/plug, but hoping the next trip out will be better.

[JUSTINHALL]

Thanks for the report. Not everyone is willing to report when they get skunked. Sorry about the motor/plug, but hoping the next trip out will be better.

Well I usually get skunked 2-3 times a year so just one of those days. If its not too windy later today will go see how they are jumping just before dark and let you all know.
I got out of striper mode for a while to concentrate more on saltwater in Destin, FL now time to get back into striper mode again in between trips to FL.

[JUSTINHALL]

Went out of Jamestown last night just before dark. Stripers were jumping in decent size pods and would stay up long enough to get them and get hooked up once. One of the pods let me get 2 but had to reel in and release quick and get back in as going down. White/Green doll flys working best but top water was getting hit as well. Would not touch a Hopkins jig though, threw in 2 different schools jumping very aggressively nothing, reeled in threw a doll fly bam hit right away. All jumps seen were just outside of Marina straight across give or take a 100 yrds. Was only there in evening but others said they were jumping in morning along the wall but not staying up long. Guys were catching on umbrellas and live bait in morning.