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Senior Member
Elnut I fish with know1 on cumberland during the winter and was just wondering whether you sit out and throw towards the bank or sit in the depth of water you want and throw down the bank to keep your bait in that ideal water depth longer....thanks for any info
Senior Member
The most efficient way to fish would be if you knew the target depth then parallel the bank and cast straight the front of the boat but hard to cast the fly that way and not snagging the motor and everything else. I fish the same way whether there is anyone with me or not. I will put my boat in whatever depth needed so my cast ends up in water a bit shallower than my target depth. I have casted so shallow that my jig is on bottom and I have to drag it out to where the bobber will stand up. I cast at a 45 degree angle out the front of my boat, keep the line tight CONSTANTLY by ever so slowly CONSTANTLY reeling my bait and I keep my trolling motor going ever so slowly so that the jig is right in front of me the last 1/3 of the cast as I am working it. When I fish 3 people in my boat, I will cast out front of the boat, the guy in the middle cast out in front of me and the guy in teh back cast out in front of the middle guy. Since I keep the trolling motor running, we are all making cast into new virgin water every time. For the next cast by the guy in the back will now be in front of me and the middle guy and me will obviously casting into new water. I will say that if my bites come early in the cast, I will move closer and make sure I work the bait even shallower or if my bites come later in the cast, I will move out and work it a bit deeper. I don't go shallow and throw deep for most of my bites come in 10-20 feet deep water, with 10-12 foot leader. Since I like fishing depth breaks, it would be hard for me it to get shallow enough and still hit my target area. The fly is a simple way of fishing but has a LOT of small details to it. My Dad calls it Bobber Fishing and it is true, but a lot more to it than just a bobber, hook and nightcrawler. One thing I have learned is to fish the SWEET spot of the bank first, make a few cast and if no fish then MOVE ON to the next spot. I see people fishing all the way down the 200 yard bank cast after cast. If you are catching fish this is fine but I fish the SWEET spot of the bank, if I catch fish, then will back out and fish before and after that spot just to make sure the bank is not loaded with fish. I will circle and fish the same area, 5-6 times catching fish on each pass. One morning I stayed in one little pocket the size of the average 1/3 acre yard and caught 13 fish with a 6-2, 3 over 5, and 3 over 4. Kept going around and around catching a fish here and there pass after pass. I have only fished the fly at Cumberland a couple of times and never had any good luck with it. One, I can't get away from Dale Hollow and all the good success that I have there, and two, Cumberland is a very difficult lake to fish the fly (I would think). I like fishing the grass beds, Black Shale, stumps, ledges and humps that Dale Hollow has that Cumberland does not. Never put the time in Cumberland and as long as Dale Hollow is wet, don't see me doing it either. Only 30 miles or so more to drive and I can be at Dale versus Cumberland and it is well worth that for me versus what I know about Dale versus Cumberland. Are you the fella coming with Know1 to the get together?Originally Posted by Fishin is life
Senior Member
Granted, I've fished Cumberland more, but I'd hardly say I'm an expert having only fished it 15 or so days in the last 2 years...if that much.
But I do have to say that I've fished 3 full days on Dale Hollow with the FNF - at the get-together 2 years ago with Boone and 2 full days with my brother later that same year - and I've only caught 1 single 15" Smallmouth. It's difficult for me to drive those extra 30 miles when I've had such poor luck.
I'm hoping my luck and opinion changes at the get-together this year!
Senior Member
I fished Cumberland at night when I first got my boat in 2003 and the winter of 2003. Found Dale Hollow winter of 2004 and will never intentionally wet a line for Smallies in Cumberland again. Quality and Quantity is way much better on Dale. The times I did fish for Smallies with the fly in the winter was killing time while we were Striper fishing up in the creeks pulling boards and live bait. Once you learn Dale, you will happily drive those extra miles. We will see each other at the get together and I can mark you some spots near the Wolfe River if you want to put in at Wisdom Dock to save some miles and try. I mainly fish within 5 mile radius of Holly Creek, but will venture up into the Wolfe if my areas are not producing or if there is a major water temp or clarity difference. Way too much structure, grass, humps and ledges on Dale to fish versus Cumberland. I know there is some good quality fish in Cumberland but as long as there are Striper and it is king of Cumberland, then the Smallmouth population will never be of the quality as it is in Dale Hollow. Freshwater swimming sharks is what I call Stripers, swim and eat is pretty mush what they do. The Largemouth population thrives in Dale just because the Smallies get so much attention like people like me. Never spent one day targeting Largemouth at Dale, except when I am night fishing deep grass beds and ledges, then I am just as likely to catch a Greenfish versus Brown. Smallie is still king of Dale Hollow and I hope it always is. They even stopped stocking Muskie in Dale Hollow, which I think helps the Bass population. Plus the stocking of Rainbow Trout in the lake helps the Bass Population. A Bass can eat a fish like a Trout up to half its length. This means a 20" Smallie, trophy anywhere, can eat a 10" Rainbow, which are plentiful in Dale Hollow. If Stripers were stocked in Dale Hollow, the Trout population would go away as would the quality of the rest of the fish. I read somewhere that Lake Trout went extinct in Cumberland and it was due to the Striper Stocking (could be wrong on this but this is what I think I read somewhere). Dale Hollow for me for she still hold 3 of the top 5 biggest fish caught of all time including the one that I chase everyday on the water, 11-15 Hayes fish. They say the next record will come from one of the California lakes but I still think it will be at Dale Hollow. Be some guy trolling for Muskie with a 12" Rainbow Trout imitating lure on a 7' Heavy Action rod with 17lb test. This is the only setup that will hold a 12 pounder. My little FNF rod would have its work to land the record, BUT I SURE WOULD LIKE A SHOT AT HER
Senior Member
I'm not coming to the get together...would love to dont get me wrong but with work im just not sure i could make it....if i did i wouldnt get down there until probably 10 or so friday night.....i have never set foot on dale on my life and would love to give it a try but we have decent success, or know1 has decent success, on cumberland....i'm just kinda the guide...guess i don't hold my mouth right
Senior Member
If I do well on Dale at the get together, maybe we can make the longer trip down there after that.
I wouldn't say that you're just kinda the guide. I'm hoping we both catch a lot more this year.
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