Emergency Regulations Lake Cumberland-Striper

[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.

[Jbyrd]

This has been an on going problem for several years. Its hard for a guide to stop fishing after a coup-le of hours when he has an all day charter, and keeping a few dinks will not make customers happy. I saw what happens one year at the mouths of beaver and otter creeks in late summer, there were belly up stripes all over the place. We had closed seasons for years up north, and folks learned to live with them. Close the season on stripes from 8/1 to 10/1, and people will learn to live with it. It isn't only guides either, its guys who cull fish, like for example the trout on the lower cumberland river. Tenn. has pumps that put O2 back into the lake at Norris.I just stop fishing for them after july.

The stop fishing is probably the best ideal to save the fish PERIOD!!!!

[Duayne]

Exactly. USUALLY, those smaller fish can make it if you get them in quickly. But with these conditions, it just really isn't a good idea to fish for them at all. I just spoke to my sister and brother-in-law who are going down for the weekend. I told him to take the girls out and fish with the binocs and a landing net. He said, "that sounds kinda fun!" Exactly! Hey, its a chance to take a very bad situation and make something of it.

[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.

[peter]

I've talked to several guides and they are still catching good size fish down deep.

I would think this "emergency" situation should be over soon with the cooling of the top thirty feet of water where there is and always has been plenty of Oxygen.

Here are the forcast lows for Jamestown today through the 15th.

51, 41, 52, 60, 65, 65, 65, 63, 60, 55, 52, 50

This is quite a bit cooler than last year.

[Bass_King2007]

id say kill everyone of them stripped things!!!! a major striper kill would help out cumberland!!!!

[PRO V LE]

id say kill everyone of them stripped things!!!! a major striper kill would help out cumberland!!!!

"Here's you're sign"

[Chubminnow]

I don't get to fish Cumberland, or Dale, or Green or anywhere else as much as I'd like to, but judging from some of the posts on this thread I'm confident I'm not the dullest knife in the drawer.

[KR]

So am I a dull knife Chub? Seeing as how you don't get to fish these lakes as much as some of the other guys maybe you can't see the argument I am trying to make. I knew I would ruffle feathers and I was saying that in jest because I know how passionate I am about the bass population in Cumberland, much like Boone, APB, and Duayane are concerning the stripers. It just gripes me me to no avail that it seems that bass should be self sufficient and nothing really gets done concerning stocking, management, or habitat for them here. But you let a few stripers die and the state would go broke trying to fix that problem. That's all I am saying. Wasn't trying to offend anyone or say that my hobby fish is superior to your hobby fish but I would like to see equal treatment.

[apb]

id say kill everyone of them stripped things!!!! a major striper kill would help out cumberland!!!!

Actually, it would not help out Cumberland. Probably have the reverse affect. Stripers diet is 99.99999% shad and alewifes. They use portions of the lake not used by other species (bass, bluegill, crappie, etc.). Alewifes and shad spend a lot of their lives over open water, so cannot be used by many other species for large portions of the year. If you let alewifes and shad take over the lake they'll compete directly with the fry of bass, bluegill and other species. Stripers keep the alewife/shad populations down and also limit the size of gizzard shad (they get over 18 inches).

KR, the lake levels is an Army Corp deal. Fish and wildlife have no control over that. They have been working with the bass at Cumberland (and other lakes). For example, the smallmouth limits were increased several years back and has improved the smallie sizes in the lake. I think you'll find that different species on different lakes will get different amounts of fish and wildlife time/funding. Musky are the big thing at Cave Run, Striper at Cumberland, Smallmouth at Dale Hollow, for example. There is only so much time/money that they have, so they cannot manage all fish at all lakes the same.

Andrew

[apb]

btw, I fish for both smallies and stripers at Cumberland.

Andrew