Lake cumberland

[aps71285]

Was at LC this past weekend with little luck. Managed to get a 26 inch striper saturday and an 20 inch large mouth sunday. Ive finally learned to catch my own bait this time of year thanks to a new friend ive made on here. But my main reason for this post is to say idc which but anyone wanting to fish LC needs to go with a guide atleast once a year. Heres why. I use to assume the guides were stuck up and wouldnt help a normal person, but this past weekend completely changed my mind. I had a random fisherman come to me after i caught my bait asking me to show him how to throw a cast net so i did. By that time it was too late to try to catch more bait for him. The guide across the dock from me overheard him askin me to catch him bait and took it upon himself without being asked to catch bait and bring it to the guy, and explained how to keep it alive. It was a great sight. I now will be taking more guided trips

[rough creek]

i was at cumberland last friday. we striper fished with morgans guide service. super nice guys and not afraid to explain details of striper fishing. got some info on bass and small mouth. my dad 2 brothers and me got our limit and had a great time.

[boskeet]

I really enjoy hearing stories about the kindness of the guides on LC. I think the general opinion on guides for most people is "stuck up until proven friendly" and that's not really fair. From my own experience the striper guides seem to be nice folks, with a few exceptions.

I fished Sunday with my dad and we got our limit about noon. Fishing was very slow in Jamestown area and we worked hard to get the ones we did. We caught them as shallow as 15 and as deep as 28 ft. Didn't mark any schools of fish, just a few here and there. I'm thinking the fish are just scattered on that end of the lake compared to the upper end.

[stripernut1]

most guides are more than willing to help when they can, their survival is based on being personable.
but if you put things in perspective and think about this for a minute,

lets say you walking to an automotive repair garage and go up to a mechanic working on a car and ask him to come outside and show you how to fix your car....if he didnt/couldnt come out right away i think most of us are reasonable enough people to understand that hes busy "at work" and is just not able to oblige us at this moment.

just keep in mind when/if you seem like youre conversation is met with indifference or they dont have time for you.....this "guide" isnt just loafing around at the lake, he is at "work". people are paying them to do a job.

maybe a little later that same guy might be able to chat with you or otherwise help you anyway he can.

also just remember just because youre the only person interacting with the guide at that moment, he has more than likely spoken to several people on the phone requesting anything from can i have bait to where are you catching fish to what size line should i use and on and on, as well as the 3 people that approached him before you ever got to the dock. theres enormous pressure to remain positive, personable and helpful....sometimes overwhelming pressure.

so hats off to the guy that makes his living trying to make a magic show out of a fishing trip

[Dobe Mejuwa]

Over many years of fishing the lake, I have also found this to be true. The guides I've had the pleasure of meeting, talking to, eating breakfast with, fishing the lake near, and fishing with on their boats, have all be professional, courteous, and all seemed genuinely interested in people, not as customers only, but as human beings.

Never had a guide cut me off as I trolled toward a point. Other fisherman have.
Never had a guide launching at a ramp cut me off, or if I was launching first, get hot because I was having trouble getting underway.
Never had a guide run over my planer boards, or run so tight to my boat wide open that the wash from his engine sprayed my boat. Other fisherman have.

So I guess what really is on my mind is this. If folks who are making there living on the lake, can remain civil and courteous and respectfully of other fisherman, then why can't the week end warrior "wanna-be's" act the same? I know, stupid question. After all, we're in the "It's all about me" generation. It's refreshing to know there are those who haven't joined that cliche yet.

Oh wait.....duh....guides are focused on someone else then just them selves. They are focused on customers, other people's enjoyment, the lake environment, the fishery, and willing to go the extra mile to look out and respect something they realize is bigger then them and all of us. The share what they use, and use what they share.

Now if we could just bottle some of that and make it a mandatory annual vaccination all anglers have to get dosed to them when they get their new year's fishing license.....well....we'd all enjoy the sport more.

And BTW: There are others I've bumped into on the lake, other than guides who act in the same manner as guides. Stripernut is definitely one of them.

There's other's too, so maybe there is hope after all. Maybe we just have to be the ones that set the example, and just maybe others will follow our lead, the same way we watch, react, and respect the guides for what they do.

[Duayne]

The guides have evolved on Cumberland. I remember a time when they pretty much kept to themselves. Info was hard to come by because each guy had his nose to a tree and couldn't see the forest. Now, the guides realize that sharing means more for everyone, including themselves. Its a fabulous thing, how the guides on Cumberland have changed. Maybe it's the names, maybe its just the attitude. I try to provide much more and rarely ask anything. For me, it's in the figuring it out myself even if I struggle. But that is what they do for a living so if I can help I'll try.

And the guides on Cumberland have been the most courteous on water even when they are being followed, chased and fished over. They really are a special breed when it comes to fishermen.

[Jared Harmon]

Stripernut and duayne...well put. I cannot speak for any other guide but "nut" put it about as plainly as could be stated. He guided, he knows. It is a struggle sometimes when "we" (guides) or anyone for that matter spend sometimes hours and hours and days on the water trying to pattern the current bite and or a good hot spot and only to be over ran by weekenders or locals that see you catching fish. Then they call all their friends etc and before you know it all the time you spent finding fish to put your customers on and make a living, you can't even fish now because 10 people have rooted on ya. People thinking our bait lights we hang on the docks are community fishing lights and throw on em and fish on em. There are numerous nuisances to the job but yet meeting all the great people I have over the years has made up for a lot of it. People have thought of me alot as being mean or unfriendly because I try to stay to myself alot on the water but it's simply a respect thing too me. If I see someone catching fish I don't go fly in on em, good for you..glad your catching em. I try to take time out of my day anytime someone walking up the dock wants to stop and talk for a few minutes but as duayne stated there's a sense of accomplishment to catching your own bait, finding your own fish, catching your own fish. Too many people now a days don't spend time to learn the fish, figure em out, it's just all about a spot. Where is so and so fishing? And yes we all answer dozens of phone calls each day as to where? When? How deep? Bait? Etc, etc. And I do apologize to anyone I have cut short at anytime that wanted to talk. Hopefully I will meet each and everyone of you guys someday. I hope we all catch em! But long story short I try hard to be courteous and respectful to everyone. I don't know much, just enough to catch a few fish but one thing I do know is the friends you make along the way last a lifetime.

[Mean Morone]

There have been some real dandies on the lake in the past. I've been threatened before by a guide at Jamestown once or twice over the years. We gave the one guide the nick name "crazy Joe". That guy put some fear in me. The other guide ran me off of "his" cleaning station. Found out from the Marina that the cleaning station wasn't his. But that was years ago. Those guys don't guide anymore, maybe for good reason.

[PRO V LE]

I remember back before cell phones we used VHF radio to stay in touch, if I found a large school and caught my two I would sit over or follow them while I called on the radio to "Find the BlackLund" The Colonel, Tim T, and others would help me also on the Dam, Beaver, Otter end of the lake. Lance would come get me when he had them located etc.

[stripernut1]

I remember back before cell phones we used VHF radio to stay in touch, if I found a large school and caught my two I would sit over or follow them while I called on the radio to "Find the BlackLund" The Colonel, Tim T, and others would help me also on the Dam, Beaver, Otter end of the lake. Lance would come get me when he had them located etc.

Hahaha....that brings back memories.
We knew each others "guide boat number" for example i was "08", so when talking on the marine radio we would try to relay info to another guide boat in "code speak" .
Your fish count started at "90", if you caught one your count on the radio would go like this "08 is 91 on #1 inside". this meant i just caught my first fish on the first rod closest to the boat (which most guides in on the conversation pretty much had a good idea what weight, and general depth that rod was based on the time of year and previous discussions). Next fish would be "08 is 92 on #2 outisde"....and so on and so on until you reached your limit and then you would state "08 is 100 out".
One particular Saturday morning in June there were 4 guide boats that were fairly close together and we were abolutely slaying the fish, so as you can imagine the radio count was on fire, 08 is 95, 04 is 96, 02 is 95 etc.
When all of a sudden an unknown voice comes on the radio and says "Fellas i dont know where youre at but if youve got 95 stripers youre a little over the limit and im on my way to the dock to contact the Game Wardens" !!

Another guide buddy of mine told him we were actually fishing with the game wardens today and they were cool with it, they said there were way too many stripers in the lake anyway.

The marine radios were a lot of entertainment back in the day

[Dobe Mejuwa]

Hahaha....that brings back memories.
The marine radios were a lot of entertainment back in the day

You mean they don't still use them? OMG......I thought my radio was broke or something.

I was always afraid to say much on the VHF, especially if I was on fish. Seemed like whenever I told folks where I was and was doing to get on them, a bunch a boats would sow up, and the noise they made arriving changed the pattern and shut down the fish. Then I'd spend the next hour in the area getting VHF radio calls beating me up for lying.

I eventually gave up on the VHF, and went to a more secure landline method. Especially since I always had plenty of beer cans available and plenty of fishing line to connect them. Did you know you can hear in stereo if you connect the cans with 50 pound test braid?

[Shellkat]

Went out on a walleye charter last year on Lake Erie. The charter had 4 boats out and they were in constant contact with each other on who was catching what,where and how. It was all in code and comical to listen to.