Big stripers turning on at Lake Cumberland

By JOEL WILSON

GLASGOW — The big stripers are turning on at Lake Cumberland.

But it’s recommended you go early.

Four members of the Oldtimers fishing club chartered a trip with guide Phil Glass on Tuesday and had their limit in about an hour as the action was fast and furious. There were two trophy fish among the eight they caught, a 38-incher and a 36-incher with Joe Litera and Ed Darst scoring. Larry Spencer and Danny Hardin also had bragging-size fish. They left at daybreak out of Conley Bottom and were back home in Glasgow by about 10:30 a.m. They also caught a nice cat. They were trolling shad behind planer boards.

This week’s fishing report is from Todd Logsdon who has heard of several other folks having good luck with the big stripers at Cumberland.

At Barren, the bass are hitting mostly topwater. The crappie action has slowed somewhat but big bluegill are still being caught. There’s some action on catfish with jugging and trotlining taking center stage.

They are still catching hybrids on night crawlers and crawfish.

Todd also said he and a friend fished below the dam this week and had a variety of fish, including both largemouth and smallmouth. He also said that bow hunters can now shoot gar below the dam.

Since the bass are hitting topwater mostly at Barren this week, it might be a good time for some reminders on how to fish this exciting process.

Hayley Lynch, award-winning writer for Kentucky Afield magazine, has a few tips on topwater.

“When fish are more active because of warmer temperatures this time of year, they are more likely to feed on the surface,” said Dave Dreves, a fisheries research biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “A lot of people think when it’s hot, the fish don’t feed as much. Well, their metabolisms are higher, so they have to eat.”

Dreves says largemouth bass are biting on the water’s surface in ponds now, while white bass and hybrid striped bass, as well as largemouth bass, are biting in reservoirs. Smallmouth bass are feeding on top in streams. Bass generally bite best on topwater baits during the morning and evening.

Shad that were spawned a few months ago are now big enough to catch the attention of bass. Try chuggers that resemble these baitfish, such as a white or silver Pop-R or Chug Bug. Dreves also recommends surface lures with propellers on the back or both back and front. Size can range from two to five inches. Dreves suggests fishing a Zara Spook using a “walk the dog” retrieve. Use your wrist to create a rhythmic retrieve, letting the lure twitch back and forth on a slack line.

Dreves notes that since the 17-year cicada emergence has ended, bass may now key on frogs and other surface prey. Try a frog-imitating lure in green or brown.

“I grew up fishing in farm ponds where I would throw a snag proof frog around the edges of the pond on top of filamentous algae — commonly called moss,” said Dreves. “You can throw a frog on top of those thick mats, and the bass will blow up through the vegetation and eat the frog. It’s a real exciting way to fish.”

Try buzzbaits and spinnerbaits for summer topwater action. “Most of the time, buzzbaits are used in the early morning,” said John Williams, southeast fisheries district coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “Anglers switch to something a little slower and a little deeper later on.”

Some prefer a double buzzbait for added noise and action. Bass strike these lures out of irritation, to get the intruder out of their territory — so the more commotion, the better. Good colors are white, chartreuse and black. Buzzbaits must be retrieved quickly so they don’t sink.

“The water’s warm so the fish ought to be active,” said Williams. “I would think burning them, with a fairly fast retrieve would work right now.”

Night fishing is also warming up now. Try spinnerbaits in black, fished just under the surface at night. Jitterbugs in black are another good choice. Use either a steady retrieve or work the lure 4 to 5 feet at a time and pause for a few seconds between retrieves. Chuggers also work well at night. Williams recommends anglers try fishing these lures over shallow flats.

Dave Baker, whose joy of writing is rivaled only by his love of fishing, has held the editor’s desk at Kentucky Afield magazine since 2000. This week Baker pushes back from his PC to cast for keepers with host Tim Farmer on Cedar Creek Lake and chat about the mission and motivation behind the outdoor magazine as the top story on Kentucky Afield TV this weekend.  

There will also be a segment on catfishing on Lake Barkley, a story on falconry with Dave Campbell from the Louisville Zoo as guest.

“Kentucky Afield” airs 7:30 p.m. and is repeated Sunday at 3 p.m. on KET 1.