# Lake Cumberland Trip Planning Help Needed



## Backwater (Aug 13, 2006)

My brother and I are heading down to Lake Cumberland sometime in mid to late October, hoping to find some smallmouth/largemouth bass. We've never been to Lake Cumberland, and have no idea where we will find the fish at that time of the year. The lake looks to be extremely deep, but we're hoping to find some smallmouth feeding along the edges or way up in some of the creeks that feed into the lake. Would appreciate any suggestions from those who have gone before us regarding sections of the lake to concentrate on. Trying to decide where to stay down there, and of course that will depend on where we want to fish. Any help or suggestions on where to start would be appreciated. We've fished lots of reservoirs in the past (Cave Run, Dale Hollow, Cherokee Lake, etc) and have had mixed results. We like to troll, cast the shoreline, and jig with ned rigs, wacky rigs, drop shots, but if the fish are too deep, we always have problems getting our lures down deep enough and on target. Any suggestions you may have for us would be appreciated..


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## privateer (Apr 26, 2012)

hire a local guide for 1 day. will be $ well spent.


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## Backwater (Aug 13, 2006)

When we went down to Cherokee Lake fishing for small mouth and largemouth, you suggested that we get a guide and fish for Stripers. We took your advice and fished for Stripers and Hybrids using a local guide. The guide definitely put us onto the Stripers and Hybrids, but we found that he was using equipment and techniques that we could not duplicate on our boat ($1000 bait tank for alewife, downriggers and boards, etc.) so while we had 5 hrs of pure bliss, we spent the rest of the week searching for smallmouth and largemouth, and eventually found a few. As a guide on Lake Erie, you probably use special techniques and equipment to get your baits down to the depths you need to reach to put your clients onto the walleye (downriggers, boards, line counter reels, lead or wire lines, etc) , and that is great for those clients who are looking for a morning or afternoon trip to catch their limit. My brother and I are catch and release, and don't want to fish deep because, in summer, most of your catch won't survive being yanked up from deep water. Don't get me wrong, folks who fish deep for their limit are good people and I don't mean to imply that there is anything wrong with that. If I could find a guide who fishes shallow, like we do, I'd do it in a heartbeat, and if you know of someone like that on Lake Cumberland, I'd appreciate the referral. Thanks as always for your help and advice. By the way, we would like to fish for bass and walleye on Lake Erie, do you know of anyone who guides in shallow water


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## privateer (Apr 26, 2012)

Talk with the guide in advance of booking and ask about techniques.

On Erie we use mostly the same fishing gear that I used back when i fished for myself with the 18' Alumacraft Trophy. (better quality and dialed in today) Only significant difference is a 6' mast versus the 9' mast and then the size of the boards giving us a much larger spread for the Baha boat - but then it is fishing for 3 people versus 8 or so... but yes, in summer on central basin there are more fish deep than in the shallows. however, i have seen a charter go out casting in late july for walleye in the 20-35'fow. i would not do it myself though... if you want to do that or chase bass on erie, drop me a PM and i can put you in touch with a couple guys. however that is mostly a spring bite.

as for lake cumberland. i know a striper guy but don't personally know others there. i plan to focus on East TN lakes this fall/winter season.

good luck and tight lines!


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