Cumberland River
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Rick –
The Cumberland is in bad shape and getting worse. You are going to need the raft, because they’re sluicing water right now per my contact with Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. It isn’t looking good; they just increased the take limit on bows to 10 fish throughout the system, and they reduced hatchery capacity due to bad DO in the water coming through. As of today, the turbine water is a trout-killing 69 degrees (but they aren’t running), while the sluice gates (which are on the bottom there) is at 57-degrees (about 5 degrees hotter than would be ideal).
I would put in at Winfrey’s Ferry and plan an all-day float to a private ramp at Bakerton Bar. You will need to pay $3 at Bakerton to use the ramp/park the shuttle there. I’d try to do that the night before, because it’s a long ass way from Winfrey’s to Bakerton. The place to pay is the lone gas station/grocery store in “town.” That corner of Kentucky is about as underpopulated as any place I have ever been.
Bring shooting heads with sinking lines and big streamers for bank-bashing, and don’t neglect to run some stonefly nymphs very deep under indicators in mid-channel. I’d probably bring 5 weights for nymphing and 7-8 weights for bank bashing. The browns won’t be gathered up on the shoals yet but they should be making their way there; typically they begin to cluster around the first week of October.
By putting in at Winfrey’s, you are missing some of the upper water, but I have been told there’s no reliable way to get a raft down from the Dam to Winfrey’s with these water levels. You might check with Fly South in Nashville or a Louisville shop for some better intelligence on that upper section – I have never fished above Rainbow Run.
Note: just saw that you will be there in Mid-October. That’s spawning season. Watch the redds; don’t stomp on them, but keep in mind that there is no natural reproduction in the river per Kentucky DFW. Bring jelly eggs and small nymphs, 6X tippet and light indicators. Target the shoal dropoffs at that time of year to pick up fish that are not actively spawning but will be eating the spawners’ eggs.
Zach
I honestly don’t know that this is the best year to plan a Cumberland float. They are having major cold water supply issues.
Incidentally, I don’t know if I’d call 69 degrees “trout killing” – they get temperature stressed at that temp, but as long as you keep it below 75 or so I don’t think you’ve crossed the lethal threshold.
bd
Incidentally, I don’t know if I’d call 69 degrees “trout killing” – they get temperature stressed at that temp, but as long as you keep it below 75 or so I don’t think you’ve crossed the lethal threshold.
If 69 is trout killing temp, then most of the rivers near me are full of dead fish by now.
At the dam, no 69 is not going to kill fish. Downriver, yes, it is.
I would respectfully submit, then, that “trout-killing 69 degrees” was unclear in its meaning. If you meant that a 69 degree discharge will reach a trout-killing 75 to 80 degrees by the time it’s several miles downstream, then yeah, I agree with that.
As far as alternative places to go, I’d concur with Zach’s suggestion of the White River. Another that would be very high on my list (higher maybe than the White) would be the South Holston. There are some giant browns (some exceeding 20 lbs) and natural reproduction means you are fishing to wild fish. Note that spawning areas are closed to fishing from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31 to protect spawning fish.
The Clinch is reportedly fishing very well this year too.
bd
I would respectfully submit, then, that “trout-killing 69 degrees” was unclear in its meaning.
Fair enough.
The South Holston is a good river, but a lot of the good water closes to fishing on November 1 to February 1.
Still plently of excellent water to fish on the South holston when the spawning section closes. Also have the Watauga, Clinch, and Holston rivers within an hour and a half drive. You won’t find that much diversity in Arkansas.
Don’t forget Smoky Mtn National Park.
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