Lake Cumberland

Boating on Lake Cumberland is like no other lake in the country.  On a crisp fall day like today traffic is scarce with the exception of a few fishermen.  When I am on the lake I feel like I have walked back in time to what the natives must have felt like looking at the hills of Kentucky melding with the foothills of the Tennessee smokies.   This is the only place that I get quiet.  I don’t turn the stereo on in my boat and cellular phone service is so sporadic I do myself a favor and leave it at the cabin.   It is so rare for me not be connected I have to go through a brief period of panicked withdrawal before I can appreciate the quiet still.    

This is the time of year that the skiffs and wooden boats dominate the lake.   It is rather nostalgic, the quiet still of the lake, nothign but forest and a few wild goats in view, and wooden boats that have passed the test of time.   Everytime I encounter one of the wooden wonders I  am intrigued and perhaps a little envious.   I have decided I am interested in stopping the envy by becoming an owner myself.  My next few posts are going to be lists that I have compiled through my research about wooden boats and boat kits.  I have been pretty amazed out how much is out there if you really look.  I will try to review the list quarterly and make sure it continues to be up to date.

Water temperatures are dropping. Right now trout are plentiful below the Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery and in the Cumberland River, Trout are being caught on spinners, salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, and corn.Trout on the cumberland river are fishing better than I can remember. Word is this is because of (3) three years of unusually high water. It is one of those years where it is difficult to do anything wrong. A dead drift is working very well, while you lose some flies you catch a lot of fish. I will post about other fishing conditions a bit later.

Fall on Lake Cumberland is amazing.  The skiers and tubers are gone and a ride in a boat on the lake feels like the natives must have felt on the cumberland river.  Most of the lake is framed with 300+ ft cliffs, almost no visible homes just trees changing color, wild goats and a few dear.   The entire state has been flooded the past three days and the waterfall on parts of the lake are amazing.   This is by far my favorite time on the lake.  Of course there are a few fisherman/women but they are quiet and feel like they belong.  I love to fish myself but this time of year to just ride and sit still, taking it all in with no purpose except for  taking it in is my favorite time of year.   I am amazed that this is the least visited time on the lake I get very few calls for cabin rentals  personally I am happy to not rent, it helps me justify using the place myself.  

My last weekend at the lake I was reminded of the dangers of the water. Three deaths on Lake Cumberland. A teenage boy and girl visiting the boys nephew riding a jet ski at night in the dark apparently hit a rock and died from head trauma. Both were wearing life jackets. They werent found until the next morning. I cant imagine having some novice visit me on the lake and letting them take a jet ski out after dark. There was another fellow home from Iraq who’s drunk father swerved the boat to avoid another while the son was standing on the back of the boat. He obviously fell in the prop. I cant imagine the emotion and feeling of responsibility that must come along with this. Then you have made some mistake (almost all lake accidents and deaths are the result of mistakes) overwhelmed with guilt, and then you have to deal with the liability of it. They are talking about outlawing tubing on the lake.. I dont think that is a bad idea. In the meantime I am going to increase my boat insurance

• Wayne County- Monticello Kentucky: Conley Bottom Marina - considered Lake Cumberlands most accessible marina because of its relatively flat ramp and loading area. (located near what locals consider the fishing parts of the lake)Services at the marina include, houseboat rentals, cabin rentals, campground, moorage,The marina offer all types of small gear rentals, fishing boats, live bait and tackle, fishing license, groceries , ice, gasoline, propane, public telephones,showers with mooring, clean restrooms and ample parking. My experience has been that this marina is slightly less expensive for most services than any other marina on the lake . The marina has a floating restaurant for cafe’ style food, old fashioned country service and an unbelievable view. Located in dry county no alcohol sales here so BYOB Contact info Route 5, Box 5360 Monticello, KY 42633(606) 348-6351E-Mail: Info@ConleyBottom.com

• Beaver Creek Dock- Albany Kentucky- Grider Hill Dock - Houseboat rentals, lodge(clean, inexpensive), restaurant, campground, moorage and dockage, hiking trail, nearby attractions are “76″ falls , golfing mailto:griderhill@kih.netorContact: Grider Hill DockR.R. #4, Box 800Albany, KY 42602

• State Dock:- Jamestown KY - House boat Rentals (includes linen service), unique provisioning service (food from wholesales that is marketed to upscale restaurants) slips moorage Lake Cumberland State Dock6365 State Park Road Jamestown, KY 42629 Boat rentals, Home of the annual power boat pokerrun sept 6-8th Sept 2006.

• Popplewell’s Alligator Dock #1 Inc. Russell Springs County is home to the Curent Miss USA, and to Alligator Dock. This marina features a full service restaurant, moorage, fishing and grocery supplies, and cabin rental. 6959 South Hwy. 76 Russell Springs, KY 42642-8766

• Indian Hills Resort / Alligator II Marina 2108 Highway 1383, Russell Springs, KY 42642 Rental slips grocery and grill Full service marina, with camping, and more, and of course boat rental including houseboats. Highway 1383, Russell Springs, KY 4264

• Buck Creek Boat Dock: The only Marina on Lake Cumberland located on a creek. The creek is very narrow and great area for bird watchers, there have been 240 species of birds found in this area. Arguably the most noteworthy element of Buck Creek is the large mural painted on the high cliff rocks that frame the creek. The painting has many exotic animals that are not found in in the region like lions and zebras and is assumed to date back hundreds of years. This marina also has the largest selection of bait and icecream on lake Cumberland. -

• Burnside Marina: located on the eastern side of Lake Cumberland in Somerset Kentucky (what tends to be the center of the region for shopping etc) also, the only part of the lake that is not completely dry with the exception of lee’s ford. Features over 400 slips, offers moorage, boat rental, store with bait and basic groceries

• Jamestown Marina- Over 800 slips at this full service marina, boat rentals, lodging, conference center in my opinion the best over night accomodations on the lake. Located only a few miles from downtown Jamestown in Russell County. Jamestown offers many antique and a few outlet stores for those rainy days at the lake. Jamestown Marina 3677 South Highway 92Jamestown, KY 42629

• Lee’s Ford Marina: hands down my favorite restaurant on the lake (now serving alcohol which has only made the wait longer) My least favorite place to put a boat in and located in one of the most crowded parts of the lake. Has all of the rentals, groceries, bait houseboats, their pontoons even have Honda motors on them. Bought a couple of years ago and remodeled, condos for rent on property as well as small cottages. Only tavern on this otherwise “dry lake” Hwy. 80, go West on the Cumberland Parkway 1/2 mile. Take the Lees Ford/Pulaski County Park exit, to the left

Lake Cumberland is recognized as one of the countries premier striper fishing lakes and a bass fisherman’s paradise. A 63,000 acre lake with 1255 acres of shore line, whether you’re a serious angler or a recreational fisherman/woman, Lake Cumberland is a fisherman’s paradise. Home to a wide variety of fish including Stripers, crappie, bream, walleye, trout, spoonbill catfish, and a variety of bass. Fishing on Lake Cumberland is a year round activity regardless of the time of year. This huge lake with beautiful emerald green water covers towns of years gone by and is home to irregular shorelines, shoals, and small tributaries that provide an ideal habitat and breeding ground for an abundant striper population.

The State of Kentucky record striper, weighed 58 lb. 4 oz. and was caught at Lake Cumberland. Our lake is known throughout the country as one of the top Striper Trophy lakes in the USA The average striper caught is between 12 and 15 lb. with no shortage of 20 pounders, some 30 pounders,and a few 40 pounders caught each year

This week (Week of July 27th 2006) Striper fishing has been very good . Best striper forumual seems to be fishing planner boards (until a week ago or so there was a brown algae coating the lines making this impossible) and bobbers with 1 - 2 oz. sinkers, and down rods with 3 oz. , between 28 ft.to 42 ft. deep over 35 ft. to 60 ft. On cloudy days they are being caught at 12-16 ft levels. Stripers are throughout the main lake, the most populated schools are at the mouths of the creeks and the river channels chasing Shad, medium to large shad are effective bait now. There was a report of a 35 pounder caught at near the island at the entrance of beaver creek.

For the past several weeks the fishermen/women I know have been catching daily limits virtually every day. On cloudy day

If you are planning a fishing trip to Lake Cumberland, KY Lake Cumberland has many marinas and lake access (see my next post) to check water levels http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ky/nwis/uv/?site_no=03413200&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060

best fishing is during the month of April, May, September, and October. During the summer months, early June and late August are among the best months. I will try to do a fishing report for each change of season.

I bought a place on Lake Cumberland last year near Conley Bottom Marina. I was a river rat as a kid and really missed the water. I have an absolute blast discovering the lake, boating and fishing for strippers and bass. There isnt much out there that really tells about the area. I did find http://www.lakecumberlandvacationrentals.com and there is a fair amount of information but not a ton. I bought a boat and purchased boat insurance. Two weeks later I watched a little girl die in a boating accident because a family member was pulling too fast with too long of a rope in a cove. A great family having a fun holiday on the lake ended in disaster.  The family like myself were not terribly experienced boaters. and they had no idea what was about to happen as their laughter echoed in the cove quickly converted to screams of terror and for help. We were the only boat that went to help and quite frankly we had no idea how to pull their boat or get her onto our boat without hurting her. The rope pulling the tube had locked their propreller up. We tried calling 911 (reception is terrible on the lake) only to learn there really is no one to come get you on a lake that large in an emergency. We had to find a way to try to get the little girl  to the marina where helicopters were waiting. Obviously we did many things wrong and I have relived that day daily in my mind as I am sure her family has as well. That is in large part why I am here. I could have been pulling a tube in the identical way and probably would have. There was no way without having experience to know what was coming. I then tried to get info about the proper way to pull a tuber on the lake and there is just so little out there. They let me buy a boat and start driving, pulling folks and anything else I wanted without taking a single safety class. I dont even know where there are safety classes. I questioned getting much boat insurance prior this accident until I was interviewed by the coast guard and realized the liability you face even if you know who is behind your boat. Boating is a lot of fun but it is also very dangerous. I will be posting more information in my next post about how to pull a tuber safely. Also about the differences in boat insurance. and jet ski insurance. . I will post about prime stripper and bass spots on Lake Cumberland and general stuff to do while you are there.