Biologists worry about water temperature in Lake Cumberland
July 19, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
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Because of ongoing repairs to Wolf Creek Dam, temperatures in the river rose to the point of stressing trout over the past couple of summers, but conditions are much better so far this summer.
Frankfort, Ky. – The cold air that blankets Kentucky each December, January and February is uncomfortable for most people. Few of us enjoy pulling on extra clothes, driving in snow or being cooped up inside during winter.
Although we might not like winter, the cold water being stored in Lake Cumberland at that time of year is important to the health and survival of trout, striped bass and walleye in the lake and its tailwater the following summer.
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Wolf Creek Dam: A Progress Report This Weekend on “Kentucky Afield” TV
May 5, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Two years have passed since news broke that Wolf Creek Dam was leaking and major repairs were needed. Concern about the structure that creates Lake Cumberland rippled far beyond the lake’s shores. This weekend, May 9 and 10, we meet with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for an update.
Host Tim Farmer joins David Hendrix of the Corps and John Williams, regional fisheries biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, for a look at the repair progress and how that plays into the upcoming season of boating, fishing and summer fun.
Lastly, in honor of Mother’s Day, Sherry Farmer enjoys a spring day fishing with her son at a farm pond in Mason County. Meet the lady who introduced the great outdoors to the person who is now the host of our show.
By KDFWR
Last-Minute Entry Lands Kentucky Auto Parts Production Worker $100,000 Prize in Fantasy Fishing Game
February 22, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Berea's Terry Moberly decided at the last minute to enter the FLW Fantasy Fishing Game Contest. The decision won him $100,000.
To win FLW Fantasy Fishing, or any contest for that matter, you have to enter. And entering at the last minute counts just as much as if you entered days, weeks or even months before.
That’s what Terry Moberly, 45, a resident of Berea, Ky., a small town near Lexington, Ky., learned. Last Wednesday, Feb. 11, with less than four hours until the closing bell on FLW Fantasy Fishing picks for the first tournament, Moberly registered at fantasyfishing.com. Using Player’s Advantage, an online tool that provides “inside” information about FLW Tour bass pros, Moberly picked 10 bass pros from among a field of 157 that would be competing the very next morning in the first of six tournaments that make up the Walmart FLW Tour, professional bass fishing’s largest and most prestigious tournament circuit.
Late winter is prime time for striped bass in Lake Cumberland tributaries
January 10, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Jacob Knight of Lexington holds a 6-pound striper caught on a 30-degree day on Lake Cumberland
A slight temperature variance can make a huge difference in February, according to Tim Tarter of Nancy Guide Service, who has been fishing for Lake Cumberland’s legendary stripers for as long as the fish have been in the lake.
“We’re always looking for a little bit warmer water this time of year,” he said, noting that alewives and consequently the stripers will congregate in spots where the water is just a degreee or two warmer than other parts of the lake during February.
Often that means heading up the Cumberland River or up tributary creeks to parts of the lake less famous for their striper fishing than the lake’s open lower main body. These areas have more flats, which warm up just a bit on sunny February days, and the creeks bring warmer water into the lake after most February rainfalls.
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Look for hot smallmouth fishing in winter
January 1, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
We have experiences in the outdoors that can be transcendent, although the conditions are rough. Catching crappie after crappie in cold March sleet, bagging your biggest turkey ever in a chilling April downpour or taking a limit of ducks in weather so cold hot coffee quickly freezes on the rim of your cup make great memories.
Although these encounters test your mettle and enrich your life, few outdoor pursuits compare to December fishing for smallmouth bass in the snow. The activity seems incongruent – floating in a boat on ice-free water with white frozen snow lining the banks. You seem completely out of place, casting a hair jig, the float and fly or a shiner with snow in your eyelashes. You feel you should be at home; that it is dangerous to fish in such weather.
Questions and answers with: Dave Stewart, Bass Buster Guide Service
January 1, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Dave Stewart of Bass Buster Guide Service in Benton, Ky.Years guiding: 6. Contact number: 270-354-5039. Email: dave@kentuckylakeguide.com
Kentuckyfishing.com: How did you get started as a guide and why?
Dave Stewart: Actualy, I got started after I retired from the military in 1995. I moved to Kentucky Lake and I was living at a resort. People at the resort asked me if I could take some people out who weren’t catching fish. I helped them catch fish and this eventually became a business.
Kentuckyfishing.com: What do you like about the job?
Dave Stewart: I like he people. Outdoors people, especially anglers, have got to be some of the best people to be around. For me, watching clients catch fish has become more fun than catching the fish myself.
Kentuckyfishing.com: What do you not like so much about the job?
Dave Stewart: Winter. I hate the off season. I get bored.
Kentuckyfishing.com: What is your favorite tactic?
Dave Stewart: I primarily guide for bass; it makes up probably 95 percent of my business. For smallmouth, I love to fish crankbaits and jerkbaits in teh spring. In the summer I fish for largemouth and I love to use Carolina rigs. Kentucky and Balrkley are good Carolina rig lakes. I love to fish tubes, too. That’s kind of a trademark of mine, tube fishing.
Kentuckyfishing.com: Why do you like to fish for bass over other species?
Dave Stewart: I started ot fishing fo bass in clubs and tournaments. It just seems to be the most challenging of the fish here to catch. I enjoy taking people out, especially those who are having trouble finiding fish. I started out guiding as much crappie as I did bass. But I turned to bass. That’s where my reputation is. Ninety-five percent of my business is tournament preparation.
Kentuckyfishing.com: Are tournament anglers tougher to deal with? Are they more difficult to deal with?
Dave Stewart: Not really. You ahve to take each client as they come. Probably my most favorite clients are children — fathers and sons. But tournament types are not that hard to work with.
Kentuckyfishing.com: Do your clients have special tactics they want to try?
Dave Stewart: I find that for the majority of them, since I do a lot of tournament preparation, most people will leave it up to me. They realize one tactic is not a catch-all. But I do have a lot of people who want to try Carolina rigging.
Kentuckyfishing.com: What is your favorite lure?
Dave Stewart: As a go-to lure I’d have to say a tube. I’ve been fishing them for years and years and years. They’ve just become popular down here in the last few years. I’m not sure I’m happy about that. (laughs) My favorite lure to throw, though, is probably a Carolina rig or a crankbait. But a tube is definitely the go-to lure. When nothing else will work a tube will get you some fish.
Kentuckyfishing.com: When do you most like to fish?
Dave Stewart: I love spring. I love the early smallmouth and the pre-spawn largemouth. It’s got to be the most productive and the most fun fishing there is. Those are the days of the big numbers and the big fish.
Kentuckyfishing.com: What kind of cover or areas do you like to fish the most?
Dave Stewart: The obvious would be stumps. Old stump fields are the most productive. I also like brush piles. If you find those brush piles you can score fish. But fish like to cruise open water. So it changes all year long.
First published in The Kentucky Fishing Journal, February 2003
