Photo by David Stephenson

By Chris Poore

As the boat departed from the ramp and made its way under the fog-hidden High Bridge in Jessamine County, Elliott Hess leaned back and looked up at the bluffs above him.

Sun kissed the big rock ledges. Birds departed silently from treetops. Fog danced on the surface of the Kentucky River.

Hess, a 22-year-old photographer and a student at UK, grew up in Lexington and wandered all over Fayette County as a kid to find the next perfect fishing hole: a golf course pond here, a church pond there, a stream behind a city park.

But his experience with the Kentucky River, like that of many Central Kentuckians, had been limited to the vantage point of the I-64 and U.S. 27 bridges.

So given the chance to explore the river up close, Hess didn’t hesitate.

As the boat made its way on this 16-mile trip from High Bridge to below the dam at lock Number 8, Hess was moved by the river’s beauty.

“I almost don’t care if we catch fish today,” he said.

It was an angler’s version of “knocking on wood,” but it was an unneeded sentiment this day.

By sunset, Hess and his fishing partner had caught eight species of fish — crappie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, sunfish, white bass, a brown trout, and an eight-pound catfish — most on a white jig with a curly tailed grub. Many were caught near the dam. Others were caught at the confluences of the Kentucky and its tributaries. The catfish was parked under a tree that had fallen in the water.

It was the kind of day many anglers dream of having.

It was also the kind of day that’s not too uncommon on Kentucky rivers if anglers are willing to work a little bit, said Jeff Crosby, central district biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

“It does take a little time and a more serious angler to learn how to fish a river,” Crosby said. “But after you learn river fishing you can go anywhere in that river and catch a fish.”

And unlike most lakes, a river myriad of habitats make it resemble, well, a box of chocolates.

“You never know what you’re going to catch,” Crosby said.

The fish and wildlife department has been working the past few years at making that river fishing experience even more exciting. River biologist Doug Henley and the department began a stocking program a few years ago in an effort to improve fishing for sauger, white bass, hybrid bass and musky. Some leftover black bass fry are also stocked if they’re available.

It takes about three years to get a true read on whether stocking efforts are working, Crosby said, so this is the first year that electro fishing results have produced meaningful measurements.

The results are promising, he said.

“We went this spring and saw that white bass, hybrids, sauger … are all starting to pick up,” he said. “I’ve been very impressed with the river over the last few years.”

In years past, stocking efforts produced better fishing, but the department didn’t allocate the same kinds of resources to measure success over time. Crosby said this effort hopes to better track which stocking efforts produce the best results.

Kentucky’s rivers offer productive territory for a wide array of fish.

“A river can have a variety of habitat in a short distance – sandy, rocky, the habitat is constantly changing,” Henley said.

Some stretches have relatively still water. Others have current.

Most river pools in Kentucky also have dams, below which can be the ultimate in river fishing.

Tailwaters produce oxygenated water that concentrates baitfish. Predators that chase baitfish love marauding for food below a dam, especially during summer, when the cooler, moving water offers a respite from slower-moving pools.

If the fishing below a dam is good, you’re likely to see a telltale sign as you approach: a lot of people fishing. Good news travels fast.

To Henley, the trip up the river itself makes the fishing more excited. Instead of motoring across a wide expanse of water, you motor around one bend after another.

“To me river fishing can be frustrating but it can also be leisurely if you choose to make it so,” Henley said. “ Around every bend is something different. It’s like a big adventure.”

It’s a good thing, because like most fishing, river fishing is by no means perfect. In fact, it can be much more difficult than a lake depending on the weather and current and water color.

A month of bad weather can mess up fishing for years to come. If a lot of rain keeps the river out of its banks during key spawning times, the population can be much more dramatically affected in future years than a lake’s fish population would be.

Also, some fish – like white bass – like current for spawning. Others, like largemouth bass, like still water. Depending on the weather, either population could suffer.

Relatively stable to near-drought weather the last few years has actually produced some good reproduction on the Kentucky River for all species. It remains to be seen how this year’s heavy rains will affect fish.

Of course, none of this was on Elliott Hess’ mind when he fished the Kentucky for the first time a few weeks ago. After 15 hours on the water, his fishing partner finally had to give him a five-minute warning as he pulled the boat up to the confluence of the Kentucky and Dix rivers near High Bridge.

It had rained the previous few days, so Kentucky Utilities was releasing water from Herrington Lake through the dam and into the Dix. The cold water from the bottom of the lake produces excellent trout fishing directly below the dam.

But trout usually don’t venture down as far as the Kentucky River.

As Hess and his friend pulled up to the confluence, his partner immediately caught a white bass using a Rooster Tail. Then Hess caught a largemouth using a Storm crawfish crankbait.

Both were excited but watching the sky, knowing it’d be a lot easier to get the boat out of the water before dark.

Then Hess’ rod jerked down toward the water. Hess jumped up from his seat and started pulling the fish toward the boat. Thinking he had a big largemouth, Hess tried to horse the fish into the boat instead of giving it time to wear out in the water.

As he pulled it up over the boat’s gunnels, he saw that the fish was a brown trout that had ventured far from its typical home. The heft of the fish – at least 23 inches in length – cracked the crawfish bait in half and the big brown fell to the boat’s floor.

Both men stood and stared at the fish for a moment, not believing what had happened. They had just caught their eighth species of fish, and it was true that they had had no idea what they were going to get.

As they headed back to the boat ramp, the excitement was slow to wear off. Both men counted how many fish they had caught that day. They talked about when they might be able to get back to the river and who else they might be able to bring along.

Then Hess, the photographer, shook his head.

“I can’t believe I didn’t bring a camera,” he said.

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A 13-year-old boy died beneath a low-head dam on Elkhorn Creek at Great Crossings in Scott County this weekend. Low-head dams such as this one on South Elkhorn Creek in Franklin County are some of the most dangerous water structures in existence. Just a drop of a few feet creates dangerous water turbulences below the dam that few escape alive. These types of dams are commonly called "drowning machines." Show this picture to your children, and please be overly cautious any time you're fishing near dams on Kentucky's rivers.

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If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he or she will receive a $2,000 bonus from Ranger Boats. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $1,000 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant. That’s a potential top award of $8,000 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude E-TEC or Direct Injection outboard.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $3,000 cash.

Big Bass awards of up to $1,000 and $500, respectively, will also be awarded in the Boater and Co-angler Divisions.

Anglers may register for the tournament online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Onsite registration will be held Aug. 7 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Walmart store located at 419 Market Square Drive in Maysville. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

Maysville River Park & Marina in Maysville will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck and co-anglers fish for a new Ranger boat. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers advancing through BFL competition.

The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will advance to the no-entry-fee $2.5 million Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing. In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3.5 million. Plus, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series™ for 2010 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Walmart FLW Tour®.

The next Buckeye Division tournament, a two-day Super Tournament, will be held on the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, Ind., Sept. 12-13.

Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in the Buckeye Division will advance to the Kentucky Lake Regional Championship in Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 15-17 and will compete against anglers from the Arkie, Hoosier and Mississippi divisions for an All-American berth.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament circuit.

Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every tournament.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.

www.FLWOutdoors.com

Media Contact
Robin Thweatt, FLW Outdoors (270) 252-1627 or rthweatt@flwoutdoors.com

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Editor’s note: Jonathan Palmer is a frequent contributor to www.kentuckyfishing.com. He’s also a terrific photojournalist who manages to shoot great pictures while he’s fishing. Check out his work in a publication near you, or at www.jonathanpalmer.net.

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We will meet at the Salato Center in Frankfort at 8 a.m. We provide transportation to the outfitter, Canoe Kentucky. The trip requires about two hours of paddling and is 6 miles long. This section of creek is good for beginners or intermediate paddlers. Please bring a sack lunch, water and sunscreen. Small coolers are allowed for food and drink items. Wear water shoes and clothes that can get wet. A waterproof bag is ideal for items you don’t want to get wet.

We will provide a few field guides and binoculars, but feel free to bring your own. Canoe Kentucky is providing life vests, paddles and canoes. The cost of the program is $35 with a limit of 15 people. The program may be cancelled due to bad weather. Registration and pre-payment are required.

The Salato Center has a variety of native animals for the public to see, including black bear, bobcats, elk, deer, bison, eagles, snakes and fish. The Center has numerous indoor exhibits and miles of hiking trails open to the public. Fishing is available at two lakes. While some programs may require a registration fee, general admission to the Salato Center is free.

For more information call 1-800-858-1549, ext. 4445. Learn more about upcoming events at the Salato Center on the Internet at fw.ky.gov. The Salato Center, operated by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, is located at the department’s headquarters on U.S. 60 in Frankfort, 1.5 miles west of U.S. 127. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The Center is closed Sundays, Mondays and state holidays.

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Similar in size to those used for cigars, the small tackle box came with five compartments: one filled with funny-looking leadheads and the other four filled with small, 4-inch straight-tailed worms. Black worms filled one compartment; grape worms lay in another, while brown with an orange tail and motor oil filled the other two.

He bought the new gear from a man at the boat show who told him all about this new system that caught bass in the toughest conditions. The man said this new technique would excel in the weedy, shallow and clear distillery lakes near our home if he just stuck to it long enough to learn it.

The author, Kentucky Afield Magazine's associate editor, with a big largemouth caught in a pond on a Slider worm.

The legendary Charlie Brewer Slider worm

My dad caught many bass with his new gear, but soon he could not find the small tackle box and rod because I had them on the shore of one of those distillery lakes. I learned to consistently catch bass year-round using light line and 4-inch worms and profited from it enormously. The knowledge gained provided the foundation for my later writings about bass fishing.

The man at the boat show was Charlie Brewer and he died 9 years ago this week. In the mythology of bass fishing, finesse techniques of using light line, subtle lures and spinning tackle to tempt spooky clear-water bass belongs to the deep, crystalline lakes of California. In reality, these techniques belong to Charlie Brewer.

He developed the Slider system to fool black bass in what he called the “tough, mean” reservoirs of east Tennessee, southeast Kentucky and the Highland Rim of middle Tennessee. Brewer’s Slider Worm launched the finesse revolution 20 years before most heard the term.

Brewer returned from World War II to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee and opened a radio and TV repair shop with knowledge gained in the South Pacific. A natural-born tinkerer, Brewer grew weary of the long, fishless hours throwing a baitcaster spooled with black nylon line and a crankbait such as the Heddon River Runt. He figured there had to be a better way to catch bass more consistently when they aren’t active and chasing lures.

Brewer developed a unique leadhead designed to plane in the water, not fall to the bottom like a smooth rock. He also poured his own slender 4-inch ringed worms with an egg sack that tapered to a paddle tail. He cast these worms on short graphite or graphite composite rods with a Tennessee handle for increased sensitivity. He removed the bail from the reels to increase casting distance for his 1/16- to 1/4-ounce leadheads and diminutive worms. He founded the Crazy Head Lure Company in 1970, now known as the Charlie Brewer Slider Company.
The key to Brewer’s system is presentation. The Slider method is designed to find bass suspended in the water column or hanging just above the bottom. Bass in clear-water lakes such as Lake Cumberland, Laurel River Lake and Dale Hollow Lake suspend most of the time during the day, especially in summer and winter. Suspended bass represent one of the toughest bass fishing situations.

The original Crazy Head was a flat-bottomed leadhead that came through the water in a straight line on the retrieve. Brewer later developed other styles of flat-sided heads and bullet shaped ones, but the basic concept remains. The heart of his Slider system is manipulating the speed of the retrieve and the weight of the leadhead until you hit the combination of depth and speed bass want that particular day.

This may require cutting some weight off the Slider head till it weighs just 1/32-ounce or flattening it to slow the rate of fall. Find a likely fish-holding structure, such as a channel point laden with boulders or stumps. Cast parallel to the structure and count to ten. Reel the Slider worm with a rhythmic, but slow cadence and watch your line intently. Keep counting down and reeling slowly until you get a rapid peck or nip from a bluegill, baby bass or crappie. This is the activity zone. Count down a little more on the next cast and you’ll be in bass.

Once you find the depth and speed they want, you can fish similar areas all over the lake and catch fish all day. The Slider worm resembles a minnow more than anything and fish can’t help themselves. It is simple and ingenious. Plus, light to medium-light spinning rods and 6-pound line make 2-pounders feel like trophies. It is simply a fun and relaxing way to catch bass after bass, plus the occasional trophy bluegill, crappie, walleye and even freshwater drum.

Brewer also believed bass anglers do way too much running and gunning instead of fishing. He felt folks should pattern their fish close-by and focus more on technique than covering water. Brewer relates in his touchstone book “Charlie Brewer on Slider Fishing” that some of his best fishing days stemmed from engine trouble that forced him to scour the fishy-looking areas near the ramp. This also saves gas and wear and tear on the big motor.

All you need is a small box or a paper bag with a few colors of Slider worms, some Slider heads, a pair of sidecutter and needlenose pliers and knowledge. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass gobble them up with the same abandon now as they did when Sliders first hit the market 30 years ago.

By Lee McClellan, an award-winning outdoors writer and associate editor of Kentucky Afield magazine.

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Lexington angler Billy Elkins lands a smallmouth bass from central Kentucky's Elkhorn Creek. Fishing for smallmouth bass in Elkhorn Creek and other Kentucky streams should improve in 2009. Photo by Lee McClellan

Frankfort, Ky. – Elkhorn Creek, one of the premier smallmouth streams in Kentucky, produced fantastic smallmouth bass fishing from 1998 to 2002. Anglers could expect to catch a few dozen smallmouth in a day’s fishing. A couple of these fish were usually longer than the 16-inch upper limit of the 12-16 inch protective slot limit in effect for largemouth and smallmouth bass in the creek.

Fishing flattened out on the Elkhorn in 2003 and the downward trend continued through 2006. It isn’t pollution, disease or development that caused this trend. It’s rain.

“When we have really wet years, it impacts the spawn in a negative way,” said Jim Axon, former assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “Drought years are good years for smallmouth spawning on streams.”

Fishing on the Elkhorn flourished from 1998 to 2002 because drought years in the late 1980s and early 1990s encouraged great reproduction of smallmouth bass. The better smallmouth bass breed, the better the future fishing.

The same positive development that created the good fishing is taking shape again. Smallmouth fishing on the creek began to pick up in 2007 and improved again in 2008 until last summer’s drought made the fish lethargic. This coming year should be the best year for fishing on Elkhorn Creek since the 1998 to 2002 boom.

“In our sampling last spring, we saw lots of smallmouth in that 15-17 inch range,” said Jeff Crosby, central fisheries district biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “The fishing on Elkhorn should be good this year.”

Population evaluations of smallmouth bass by fisheries biologists for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife show excellent smallmouth spawns in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994. “Those fish born then are at the top of the slot or above now,” said Gerry Buynak, assistant director of fisheries for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “You need a time lag of 5 years or longer to see the benefits of a good spawn. It takes about 5 years for a smallmouth in the creek to grow to 12 inches.”

The same phenomenon that created the recent good fishing on Elkhorn should occur throughout the state. “The same weather patterns that impacted Elkhorn should have done the same throughout the state,” Buynak said. “It should be a good year for stream smallmouth fishing all over Kentucky.”

In southwestern Kentucky, the Gasper River, Fallen Timber Creek and the Barren River downstream of Barren River Lake offer good smallmouth bass fishing.

The Green River downstream of Green River Lake Dam, the Little Barren River and Russell Creek in south-central Kentucky all have quality smallmouth bass to catch. The South Fork of the Kentucky River, the Big South Fork and the Little South Fork of the Cumberland River, the Redbird River and the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River give southeastern Kentucky anglers overlooked smallmouth bass fishing.
The South Fork and main stem of Licking River, the Little Kentucky River, Slate Creek and Eagle Creek in north-central Kentucky are good places for smallmouth bass. The Levisa, Russell and Tug Forks of Big Sandy River, Kinniconick Creek, Tygarts Creek and the North Fork of Kentucky River grant eastern Kentucky anglers a place to stretch out a light action rod and 6-pound line with a hard-fighting stream smallmouth.

Anglers fishing for smallmouth bass in these streams in the next few weeks need to find the smallmouths’ winter holes. Smallmouth bass migrate in late fall to the deepest holes in the stream that also possess good structure such as boulders, stumps and fallen trees. Target the flowing ends of these holes in March and early April with a purple hair jig, 4-inch pumpkinseed with green flake lizard or 1/8-ounce white spinner bait.

If the water is dingy to muddy, pound any current break in the same areas such as a large rock or log with the white spinner bait. Also try the slack water pockets next to flowing chutes in these areas as well with the spinner bait. Some anglers like the Beetle Spin type lures in this situation.

For a complete list of Kentucky smallmouth bass streams, call 1-800-858-1549 and request a copy of the Stream Smallmouth brochure. You may also access this brochure at Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s website at fw.ky.gov.

—Lee McClellan, KDFWR

Author Lee McClellan is an award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing.

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“You can catch them other places. The Kentucky River has sauger; in fact, we’re continuing to stock above pool 3. The Tennessee River below Kentucky Lake and Cumberland River below Lake Barkley have good numbers of sauger, and some pretty good-size fish, too, I believe. And I would think any of the Ohio’s tributaries should have sauger in them.

“But the Ohio River is our best for sauger.”

To read more, check out Gary Garth’s story at The Courier-Journal by following the link below.

During the spawn, there’s no dam site better than the Ohio River | courier-journal | The Courier-Journal

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The author holds a fish caught in higher-than-usual water.

Standing shin-deep on a gravel bar that I had stood atop, bone dry, only a month earlier, I stared at the currents that whipped across the top of a normally placid pool. My hole was washed out. About that time my buddy popped through a gap in the thicket behind me and stepped out onto the gravel bar. “Mighty high today,” he said. “They should be concentrated.”
He pointed to an eddy no larger than my laptop on the far side of the river and asked whether I had hit it. I shook my head, so he snapped of a cast and placed his plug right against the bank. One crank of the rod handle, and a trout walloped my buddy’s offering. Impressed, I followed suit, and so did a trout that would turn out to be the twin of the one my friend was about to land.
The run that feeds that pool, normally a good spot to pick up a rainbow, was too swift to fish or to wade through, so we crawled back out of the creek to go upstream by land. The next few spots I would normally fish were washed out, but the next one we could get to produced another strike, although I missed the fish.
Winter fronts bring a seemingly endless series of rains and snows to Kentucky, and each causes streams to swell. From January through March, many streams run high, even between weather systems. Following specific fronts, they surge. High water brings both good and bad things to trout fisherman.
At the positive end of the spectrum, high water tends to concentrate trout, and it makes their locations very predictable. When streams push hard, shoreline cuts, midstream boulders and waterfalls create eddy pockets that act like magnets to trout. Large sections of stream that normally provide good habitat, meanwhile, become too swift for the fish.
High water also can make fish more aggressive becase greater depth, stronger currents and often-stained water cause the fish to feel less threatened. Finally, high water surges dislodge food items from the banks and from the bottom, putting trout on the lookout for easy meals.
The bad news is that many fish-holding eddies are easy to recognize but impossible to get a lure to or fish effectively because of current lanes that bound them. Also, winter trout, which already relate o the bottom for most of their food, hold extra tight to the stream bottom when the water pushes hard. Many of he best eddies are formed by sunken boulders or ledges and are not even visible from above the surface. Finally, high water makes many stream stretches unsafe or even impossible to wade. Steep-sided creeks become deep in a hurry, and rock walls or rhododendron often render the bank-fishing approach impossible.
Adjustments begin with up-sizing gear. Whether a fisherman prefers plugs, spinners or jigs, the lures should be able to find bottom, given a heavier water flow. Bigger lures also offer more visibility in water that is sometimes stained and give trout something to home in on.
For anglers who favor natural offerings, the main adjustment may be to simply add more weight to the line. Rod-and-reel combinations and line sizes used also may need to be heavier to contend with larger, heavier offerings and stronger currents.
Fly-fisherman should orient their approach toward the bottom when the water runs high during winter. Weighted nymphs are the norm, and extra lead may be needed. Big flies, like stonefly nymphs, offer good visibility while matching what the trout often dine on this time of year. After a major rain, when the water surges, a San Juan Worm with a split shot above it can reap big rewards. Because big flies and extra weight on the line make fly-casting more difficult, many fishermen who spend a lot of time on the water during winter own heavier outfits that they turn to when their favorite streams rise.
On the water, fishermen must learn to pick their spots and fish them thoroughly. Eddy pockets are obvious. Other areas worth working hard are long, deep runs with boulders along the bottom. Offerings of any kind must be presented right along the bottom and as slowly as possible to draw trout from their hiding places.
When it comes to safe wading on high water, adjustments begin with gear. A wading belt, always a good idea, becomes nearly essential during winter so that waders won’t fill up if an angler does slip. A waterproof wading jacket, worn instead of a vest, adds an extra measure of protection. In larger streams, a life vest is even worth wearing. These days, inflatable vests that don’t really even get in a fisherman’s way are available.
To avoid falling in the first place and make some crossings more manageable, a wading staff also helps dramatically. A staff becomes a third leg for an angler and can also be used to test the depth of a spot.
Maybe the most important adjustment that any angler must make when a stream runs high is in his mindset. Some spots simply cannot be waded safely or fished effectively. Winter streams, along with running swift, turn dangerously cold, and no trout hole is good enough to risk an icy dip in the drink.
—By Jeff Samsel

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Stephen Wrinn hooks into a trout during his first trip on the Cumberland River tailwater.

First published in the Kentucky Fishing Journal August 2002. This essay has also been published in Of Woods and Waters, an anthology by Ron Ellis of stories about the outdoors in Kentucky.

By Stephen Wrinn

Among the many myths that outsiders have come to believe about Kentucky is that it has no outstanding trout fishing. Despite 13,000 miles of rivers and streams, and more navigable waterways than any other state except Alaska, it is still widely believed that only bass, catfish, panfish, and the occasional musky lurk in the Commonwealth’s depths. Until very recently, I too shared this fiction.

This is the story of my enlightenment, and of the knowledge I gained after one trip to the Cumberland River. I now believe that Kentucky is home to a river that ranks as one of the best trout fisheries on the continent, period. Not just in the South, or in the midwest, or west of the Appalachians, or east of the Mississippi. Period. Below the Wolf Creek Dam, the Cumberland is a river that, in both natural beauty and trout population, rivals any I’ve encountered. And I’ve encountered more than my fair share.

In my briefcase, tucked behind a thick file of paperwork labeled “To Do,” I carry a cheap plastic photo album of some of my most memorable fishing trips. I’ve learned that it comes in handy to keep these photos nearby, especially after one of those long, hard, frustrating days at work. You know, the kind of day we try to forget when we’re fishing.

Looking at the album, I’ll see some of the gorgeous brown trout I caught in Scotland, the huge steelheads I landed in New York, and the many rainbows from my home sate of Connecticut. There are the beautiful little native brookies from New Hampshire, the smallmouth bass in Maine, the Northern Pike in Vermont, and, of course, the six-pound golden trout I caught in Pennsylvania as my envious father-in-law looked on, which is now mounted on the wall of my office.

There are a lot of pictures and even more memories. When some unfortunate soul with a casual interest in fishing mentions the topic, I reach for the album and narrate the stories of the many gigantic striped bass I’ve caught off the Rhode Island coast, the countless bluefish in Massachusetts, the flounder in Delaware, the incredible false albacores off the outer banks of North Carolina. I’ve stalked trout in some of the nation’s finest rivers, and, outside of New England. I’ve caught them in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington state. Before my son, Eli, was born 18 months ago, I had caught trout in 18 consecutive months.

Stephen Wrinn and Cumberland River guide Brandon Wade look through some flies for the best choice of the day. The choice, usually? A sow bug, a favorite for Cumberland trout.

While I consider trout my favorite quarry, I’m not one to discriminate against a good tug at the end of my line. Freshwater, saltwater, spinning rods, fly rods, lures, live bait — I’ll do whatever it takes (I wish I was exaggerating) to catch fish, wherever, whenever, however. Have I mentioned the redfish I netted in South Carolina, the tarpon in Florida, or the bonefish in Mexico? Occasionally, on business trips, I’ve been so desperate for a fight that I’ve fished the Hudson River from the shores of Manhattan, and I even caught shad and catfish in the Potomac River in the heart of our nation’s capital. The bumper sticker “Fish tremble when they hear my name” has always held a special resonance for me.

I believe, with the same conviction, that Fox Mulder pursues the “truth,” that the fish are out there, and my philosophy is that any species of fish I haven’t yet caught is one I’d like to feel tugging at the end of my line. I don’t even eat fish and will release any that my wife doesn’t care to consume. At last count, I had caught fish in 22 states and 4 countries — and man, those red snappers in St. Lucia fought like tigers!

Kentucky was definitely not on the list of places where I’d caught fish. In fact, the Commonwealth never even ranked as a fishing destination for me.

When word arrived that I was a finalist for a job in Lexington, I did what any devoted fisherman would do. I immediately went online, accessed Google, and typed, “fishing…Kentucky.” It came as no surprise that the majority of hits discussed the Bluegrass State’s many lakes, and the bass and panfish opportunities they offered. I wasn’t disappointed by what I learned, because some of my best fishing memories come from the four years I lived a few hours north of the Bluegrass. I enjoyed some tremendous farm pond and lake fishing in central Ohio, and, trout or no trot, slamming a hungry largemouth bass on a surface lure is always a great thrill. Within two weeks of moving to Kentucky, I went bass fishing early one morning in a pretty Sadieville farm pond. It was a positively gorgeous setting, and I caught some nice bass, but I assumed that my trout fishing days were over. To my delight, I was approached to write this article, and my education in Kentucky trout fishing was about to begin.

My guide, Brandon Wade, met me at my apartment at 4:30 a.m. sharp. Even without the benefit of caffeine, he was clearly as excited as I was to get on the water and catch some fish. We briefly discussed the large amount of trout we would undoubtedly slam that day. I always evaluate guides not only by their skill, knowledge, and safety, but also by their enthusiasm for their profession. I knew instantly that Brandon shared my passion for fishing in equal measure.

Our photographer for the trip, Drew Sturgill, arrived. He looked groggy but was alert and already outfitted with a mug of coffee. We made our introductions and drove approximately 85 miles south to Russell County. As the sun rose over the hills, I imagine Civil War soldiers encamped on the mist-shrouded fields. The countryside was as inspiring and lovely as any I had encountered, but my mind was focused on catching that first Kentucky trout.

To whip myself up into an even greater frenzy, I blasted an energetic live version of “Cumberland Blues” by the Grateful Dead, though I was confident that I would be far from blue when the day was over. After a quick McDonald’s breakfast in Russell Springs, we drove through the historic ghost town of Creelsboro (I thought the name of the town was a good harbinger) and dropped our boat in the water approximately six miles below Wolf Creek Dam. Brandon, Drew, and I I would spend the day on a 15-foot drift boat constructed by Brandon himself, and simply put, the boat is a work of art.

I had no excuses. The conditions were ideal for fishing. There was no wind, and it was warm and sunny with occasional cloud cover. My guide grew up fishing on the banks of the Cumberland and knew the river intimately. I also had Brandon’s assurance that a 70-fish day wasn’t out of the question. Even before setting foot on the boat, I observed several trout rising to a caddis hatch and watched longingly as a nearby angler landed a sizable rainbow. At 50 degrees, where it remains nearly year round, the temperature was definitely in the trout zone. Most importantly, the height of the river, which is controlled by the dam, was at an optimal level. Brandon tied on a prince nymph trailed by a caddis pupa, and we set off.

The night before our trip, I had read Tailwater Trout in the South by Jimmy Jacobs, which described the many state-record trout caught in the Cumblerland. At first, the river wasn’t at all what I had envisioned, and it certainly didn’t resemble most of the blue-ribbon trout rivers I’d fished in the past. The section where we entered was slow and wide, more of a pond than a river, with dead logs and other structure. The current was almost imperceptible. I remember thinking that it might yield more smallmouth than trout. Of course, it was at precisely that moment that I missed my first hit. Before an hour had passed, the river’s complexion had changed to resemble a textbook trout stream complete with riffles, rapids, and deep pools. By the end of the day, I concluded that the Cumberland is diverse enough to satisfy the tastes of any trout angler.

A word of caution to those anglers unaccustomed, as I was, to drift boats. Although they offer fly fishermen distinct advantages over wading, such as covering more water with less casting, fishing from a drift boat nonetheless requires adaptation. One must overcome the instinct to continually cast, false cast, and cast again as if working a specific, well-defined section of a stream. Remember, it’s not called a cast boat. In addition to my unfamiliarity with the drift boat (I know what you’re thinking and you’re right, it is a lame excuse) it took me a while to understand that Cumberland trout took our nymphs with extreme delicacy (yes, that’s even more lame). The slightest twitch of the yarn strike-indicator signaled a hungry trout, and I’m ashamed to say how many I missed before I finally hooked up.

After nearly a dozen misses, I began to worry that Brandon would classify me as a Yankee mutant who couldn’t catch a fish in an aquarium. At one point I suggested that we throw Drew overboard because the presence of a photographer was definitely messing with my mojo. I should mention here that patience is another of my favorite characteristics in a guide. Every time I missed a strike, sometimes with unintended comical choreography, Brandon would just smile, tell a funny joke, and put me on top of more fish. His confidence in Cumberland’s potential was reassuring.

Though we enjoyed perfect weather conditions, I was surprised by the dearth of fishermen on either boats or the banks. During our nearly 10 hours on the water, we saw just a dozen other boats and even fewer anglers on the shore — an average crowd on this section of the river, according to Brandon. In my defense, others we talked to complained of it being a slow day. I was just beginning to smell a skunk, when I watched a large trout dart from the shadows under a tree to inhale my beadhead copper john. This time I managed to set the hook, and believe me, it was a particularly satisfying fight. After a few minutes of solid resistance and some acrobatics, Brandon netted a 17-inch brown trout. It was one of the loveliest brown trout I had ever observed, its coloration spectacular, resemling a bar of gold. I wondered if it had been introduced to the river as a fingerling, as are thousands of other browns annually. I posed for a photograph, gave the fish a kiss, thanked him for his company, and returned him to Cumblerland. Th extreme beauty and serenity of the river was almost distracting (this is my last excuse, I swear), and it was worth the trip just to see the numerous birds, trees, limestone cliffs, caves, and arches. We shared a lot of laughs and stories in our pursuit of trout that day, not to mention a gourmet lunch on a secluded bank. As it often does, our perseverance paid off. Shortly after landing the brown, I hooked into a spunky rainbow at the tail end of a long pool. These areas where the current begins to accelerate before entering a shallow riffle section had been most productive for us and the other anglers I had watched. My fly was a sow bug, which are abundant in the Cumberland and a fovorite food source for trout. This 15-inch rainbow fought with the determination of a much larger fish and made five impressive runs. I posed with him and released him. As we approached our take-out point, I began fishing with streamers and managed to land another rainbow. Though it was not my fortune to catch one that day, I could easily understand why the Cumberland has produced so many of Kentucky’s trout records. It’s just that good.

….

Exhausted, jubilant, and satisfied, I spent the evening at the Cumberland Lodge in Russell Springs reveling in the trout I had aught and the new friends I had made. To those fishermen who, like me, particularly enjoy a cold beer or seven after a hard day of fishing, be warned that Russell County is dry. But as the friendly manager at the inn said, “If Abe Lincoln didn’t need it, why should you?” I slept extremely well that night knowing that Lexington is in such close proximity to a world class trout fishery. Although the house we just purchased is in desperate need of a new roof, I’m thinking a canoe would be a much wiser investment at this point. Stay tuned for my wife’s reaction. But come hell or high water, or both, I’m going to have me a 70-fish day on the majestic Cumberland.

Stephen M. Wrinn arrived in the Commonwealth in April 2002 and is director of the University Press of Kentucky. You can read this essay and many others in Of Woods and Waters, an anthology of stories about the outdoors in Kentucky.

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