fishing and river reports

july 9, 2023

summer summer summer…..not exactly my favorite time of year for a number of reasons, but the fishing ain’t one of them. no better place to be on a summer day than the cumberland river. unless you got an inch of rain the night before, in which case you may have better options. unfortunately that has happened to us here on the river twice in the last couple of weeks (the first occurence included an F-1 tornado, blocked boat ramps, and downed power lines). the river seems a bit temperamental in this regard, and is subject to blow out with heavy rains. typically, the river will clear, at least enough to fish, after the next generation cycle, barring further runoff. we’ve dodged a lot of bullets here lately in the river valley, but not all of them. fishing has been good to great, depending on the day. cloudy and rainy (but not too much!) seems best. water is clear and at a good fishable level. long leaders important right now. a little bit of stealth not a bad idea. plenty of bugs around so pick your poison. a good drift should catch some fish in most places. good numbers in the upper river right now. seeing some bigger fish in the lower stretches. have seen a couple flying ant hatches recently. big #12-#14 cinnamon flying ants. have also seen some smaller #16-#18 cinnamons in the mornings. fish are looking for them, so worth a try if you see lots of risers. great visibility in the river right now. blessing and a curse, but a whole lot of fun to fish! put on the polarized glasses and enjoy the show!

here are a few helpful generalities to keep in mind. river level and generation schedule can make or break your day. fishing is generally good until the water reaches a certain level in the afternoon. at some point (3+ generators at plateau), the river level becomes too high and swift and the fish tend to spread out and become difficult to find. usually best to get out early and take advantage of the morning and early afternoon. those are typically the best fishing times. location and drift more important than fly selection! in bigger water don’t get caught fishing too far into the main channel. most fish will be concentrated near structure and along seams near the bank, particularly areas with rocky depth changes. as the river level drops, they will move to slots and pockets out in the river. any number of different beadhead nymphs will do just fine. most of the standard generic trout patterns will work at one time or another. even though the river is big, the fish eat small. #1 mistake most new anglers to the river make is fishing flies that are too large. the fish on the cumberland, even the big ones, make a living eating midges, blackfly larva, and tiny sowbugs and scuds. give them what they want and they will find it!

please practice and encourage catch and release fishing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! be courteous and respectful to your fellow anglers. we are all in this together!