Cumberland River Trout Fishing Report

Rainbow, brown, and brook trout numbers are increasing in number and size in the Cumberland River below Lake Cumberland, making the river Bluegrass State’s top destination for a spring fishing trip according to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Rainbow and brown trout in the Cumberland River didn’t fair well during the drawdown of Lake Cumberland to repair Wolf Creek Dam when releases of cold water slowed to a trickle in summer. However, the world class trout fishery has begun a great comeback with the return of normal water levels in Lake Cumberland and the consequent higher flow into the river.
“We have more 12- to 15-inch rainbows in the Cumberland River than we have since 2007,” said Dave Dreves, fisheries research biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. The brown trout in the Cumberland are also doing much better and this fishery should improve markedly in the future. “We have many 11- to 12-inch brown trout in the river right now and a good chunk of 13 to 15 inchers,” Dreves explained. “There will be some good fishing over the next few years for these species.”
The brook trout stockings in the Cumberland River that began in 2011 with 11,000 fish are an unqualified success with two new state record fish caught last year. As brook trout grow and prosper in the Cumberland River, this state record will likely fall again multiple times over the next several years.
A printable version of the 2015 Kentucky Fishing Forecast is available on the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ webpage at fw.ky.gov.

this article was written by Don Kirk



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