Cumberland River Fishing Report 6-9-20
Mid morning on the Cumberland
Hello there everyone. Yeah, its been a while since my last report and I apologize. To be honest with you, it’s been months since there's been anything worthwhile to report regarding fly fishing on the Cumberland river. The old girl started rolling late last fall and didn't calm her flows much at all until just a few days ago.
Most of you are aware that last fall during late November, major portions of Kentucky started receiving rounds of precipitation which in effect caused lake and river levels to rise to heights not conducive to fishing. These precipitation events continued until only about three weeks ago. This is the third year in a row that Southeastern tailwaters have experienced high flows for an extended time periods in the fall and well into spring. However, conditions on the Cumberland river have changed rapidly. Generation schedules for Wolf Creek Dam have quickly lined out and that means that fly fishing is kicking off with a flurry.
Last year was very busy with guiding, but also busy with lots of time dedicated to studying for (2) professional certifications. It all paid off and I obtained both certifications. It was challenging and mentally draining, but worth it. Thank you for those of you that offered encouragement and support. Juggling family life, work, lack of sleep, and guiding was tough, but I’m proof that it’s never too late to learn.
Like most of you, I’ve been managing my time lately with working from home, tying flies and spending time with my family. It’s impossible to not spend tons of time with the family since COVID-19 arrived. I’ve watched more TV than I would like to admit. One of my favorites is HGTV “Off the Grid On the Beach”. I also enjoyed lots of YouTube channels with one of my favorites being “JeffHK”. This channel gives a different perspective how life beats on a large cargo/container ship.
I noticed last fall that I was spending way too much time on social media and decided to take a big break for about the past 5 months. I was amazed at how much time I was spending looking at my phone. One evening my wife, two daughters and I were sitting in the living room and we all had our phones out ignoring each other. That was the wake-up call for me. Sorry if I might have missed a milestone or special event that was posted on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. I’m easing back into checking social media a little more frequently and will be doing better about posting Cumberland river fishy stuff.
The coronavirus has changed the way the world operates and it’s going to be changing the way that I guide. So far, this year has been weird with booking trips. I had several early cancellations due to anglers concerned about COVID-19. Then, I had many bookings from anglers ready to get out and fish with little concern regarding the virus. I am offering guide trips for both one and two anglers. Gear will be sanitized after every guide trip and I’ll take every precaution to be safe and healthy.
As generation schedules ease allowing use of ramps on the river, be sure to watch out for slick layers of mud covering ramps. The turn at the Winfrey’s Ferry ramp can be particularly irritable until the ramp is cleaned up a bit. For a while, I was thinking that the spring rains might not ever end, but the rains have slackened and now it’s time to fish.
Here’s to a great season in 2020!
If you want to catch trout on the Cumberland, please reach out to me via cell, text, e-mail, Facebook, etc.
Be careful, stay safe, and fish hard!
Greg