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Southern and Eastern Kentucky ‘Shine’Bountiful Beauty and Plentiful Fish!By Naomi K. ShapiroWhen you think of Kentucky, do you think of The Kentucky Derby? Kentucky Blue Grass? Kentucky Fried Chicken? The Kentucky Colonels? Loretta Lynn? Me, too. And that’s all true! But when you think of Kentucky, do you think of... fishing? Well, it turns out that Kentucky has some of the best fishing (stripers, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, muskies, walleye, trout, panfish, etc.), some of the nicest bodies of water, and some the nicest people that you can find anywhere in the entire USA!!! So, after that introduction, drum roll please... and let's hit the wonderful Kentucky waters for some ‘reel-good fishin’!! **Day One -- Green River Lake
The next morning, Sharyn, my assigned fishing partner, and I fish Green River Lake with local, Mike Gumm, as our guide. This 8,210-acre body of water provides varied outdoor recreation opportunities, including crappie, bass, and muskie fishing. Green River Lake State Park is located along the shore. Towns in the area are Campbellsville, Columbia and Morgantown. Green River Lake is deep -- well over 100 feet and, 101 miles long, with 1,250 miles of shoreline, surrounded by sandstone and limestone bluffs. The water was an amphibious, pea-green, sort of like camouflage colors, but then I realized that’s how it got its name -- Green Lake. Mike, a retired teacher, had a really warm, fun personality and told great stories. We knew we had a winner, when, first-off, Mike said, ‘I like to troll because then I can eat all day.’ He also said, ‘I didn’t bring my teeth today so I could concentrate on the fishing.’ He also told us about the time he ‘got bit by a musky and bled like a stuck hog.’ Several times, the loudest thing on the lake was the sound of us laughing and talking and having a wonderful time. The birds were chirping as we headed out to TROLL, Mike’s choice of fishing style. Those in other boats did a lot of baitcasting, and, while they caught fish, were not nearly as successful as we were. Mike said Green River Lake is ‘the best lake for catching a 40-inch musky on the continent -- and quicker, too', he grinned. He said his own biggest muskie was 42 inches. Mike paints his own lures, too, and he was just plain fun -- and funny. We were fishing by 7:00 am, trolling lines out the back, both on the surface, and at depths to 32 feet, and moving at 2 to 3 miles per hour. At 7:03 am -- WHOCKO!!! A largemouth hit the line nearest me, and I hauled it in. First fish of the trip -- for anyone -- and it was big! 23 inches, 5.7 pounds.... Mike thought it was a Kentucky bass, which would make it even more special. It wasn’t a Kentucky bass, but I was pretty happy. And then the action continued for all of us in the boat (we took turns): Bass again -- crappie -- bass -- MUSKY!! -- bass --WALLEYE! Hey, it was great. Lots of photos. Laughs. Stories. And we released EVERYTHING. That night, we jabbered like magpies at dinner, at the Lure Lodge buffet at the Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, with panoramic views of Lake Cumberland as the backdrop. We overnighted at the Lakepointe Motel & Cabins in nearby Russell Springs, Kentucky. **Day Two -- Lake Cumberland (going for ‘stripers’), or, ‘It’s your lie, honey, and you can tell it any way you want!’
Lake Cumberland is noted for its steep dropping walls and bluffs. A favorite for houseboating, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, and General Burnside State Park are located along the shore. Towns in the area include Albany, Burnside, Jamestown, Russell Springs and Somerset. Lake Cumberland is one big lake!! And we were fortunate to be with local guide, Les Frizzell, who puts in a big, and extremely comfortable boat (21 foot Starcraft with a center console) and a 130 hp motor. Earlier, one of the guides had said that the fishing on Lake Cumberland is the best it’s been in 100 years! We headed for ‘The Humpy Hole,’ as the local guides call it, about 8 miles from the Indian Hills Resort & Alligator II Marina, where we started out just before sunrise. The water was deep. We trolled lines in 112 feet of water, paralleling the sheer wall of layered-rock next to us. For bait, the Guides go out and net shad in the wee hours before they meet their fishing parties. It was 7:00 am. The water temp was 65 degrees, and ‘Whomp.’ The line next to me bent with the first striper of the day -- at a depth of 28 feet. I shoved the pole into my gut and started cranking. Stripers fight hard -- this one turned out to be 29 inches long and weighed 10 pounds. I smile (you know -- real toothy grin). This is the second day in a row that I got the first fish. Whomp! -- Whomp! -- the stripers kept coming, and all of us in the boat took turns reeling them in and releasing them. Not everyone was as lucky as we were, as we could hear from some of the reports and comments coming over the marine radio. Then the wind came up, the water got choppy and began to toss our boat around, so, after we pulled in another striper, we headed for a sheltered side of the lake to continue our fishing. Les said 350,000 fingerlings are stocked in Lake Cumberland every year, and they grow to 24 inches in 3 to 4 years. Although most of his clients come from Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia, I’m sure that many more will come from all over the world when they hear about the fishing bonanza in southern and eastern Kentucky! About 3 hours into our fishing, Sharyn, who was again assigned to the same boat with me, asked Les about the size of a striper she caught earlier. None of us remembered it, especially Les, who made us laugh when he said: ‘Honey, it’s your lie, so you can tell it any way you like.’ Before we finished fishing for the day, we had another howl. Sharyn and Deborah were sitting on the huge bait tank toward the front end of the boat, when Les innocently asked, ‘Would one of you please unzip my front?’ Say what? ‘Would one of you please unzip my front?’ Les was referring to the protective plastic sheeting around the console, but we purposely misunderstood, and made him think twice about what he had just said -- and then we all have a good laugh about it. Les works with Bates Guide Service (‘Specializing in Trophy Striper Fishing’), 219 M. Tucker Rd., Russell Springs, KY 42642; 270-866-6717. Fees are about $225 per 8-hour day for 1 person, and $50 for each additional person. When we get to shore, we find that the biggest striper of the day, caught by one of the guys in our group on another boat, was 33 pounds. A nice striper -- and he will have it mounted. **Day Three --Lake Cumberland’s other end (again, for stripers) After overnighting in cozy accommodations in the cliffy hillside of Grider Hill Dock, near Albany, Kentucky -- where we had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with long-time family owner, Mr. Tony Sloan -- Alan Jones from Boating World Magazine and I were assigned to fish with Eddie Tallent, out of the Grider Hill Dock Lodge & Marina at the other end of Lake Cumberland. Eddie is a special ed teacher as well as fishing guide, and son of guide, Miller Tallent, both Lake Cumberland experts. Eddie drives a Rinker with a walk-through windshield, and a 350 Mercruiser motor, which he and his wife use for personal recreation as well as for guiding. And the fishing was just as good as the day before. Only this time, we’re on a different side of huge Lake Cumberland. As we head out just before dawn, we were greeted by a pink sky, which began to turn yellow as the sun rose. Gorgeous! The shoreline at this end of Lake Cumberland is rocky shale, and we start out near Beaver and Otter Creeks. The stripers are hitting again -- but this time the method is different. We beach the boat at two different places, not far from the Grider Hill Docks, and set the lines out into the water from the back of the boat. One place is not quite as deep as the other. Both produce. Whomp! -- Whomp! -- Whomp! The stripers hit all morning. They’re a bit smaller than the first day, but lots and lots of fun. After losing my first two fish, and also losing a little bit of confidence, Alan and I land a number of stripers, mostly in the 7 to 8 pound range. Biggest one is about 15 pounds. Not shabby!! Guide fee for a 5 hour trip is $100 per person, two person minimum; $75 for the third person, and $50 for the fourth person. You’ll find them at Tallent Guide Service (‘Service With Tallent’), 606-387-5069; 606-387-0890. Most everybody uses 20 to 25 pound test line for the stripers. And, for those of you who might have wondered why all of the boats are big and powerful, just think of the distances and weather conditions you encounter on a lake that’s 100 miles long! Are we having fun, or what? I love Kentucky. And from the way we’re catching fish, Kentucky loves us, too! We come in tired, but happy, and plop down to dinner, still jabbering like magpies (a BIT quieter, because we’re tired) about this wonderful Kentucky experience. Driving to our next stop, the Holly Bay Marina on Laurel River Lake, we pass beautiful rolling hills, and see cows grazing on adjacent hillsides. After we turn off of the main highway, we drive down tree-lined roads that cross several bridges spanning a variety of creeks and rivers. We overnight on houseboats at the Holly Bay Marina near London, Kentucky. After dark, we drop lines off the back of our houseboat -- it’s 80 feet deep here! The bait of choice is whole-kernel corn, and we’re advised to fish about 28 feet down. I catch a couple of trout and a huge bluegill, Alan pulls in a huge carp, but everyone is mad at me (or jealous?) again. **Day Four -- Laurel River Lake; or... Is This a Rocket Ship or a Bass Boat? This day we head out of the Holly Bay Marina on Laurel River Lake. Towns in the area are Corbin and London. Forested hills and scenic bluffs surround this 20-mile long, 6,000-acre lake in the Daniel Boone National Forest. My guide is Bill Cook, a CPA from nearby London, Kentucky. In his spare time, Bill makes high-end, exclusive, custom rods for a variety of fishing applications. I’m impressed by Bill’s 19 1/2 foot Hydrasport bass boat with a 220 horsepower Evinrude fuel-injected Ficht. I should have known I was in for a heckuva ride when he asked, ‘do you want goggles?’ Before I could answer, he hit the throttle. Whonk! I’m shoved back into my seat with enough G-Force to launch the space shuttle, and off we go. I’m literally pinned-back into my seat. I can’t even move my head or lift my arms to get a pen and pad to record my impressions. My mind conjures up commercials from bass boat manufacturers on TV fishing shows. Oh heck, I don’t THINK we hit 80! We shot through the mists on the water, which rose before us in wispy columns in the early dawn, like ethereal apparitions spiralling homeward after a long night on the water. When the sun came out, I see that we’re surrounded by woods with a few dogwood trees still in bloom. A dark, water bird walks along the shore and then slips quietly into the water. Very idyllic. I hear a cow mooing in the distance. I also hear the woodpeckers searching for breakfast with their ‘ratt-a-tatt-tatt’ on the trees. Laurel River Lake is very clean, very clear, very beautiful, and, like the others, very deep, with outcrops that remind me of the Canadian Shield. Even though this area wasn’t glaciated, huge rocks jumbled here and there along the shore must have been deposited by some mammoth forces of nature. The lake boasts several different fish species, including largemouth and Kentucky bass, with some real good winter walleye fishing. I ask Bill why they fish for walleye in the winter -- and, for anglers who live in the north country like me, please note that winter to us is MUCH different than winter in Kentucky. He answers, ‘They’re easier to catch because they’re spawning (in winter, yet -- albeit Kentucky winter) -- and very active.’ The walleye will go to 14 pounds, with many in the 1 to 7 pound range. The water temp was 69 degrees, and the air temp was in the mid 40s. Bill had me cast into a shallow, woody bar in the middle of the river, and also toward shore, but I fall short of my targets most of the day and end up with a sore arm. Bill (who has just finished tax season), and I, have a pleasant discussion about reducing stress by heading for the river and finding a peace and calm you don’t get anywhere else. During the course of the day, Bill caught a few largemouths, but I didn’t catch a thing. My travel companions will be happy to hear that I hit a brick wall today. It was a grand experience, and Laurel River Lake is one of the most beautiful we’ve been on during this trip. Once ashore, we head northeast, in the direction of West Virginia, where the terrain becomes steeper, and the hills and scenery fade away in cuts between the steep hills. We also see a couple of coal mining set-ups along the way. We overnight at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park (SRP), located deep in the heart of the Appalachians, near Prestonsburg, Kentucky.
Jenny Wiley State Resort Park is accented by 1,100-acre Dewey Lake, which runs right past the deck (yes, a room with a deck) of my lodge room. The Resort Park boasts an extensive variety of activities, including Broadway shows in the Theatre, hiking and nature trails, golfing amid mountain vistas, boating, fishing, swimming in the lodge’s Olympic-sized community pool, and much more.
**Day Five -- Paintsville Lake (bass); Hollers, Sloughs, Stick-ups and Grass
Paintsville Lake winds through steep hills and gorges of Eastern Kentucky, offering cliffs, wooded coves, and beautiful outcrops, with waters providing 1,140-acres of boating, skiing, and fishing pleasure. Mountain Home Place and Paintsville Lake State Park are located here. The day starts cold and windy, but improves. My guide is P.D. Kincheloe, a 26-year old property value administrator (assessor) for the Johnson County Property Valuation Office, who is studying business at nearby Morehead State University. A very lovely young man (they all are!) and a wonderful fisherman and guide. P.D. says there are some 8 to 9 pounders in Paintsville lake, with the record somewhere around 10 pounds. I’ll talk about the fishing in a moment, but first, there are some special terms to explain: A ‘holler,’ is a ‘hollow,’ which, P.D. explains, is a branch of a river that dead ends. ‘Stick-ups’ are ‘deadheads’ -- stumps/logs/limbs sticking up above the water line, a favorite bass hideout. When the guides speak of ‘grass’, they are referring to ‘weeds’. P.D. and I fish along the shores and stick-ups of a ‘holler’, and we toss into some small ‘sloughs’ along the way, which are short fingers that dwindle off of the main holler. Many of the hollers have names, and P.D. says his ‘good luck holler,’ on Paintsville Lake is the Osborne Branch holler. P.D. and I cast crankbaits -- mine has a white skirt. P.D.’s is chartreuse. He also tosses a white fluke from time-to-time, and it produces, too. P.D. tells me to toss into a group of stick-ups. I do as he says, and a bass jumps onto my hook right off the bat. I get my lure tangled in the deadheads often, and so does P.D., but he finesses the boat through the deadheads like a magician. During the day I caught a few largemouths, and one small (very small) Kentucky bass, something special in Kentucky. P.D. hooks a nice fish, a 3 1/2 pound largemouth, which measures 17 1/2 inches. The water of Paintsville Lake is clear in most places, a cross between an aquamarine and turquoise. Others tell me there are waterfalls at the north end of the lake. No homes. No people. Like the other lakes we’ve been on. Wonderful. And nice. And then, almost like waking from a nice dream, our wonderful week of fishing had to end. I must say that Kentucky is one great place to visit, fish, enjoy, and to return to again. Very soon. * For more information about all the areas described, contact the Southern & Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association (SEKTDA), toll-free: 877-TOUR-SEKY; www.tourseky.com Naomi K. Shapiro says, ‘I never met a fish I didn’t like.’ She’s a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA), specializing in travel, the outdoors, and fishing. She lives and works from a home, on a lake, in the middle of the Chequamegon National Forest in northern Wisconsin, and goes fishing every chance she gets. ABOUT KENTUCKYEastern Kentucky, dominated by the Cumberland Mountains, which are part of the Appalachians and their foothills; and Southern Kentucky, with rolling farmland surrounding the Cumberland and Green Rivers, both boast extensive recreational opportunities including canoeing, kayaking, rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, houseboating, and fishing. Those who came through the Cumberland Gap many years ago to settle Kentucky must have been as awestruck as we were when we saw the beauty and bounty of the area. Kentucky is one beautiful state -- deciduous forests (the fall colors must be absolutely spectacular), wildflowers, green and full grass, immaculate and perfectly-maintained highways and byways (most roads have offshoots and forks which allow you to explore to your heart’s content). And, lots of water! Birds galore chirp and sing like a chorus from a Mozart opera. No congestion of people or facilities. RV parks, farms, soft breezes. Outcroppings and rock formations that remind me of the Canadian Shield. Clean water -- rivers and lakes. And lots of ‘quiet,’ but with full services and facilities at hand. In addition to Kentucky’s 33 historical, recreational, and scenic State Parks, the State offers a unique system of State Resort Parks (emphasis is on the word ‘Resort’), 17 of them, each individual and unique, located in outstanding scenic, recreational locations, each with lodges, detached cottages, cabins, and campgrounds, served by full service restaurants and other amenities -- with fully modern, comfortable accommodations, and absolutely first-class food. Rates for staying at the Kentucky resort parks are extremely modest. The Kentucky Resort Parks themselves can be your destination, or simply serve as great places to stop for a day or two on your way to somewhere else. The state employees who staff these facilities are first-class, both in service and demeanor. The people of Kentucky are genuinely warm, hospitable, and soft spoken. During the time we were there, I never heard an unkind word -- and not only because we were visitors -- it’s the way people treat each other. When I asked a local why everyone seems so decent and genuine, he said he believed it was because of faith, strong family values, teaching, leading by example, sense of community, and tradition. Blows me away. I wish everyone lived that philosophy. You’ll love the people. No phony plastic faces. No half-hearted handshakes. You get honest answers, and a real appreciation that you came to Kentucky to see what it has to offer. And there’s plenty to see and do! Costs are modest. And that goes for anything from accommodations to food to a guide, equipment purchase, or rental. No half-smile, and the ‘heh, heh, here comes the tourista,’ look, or prices. The food? Wonderful. The local ‘cuisine’ is authentic, and absolutely first-class in quality and quantity. For instance, the State Resort Parks, open year-round, offer all-you-can-eat buffets for all meals, with evening buffets ‘to die for,’ at just ten dollars per person. And they offer Kentucky specialties, like biscuits and gravy, hush puppies, corn fritters, warm banana cream desserts, pecan pies, and the like, in addition to basics like chicken, beef, pastas, lasagnas, salad bars, etc. From what I could tell, many parts of Kentucky are alcohol-free, even though the great bourbon produced in Kentucky is enjoyed all over the world. Kentucky is also proud of its resurgent and growing wine industry. And there is still (now, now, wouldn’t want anyone to break the law -- ‘wink/wink’) ‘moonshine’ -- under the right circumstances -- and, although that ‘art’, too, is dying with the older generation, and, while I don’t even drink, I just put a drop on my tongue to taste it, and can tell you it is a special experience. I also learned how to tell whether ‘shine; is good: You dip your finger into it, light it, and if it lights blue, it’s good. Or, you’re supposed to shake the Mason jar, and, if the contents are bubbly, it’s good. Speaking of liquids, Kentucky’s Lakes and rivers, mostly dammed impoundments, are clean, huge, and deep. The lakes were developed and continue to be maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers and various Kentucky State agencies. And each offers unique scenic, recreational, and fishing opportunities. By design, there’s no development along these lakes or rivers. All you see are forests, rocks, birds, critters, and clean water(s). Sunrises and sunsets are something out of a National Geographic special. There is ample access to the various lakes and rivers, as well as marinas, and houseboats (houseboating is a huge industry in and of itself in Kentucky, from which you can fish, travel and relax for days at a time); but there is no huge development of fastfooderies, souvenir shops, and guys in red sports coats trying to sell you something. Fishing? Fabulous. You name it, and Kentucky will probably provide it: Huge striped bass (‘stripers’ as they’re called -- a saltwater fish that thrived in Kentucky waters -- and they fight like an aggressive northern), walleye, musky, crappie, sunfish (big!), trout, small and largemouth bass, and a special sub-species of largemouth called a ‘Kentucky bass,’ which has a raspy, bumpy area on the interior of its lower mouth. And, yes, you can get huge carp and ‘cats’ if that’s your thing. Hundreds of thousands of different fish-types are stocked and replanted YEARLY in the various waters of Kentucky, which means liberal limits, and excellent fishing year-round. There are slot sizes, and number limits, and seasons, but you’re going catch fish, and there’s a good chance you could limit out consistently. * For more information about all the areas described, contact the Southern & Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association (SEKTDA), toll-free: 877-TOUR-SEKY; www.tourseky.com |
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After flying to Lexington from Minneapolis (via
Detroit), we drove to our first night’s lodgings at The Emerald Isle Resort
& Marina near Campbellsville, Kentucky.
One of the top scenic and fishing lakes in the country,
Lake Cumberland is the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi,
extending more than 100 miles, with more than 60,000-acres of water and
1,225 miles of shoreline. 
Jenny Wiley SRP is a
mountain resort named for a brave pioneer woman, Jenny Wiley, who was taken
captive by Indians in 1789, and, after enduring extreme hardship,
family losses, and sorrow, made her way back to her home area, and became a
Kentucky folk legend.
At our excellent dinner buffet in Jenny Wiley Resort
Park that evening, the others seem satisfied that the ‘Fish Goddess’ got
skunked that morning.
In the early morning, we drive to Paintsville Lake
State Park near Paintsville, 17 miles northwest of Jenny Wiley State Resort
Park, for some fishing.