Fishing Report For Lake Cumberland, KY
By Rick Seaman
May 9, 2025
Fishing Reports
Popular Fish Species Lake Cumberland, KY
Largemouth Bass
Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good
As Winter comes to a close, and Spring is in the air, bass are getting active in shallow water. Throughout winter, and continuing now, jerkbaits have been catching some nice bass just outside spawning areas. A wide variety of other lures are also catching nice largemouth bass, including vibrating jigs, stick worms, rigged wacky style, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. We are at the early stages of the topwater season, as the lake temperatures are hovering around the mid 50's. Largemouth are either holding just outside the coves and pockets where they will spawn, or making their way back into these areas.
Black Crappie - White Crappie
Current Report: Very Good
Outlook: Very Good
Crappie fishing has been good in Lake Cumberland for many years, and this year is off to a great start. Spring is the prime time to be on the water as crappie move into shallow coves to spawn, and they are doing so all over the lake. The Wolf Creek area is reported to be one of the better areas for nice crappie. Expect to find crappie in 3 to 8 feet of water. Brush piles, wood and deep vegetation are holding crappie, and are a good place to cast small crappie jigs or live minnows. Once the spawn is over, and the hot Summer sun warms the shallows, crappie retreat to depths of 10 to 15 feet, or deeper. Light tackle with 4 lb to 8 lb line is ideal. Once they move out of the shallows, anglers are reporting good success using fish finders and forward facing sonar to locate crappie.
Striped Bass
Current Report: Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good
Stripers feed on shad and blueback herring, so they tend to follow them around the lake here. Currently the stripers are thinking about spawning, so they are moving up the Cumberland River, and to some extent the other feeder creeks. They are being taken shallow on virtually anything that looks like baitfish. After the spawn, they will move to deeper, cooler water, and tend to feed shallow only early and late in the day. Being successful at fishing for stripers is a matter of locating schools of bait, and wolf packs of stripers are likely to be nearby. Fish finders are a big help in locating these roaming schools. Swimbaits, jerkbaits, crankbaits, spoons, live bait and cut bait are all effective here.
Fishing Video
Fish species to fish for...
Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, channel catfish, black crappie, white crappie, walleye, bluegill, white bass and striped bass at Lake Cumberland in Kentucky.
Lake Cumberland is a 63,000-acre lake with 1,250 miles of shoreline. It is a haven for big stripers, bass, catfish, crappie, walleye, bluegill and white bass. There are more than 50 boat launch ramps, and access to the shoreline for fishing from the bank.
Primary fish species to catch
Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.
Today's Weather & Forecast
Fishing Boat Rentals
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Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings
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Marinas
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Fishing License
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Map - Fishing & Access
Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".
Contact Information
Lake Cumberland
Lake Cumberland State Dock
6365 State Park Rd
Jamestown, KY 42629
270 343-6000
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050925
Lake Cumberland, Kentucky Report
KENTUCKY
Information about fishing lakes in Kentucky
Lake Cumberland, in south-central KY offers anglers the chance to fish for big stripers as well as bass, catfish, crappie, walleye, bluegill and white bass.
