Heading to the steam plant

[Dizzy]

Im going to be heading to the steam plant in cumberland city for skipjack tomorrow for the first time and I was wondering if there was any good spots to throw out.. An what works best down there.. Im be going to try some rooster tails and and grubs.. But if there is something better I should try to make my trip more successful then I would be greatful..

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by Dizzy

Im going to be heading to the steam plant in cumberland city for skipjack tomorrow for the first time and I was wondering if there was any good spots to throw out.. An what works best down there.. Im be going to try some rooster tails and and grubs.. But if there is something better I should try to make my trip more successful then I would be greatful..

Use a trout magnet with a split shot or a sabiki rig at bass pro.

[Travis C.]

We use speed minnows. I don't remember what brand they were but Bass Pro bought them and market under their names now.

The smaller sizes are what we use. Trout nail them too both in smaller through the large size.

[Travis C.]

Here is what we catch on them below Dale Hollow as far as skippies go.

They will tear the back trebles off so bring better hooks or more lures.

[Dizzy]

thanks for that. I will be going out to get some of those in the morning before I head out. Thanks again

[Jim]

We catch skippies by the hundreds at Gallatin Steam Plant almost everytime we go. Two crappie size jigs with either white or chartreuse grubs on them work very well. The weight of the jigs should be adjusted for the casting conditions. 1/16 to 1/4 seem to cover most situations. Skipjack can turn on and off on a color so if they are not hitting try the other color. White is best 80% of the time. I tie the jigs on to a 12lb leader so they don't break off lifting two at once into the boat.

The other rig is a sabiki rig. These work well but are a pain to deal with the five hooks. So I usually use the jigs first and then the sabiki if I have to. The other thing is the sabiki flies are usually smaller than the twister tails so it can be good or bad depended on the size of the bait the skipjack are feeding on. Sabiki rigs usually catch some smaller fish so if you need smaller bait it is better. The big ones will still hit them.

The biggest key is speed. Reel fast and erratic. Skipjack love speed. Use more weight if you need it to go deeper, but slowing down usually slows the bite. That said, you can catch some on anything at times. If you get a hit, keep reeling as they will usually come back and hit it two or three more times.

I have never fished the Cumberland Stream Plant, but this sure works at the Gallatin Stream Plant.

Good luck,
Jim

[Dizzy]

thanks jim, I will give that a try too.. an I will get down to the gallatin steam plant soon.. Never been to that one neither.

[Jim]

oh one other thing, I use the same jigs to catch stripe and crappie. Just slow down and work it closer to the bottom. Once you find skipjack, stripe, or crappie, just repeat the similar cast over and over until they stop biting. Sometime that will be all day

How is the Cumberland steamplant for striper fishing.I have never heard any reports of what they catch there the most.Is it better for catfish,bass or stripers?Is it on the river or lake?Would that be Dale Hollow?You would think that with all the bait and skippies around the hot water discharge that big cats or stripers would be there feeding also.I would put out a live or cut skipjack and let it soak while you catch bait and see what happens.You may find that instead of catching bait for another day you should be fishing for the big ones.I have never fished that steamplant so I dont know how good it is but you would think that big fish are eating all that bait.I have always caught big cats around moving water and bait.If thats how it is there I bet there are big blues and flatheads roaming around looking for a easy meal.

[Dizzy]

Had the a damn good fishing day.. Caught 56 skipjack.. They are bitting like crazy at the steam plant.. That for all the advice everyone gave me.. Strippers werent hitting today but a great day of fish.. Lost some big somes to the snapping my 20 lb test..

[Dizzy]

Had the a damn good fishing day.. Caught 56 skipjack.. They are bitting like crazy at the steam plant.. That for all the advice everyone gave me.. Strippers werent hitting today but a great day of fish.. Lost some big somes to the snapping my 20 lb test..

[Travis C.]

I can't speak of stripers but really big blues swim down there. As far as bass the absolute biggest I have personally ever seen in the water was downstream from Cumberland City. The fish came out after my uncles crankbait and buckled his knees when it did not eat. I have no way of guessing the size other than I have fished Lake Seminole, Table Rock and Lake Fork catching nice fish in all but that fish was still bigger.

I would even venture it is like the Nashville stretch and doesn't get a bunch of fishing pressure.

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by Dizzy

Had the a damn good fishing day.. Caught 56 skipjack.. They are bitting like crazy at the steam plant.. That for all the advice everyone gave me.. Strippers werent hitting today but a great day of fish.. Lost some big somes to the snapping my 20 lb test..

Rock on Dizzy!

Glad you got out and had a great day. Hopefully no trouble finding it.

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by Dizzy

Strippers werent hitting today but a great day of fish

Maybe your weren't using the right bait

[txnative]

There are big cats & stripers at the cumberland plant, but fishing is limited to bank anglers. No boats are allowed in the discharge are from the catwalk to the mouth. I know some guys catch bait just outside the mouth then motor downstream and soak cut bait for some monster blues.

As far as stripers, i've done much better on artificials (search this forum for my posts on cumberland city from last year). The super-abundant bait, as bd mentions in the past threads, makes fishing tough. I saw a solid line of threadfin lining the bank, about 4' wide, and saw numerous large schools of gizzards along with super active skippies EVERYWHERE. Stripers are hard to catch when all they have to do to feed is swim with their mouths open and their eyes closed, but i got lucky enough to keep me going back...my lure must have hit 'em in the face.

I'll be going this saturday afternoon. If you'd like to meet up, let me know. Jigheads and plastic bodies, from 3"-5" in white, pink, & chartreuse ranging from 1/4 - 1 oz work for stripers. Avg size is 3-7 lbs, but a few 20+ lb fish show up yearly. I use a 7 1/2' med-heavy spinning rod with 20 lb fireline and can cover almost the entire channel from one spot...saves a lot of time and wasted energy since i don't have to move much. Standard gear for whites, skippies, sauger, and crappie.



Chris