It is pitch dark, but the lights from Lake Cumberland State Resort Park cast a faint glow on the obscure shoreline lying no more than 50 feet distant.
        A gentle breeze easing out of a westerly direction creates enough chop on the surface of the lake to cause wavelets to slap the side of the aluminum-constructed boat with a steady motion.
         The rocking of the watercraft is almost enough to provide action for the 1/8 ounce jigs that wave their white bucktail hackle a good 40 feet below.
         The small jigs looked cumbersome earlier as my fishing partner and I tied the lures to 14 pound test line under the lights of the marina. The reason for  their somewhat awkward appearance was the six inch plastic grubs that Charley Taylor of Somerset, Kentucky, had handed us a few hours before.
        "The boys down on this end of the lake have been having a lot of luck using the all white and the pearl with blue back finish, " he mentioned. passing us a couple of simple packs.
Charley, a long time fishing guide on Lake Cumberland and several other lakes found in the upper South, started making fishing lures a few years ago when he couldn't find the kind of lure he feels is best for this region of the U.S.
         When stripers were first introduced to the 5000 acre reservoir hack in the late 1960's, he began immediately to experiment with different types of lures and lure dressings to find something that would work for this new species on his home lake.
         The big grubs are one of the items that he now markets for the striper fishing crowd across the upper South. We learned from other fishermen at the marina that evening that Taylor's line of lures he calls "T's" do, indeed, help in the fish-catching department.
        Now, as the time approached midnight, we had lowered the jig and grub combos to a deep shelf we'd found on a point not far from the busy lodge area of the park.
        The dog day heat of mid August hadn't cooled much,  but a waft of warm air blowing across the lake was enough to make the night a desirable time to be out on the impoundment. ''At least we don t have to worry too much about bugs.''  my buddy commented as we lifted and lowered the deep-working lures with a mechanical up and down movement.
         About an half hour passed,  then 45 minutes, without the slightest hint of a bite. As a matter of fact, not even anything we could call a bump had occurred. ''You think those fish are still here ?'' my partner managed to ask at almost the same instant
his rod jerked downward with a vengeance.
         "Whup!"  The sound of surprise came in grunted distortion as he lifted back hard, driving the needle sharp hook of the small jig home.
         The fight was in the classic style of the rock fish-powerful runs that pulled line from the reel with screaming protest.  Once. Twice.  A half dozen times the fish sounded in an attempt to find safety in the depths of the reservoir.
         Luckily for my angling companion,  the strong-running fish decided to carry it's fight to open water,  rather than toward the bank,  where before darkness had fallen we had seen evidence of a large cedar tree a crappie fisherman had sunk on the point in about 20 feet of water.
         In ten minutes it was all over in the illumination  of the distant light we were able to take a good  look at the gleaming-sided fish which would have registered 20 pounds-plus on a scales.
 The exact weight wouldn't be learned on this night,  however, because my fishing partner and I had enough fillets in the freezer to last us a while, and long ago we'd given up taking fish home for others.  "Don't make good sense to take good fish out of a lake you want to continue fishing and give it to someone who will probably dump it into a trash can because they don't want to clean it," was the reasoning my partner used as he slipped the hook free from the rock's massive jaws.
          We watched it for a second to see if it had been injured in its struggle to escape, but in a flash the broad tailfin waved a goodbye as the fish quickly disappeared beneath the choppy dark water.
          It didn't take us long to discover that stripers can be caught from the large lakes of the upper South even during the hottest conditions of late summer -  a time normally referred to by outdoorsmen as "dog days".
          To say we'd worked out details of the successful attempt to hook a good fish in the middle of a Kentucky August would be somewhat mis-leading.  As a matter of fact, we had been carefully following the instructions of one of the most successful striper guides on Lake Cumberland.
          If the very first angler who supported the introduction of striped bass to the big, south-central Kentucky flood control lake were asked to stand up, it would probably be 37-year-old Charley Cuffy of Somerset, Kentucky.  A biology teacher for part of the year, Charley has been guiding anglers on successful Lake Cumberland fishing forays for the past several years.
          Born and raised on the banks of the reservoir, Charley learned of the exciting rock fish transplants that were bringing the big fish from the Santee-Cooper complex in South Carolina in the late 1960's. To the young man who enjoyed nothing better than going after came fish in Lake Cumberland, the stocking of stripers was exciting news.
Early on, he researched the fish, using his background in biology to dig into the ways and habits of this former saltwater swimmer. He figured that the rock fish, if it did well in the deep, clear flood control impoundment, would become a much valued addition to the sport fishing scene in the big reservoir in years to come.
          He was one of the first local fishermen to defend the addition of the species to the lake when other anglers were blaming the rock fish for the decline of bass and crappie fishing that occurred on the lake during a five-year period in the late 1970's when water levels in the reservoir were drawn to drastic lows because of a crack in the dam.
          As it turned out, his defense of the species was correct.   Once the water level returned to normal on Lake Cumberland, black bass and panfish angling was better than it had been in many years, according to several anglers who fish the lake regularly for bass and crappie.
          Because of his high interest in rock fish, Guffy was one of the first successful striper fishermen on the lake. In the past several years, he has leaned much about the species' behavior in many lakes across the U.S.
          That's why my fishing partner and I had spent considerable hours fishing and talking with the noted guide before we ever ventured out on a rock fish angling trip on our own.
          We learned that during the heat of August and most of September and into early October, Guffy will be going the night shift route for stripers. The dark of the moon is a favorite time, because he is totally convinced that rocks are extremely light sensitive. On nights when there is a big moon shining on the surface, look for Guffy's boat back in the dark, shaded coves away from the moonlight.   Plain and simple, he doesn't like any kind of light for night fishing, be it natural or artificial.
          Chances are good that he'll be working a deep drop-off or sunken ledge in water ranging from 30 to 50 feet.  Points are also favorite targets for the well-respected guide, as are deep-flooded mud flats.
          If he has a daylight fishing client, he'll be on the water before daybreak, taking advantage of the low light of dawning. The same applies to the twilight of the early evening.  The tactics will be the same  working small jigs (1/8-1/2 oz.) and grubs vertically on the points, down by steep drops and across deep mud flats.   At this time of the year, the depth he fishes depends on the thermocline level.  It's a good idea, he says, to keep the bait or lure working in the top edge of the thermocline layer when possible. (Thermocline levels are determined by long experience, or with the use of a graph or temperature probe.)
          To locate the thermocline with a graph, turn the sensitivity up as high as possible and look for a layer of tiny dots extending on a constant level across the screen. These dots represent the thermocline.  Anglers who don't have a graph can find the thermocline by dropping a temperature probe into the water, watching for the level when there is a definitive drop in the mercury.  The rule is that in summer the water below the thermocline is cooler than the upper layer; in winter, the water below it is warmer.
        Trolling techniques are growing in popularity among dog day striper fishermen more and more each year. Whether it's done with sophisticated down-riggers or the old standard long-lines, the method can be effective during early morning and late afternoon  hours when the sun is low, or for the most of the day when it's raining or there's a heavy cloud overcast.
          Depths ranging from 30 to 40 feet have produced the best for Guffy down through the years. As with casting or vertical jigging, his targets are the end of steep points in the main lake and across sunken flats. His best catch has come when there is a good chop on the surface.
The following are Guffy's observations for fishing during the dog days:

                       Bright sunshiny days are poor for stripers during the dog days unless the angler is fishing with live bait.

                       The best fishing success usually comes when the weather has been calm and stable for several days.
                        Poorer  fishing generally occurs when there has been a fast moving front.

                        Large shad (8 - 12 inches) are the best bait to use for stripers during the dog days.  Large bluegill
                        are the second best.

                        Live bait should be freeline fished with or without a sinker. A free spooling casting or spinning reel
                        is helpful for this type of fishing.

                        Most dog day stripers are caught from the deep areas of the main lake.  That's why Guffy
                        recommends 14 -17 pound test lines such as clear Trilene XT or Big Game.  (In winter, he prefers
                        clear Stren line.)

          To date, Guffy's largest striper is a 45 pounder he caught in Lake Cumberland in August by trolling.  Last year's best fish  for the popular guide was a 43 pounder he boated at 10 a.m. on Aug 11.  Again,  he was trolling when this big fish hit a Big Mac  crankbait.
          Although he admits to being partial to Lake Cumberland because of his extensive knowledge of the lake and striper behavior there, he believes that Tennessee's Norris Lake runs a close second for giving up big stripers during the heat of late summer and early autumn.
          For additional information concerning tactics for dog day stripers or additional information about Lake Cumberland, phone Guffy at (606) 678-5928.  He's usually on the lake,  so just keep trying.
 
 

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