The tailwater is fishable throughout its 75 miles flowing through Kentucky with fish throughout this long stretch. There are five landings on the river to launch your boat. At mile 5 is Helms Landing where you can fish just below and downstream of the dam. Winfreys Ferry Landing is at mile 16, state Route 61 at mile 40, Cloyds Landing at 53, and McMillans Ferry (closest to the state line with Tennessee) is at mile 69. Float tubes, wading and bank-fishing are all allowed, but most fishermen will use a boat to access the river.

During the hot summer months, the temperatures farther downstream may rise and be close to levels that are not comfortable for trout. The coldest water and the portions with the most consistent highly dissolved oxygen content will be found closest to the dam.

Rainbow trout are stocked at eight sites in the Cumberland tailwater. Most of these fish are stocked just below Wolf Creek Dam, according to what the 2007 creel survey revealed. Even though good fishing can be found throughout the tailwater, the best catch rates and consequently the most fishing pressure will be the first few miles below the dam.

Fishing guide Chris Scalley has been fishing the Cumberland since 1999. It's teeming with fish, Scalley reports; he's seen a dramatic increase in quality fish over the past three years. Scalley guides anglers on the river every year and observes that his clients catch their limit on every trip.

It's a classic southern tailwater, Scalley notes. The fish feed year-'round and the water has the same temperature, much different from the freestone streams. He also notes that the KDFWR has managed to satisfy both demands of anglers, the trophy fishermen and the hook-and-cook crowd.

Some anglers fish the Cumberland hoping to catch a limit of fish, so they can take some home for a tasty trout dinner. For those, the five fish per person limit is in place so these folks can enjoy a trout dinner or two. But at a limit of five, instead of eight or 10, there is a cap on the total number of trout that will be removed from the river.

Those fishermen who are seeking the power and drama of battling a fat trophy rainbow or brown are also catered to on the Cranberry River. The slot limit protects the age- and size-class of fish that have been able to survive long enough to reach a respectable size. A few fish will continue to grow and survive to the elite trophy status of 20-plus inches. For those targeting the thrill of a true trophy, those fish inhabit the Cumberland in reasonable numbers.

Scalley has noted two major staple foods for trout in the Cumberland. Sow bugs and black fly larvae are available year 'round to hungry rainbows and browns. Sow bugs can be mimicked with Orvis lightning bugs and Kauffman's Scud nymphs. Using either of these flies will draw strikes the entire year since the trout are accustomed to seeing and feeding on them 12 months a year.

Black flies have a four-stage life cycle: egg, larvae, pupae and adult, and they hatch repeatedly throughout the year. Because they reproduce frequently, usually several times per year, some stage of black flies is always available to fish in the river. Black flies are imitated with black or brown zebra midge flies. These flies and nymphs can be used throughout the year with good results on the Cumberland also.