Cumberland Lake's tailwaters now contain a near 50-50 population of rainbow and brown trout. Photo by Kurt Finlayson

By Norm Minch

When fishery biologists with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) decided to get in the business of providing trout-fishing opportunities many moons ago, they did so with a vision of trying to develop as many different types of fishing experiences as possible.

The people in charge of overseeing the trout program today continue to use that approach, and have greatly expanded opportunities to catch trout in Commonwealth reservoirs, smaller lakes, streams and tailwaters. They've established fisheries for rainbow, brook and brown trout, and trout fishermen have particularly welcomed the development of the latter in recent years.

Fishery resource managers, as well as fishermen, view trout anglers as a slightly different breed than those who fish for more widely available species like bass and crappie. Whatever species we prefer to fish for often dictates the kinds of settings and preferences we'd like to be available.

Trout anglers may be the group who desires the broadest range of experiences. For example, crappie and striped bass fishermen aren't generally too interested in bolstering fishing in small streams and creeks. The majority of largemouth anglers are much more concerned about good lake fishing only with the use of a high-powered boat. Not many pursue bass from the bank.

Trout fishermen are just as likely to fish from shore, wade-fish or use a boat to catch their favorite species. Trout fishing is a diverse sport to say the least, and the KDFWR has worked hard to provide all the types of fishing opportunities that trout anglers like.

Brown trout fisheries have been established in some 10 streams and three tailwaters. Let's take a look at some of the best opportunities for browns in Kentucky, so you'll be up to speed for whatever type of trout fishing experience you're planning this spring.

"We wanted to develop a supplemental fishery to the rainbow population, and the Cumberland tailwater has the ideal habitat for brown trout to do well," said biologist Jim Axon. Axon oversees the trout program for the KDFWR, and was recently named the Fishery Biologist of the Year by Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Using various management approaches, such as stocking volume adjustments and experimenting with different sized fish, the result of the effort to get a high-quality brown trout fishery going in the Cumberland River has fared very well. And the state has been quite protective of what is now a trophy-level fishery, going to a 20-inch minimum size limit on browns in 1997.

"We should about be reaching the plateau in terms of the numbers of bigger browns in the population," said Axon, "and anglers have really benefited by catching some exceptionally nice fish the last several years."

Nice fish, indeed! Using the state's trophy fish records as an indicator, as well as what biologists have been seeing in their electroshocking studies, the quality of the fishery is highly impressive by any standard. Trophy browns recorded last year from the Cumberland tailwater included a 4-pounder taken by Chris Grimes of Hodgenville, a 7-pounder nabbed by Kenneth Davis of Burkesville last May, and an 8-pounder reported by Gary Glenn of Jackson - all over 23 inches long. In 2002, records show a huge 15 1/2-pounder was coaxed in by Floyd Graham of Bowling Green, along with nine other trophy-class browns. Fish of this caliber are still available, without a doubt.

Axon says now the ratio of browns to rainbows in the Cumberland tailwater is about 50-50, which is what the agency wanted to achieve. Many more rainbows are stocked than browns (60,000 a year), but more rainbows are harvested annually due to a legal higher daily creel limit. There is also no minimum size limit on rainbows. The 20-inch, one-fish daily limit on browns reduces harvest and promotes more carry-over, and now the balance between the species is nearly equal.

"Judging by the surveys we've done lately, I think many anglers, and not just trout anglers, have become aware of the potential of this stretch of the river.

"Since 1995, the fishing pressure has tripled and the harvest doubled, and that doesn't happen unless really good things are going on and anglers are catching fish," the biologist noted.

All the water from Wolf Creek Dam to the Tennessee state line is considered fishable for brown trout, but the deeper pools and spots with more shoreline cover are more to the brown's liking. There is pretty good access at various intervals down the 75-mile corridor, including both boat and walk-in. Boat ramps are available at the dam, Helm's Landing, Winfrey's Ferry and Burkesville among others. You can walk in at the junction of Little Indian Creek, the Rock House near Creelsboro and farther downriver near Crocus Creek at Bakerton.

Fish are about 8 inches long when released. But brown trout grow quickly, and by the second year, most will be up to the 12-inch minimum size limit for browns. According to angler reports, fish up to 18 or 19 inches are caught with some regularity, which biologist Axon says is good for a stream like Chimney Top. The logic that larger waterways would tend to produce bigger trout does apply, he says, at least for brown trout.

Chimney Top provides a wade-fishing opportunity, and is one of several suitable trout streams in the Red River Gorge area. To some degree by design, it is not the most easily accessible stream, and takes about a half-mile hike to get to from the Koomer Ridge Campground vicinity. There are, however, about 3.5 miles of good fishing waters, and sometimes fish can be found in feeder creeks such as the Right Fork of Chimney Top Creek.

"You'll generally want to look for the heavier cover and pool areas, and I would suggest choosing overcast conditions and times when the water should be murky for better action," said Axon.

"Catching browns is a little tougher than rainbows, and this kind of fishing is a challenge even for experienced anglers. This type of fishing is different from our put-and-take opportunities with rainbows, where we announce the stocking date so people can be there when they go in, stand right where they hit the water and jerk them out pretty quickly," Axon cautions.

"We publish the month each waterway is scheduled for a release, but not the day and time. You're going to have to work a little harder for this species, but you'll be more likely to take a higher quality fish and have less competition while you're trying it," he said.

Interestingly, Axon says that some natural reproduction has been documented in Chimney Top, which is unusual for brown trout in all but the best of trout streams. With what appears to be pretty suitable habitat, the agency has increased the stocking volume, which may translate into more fishing opportunity than in past years.