Lake Cumberland

Boating on Lake Cumberland is like no other lake in the country.  On a crisp fall day like today traffic is scarce with the exception of a few fishermen.  When I am on the lake I feel like I have walked back in time to what the natives must have felt like looking at the hills of Kentucky melding with the foothills of the Tennessee smokies.   This is the only place that I get quiet.  I don’t turn the stereo on in my boat and cellular phone service is so sporadic I do myself a favor and leave it at the cabin.   It is so rare for me not be connected I have to go through a brief period of panicked withdrawal before I can appreciate the quiet still.    

This is the time of year that the skiffs and wooden boats dominate the lake.   It is rather nostalgic, the quiet still of the lake, nothign but forest and a few wild goats in view, and wooden boats that have passed the test of time.   Everytime I encounter one of the wooden wonders I  am intrigued and perhaps a little envious.   I have decided I am interested in stopping the envy by becoming an owner myself.  My next few posts are going to be lists that I have compiled through my research about wooden boats and boat kits.  I have been pretty amazed out how much is out there if you really look.  I will try to review the list quarterly and make sure it continues to be up to date.

Fall on Lake Cumberland is amazing.  The skiers and tubers are gone and a ride in a boat on the lake feels like the natives must have felt on the cumberland river.  Most of the lake is framed with 300+ ft cliffs, almost no visible homes just trees changing color, wild goats and a few dear.   The entire state has been flooded the past three days and the waterfall on parts of the lake are amazing.   This is by far my favorite time on the lake.  Of course there are a few fisherman/women but they are quiet and feel like they belong.  I love to fish myself but this time of year to just ride and sit still, taking it all in with no purpose except for  taking it in is my favorite time of year.   I am amazed that this is the least visited time on the lake I get very few calls for cabin rentals  personally I am happy to not rent, it helps me justify using the place myself.  

I bought a place on Lake Cumberland last year near Conley Bottom Marina. I was a river rat as a kid and really missed the water. I have an absolute blast discovering the lake, boating and fishing for strippers and bass. There isnt much out there that really tells about the area. I did find http://www.lakecumberlandvacationrentals.com and there is a fair amount of information but not a ton. I bought a boat and purchased boat insurance. Two weeks later I watched a little girl die in a boating accident because a family member was pulling too fast with too long of a rope in a cove. A great family having a fun holiday on the lake ended in disaster.  The family like myself were not terribly experienced boaters. and they had no idea what was about to happen as their laughter echoed in the cove quickly converted to screams of terror and for help. We were the only boat that went to help and quite frankly we had no idea how to pull their boat or get her onto our boat without hurting her. The rope pulling the tube had locked their propreller up. We tried calling 911 (reception is terrible on the lake) only to learn there really is no one to come get you on a lake that large in an emergency. We had to find a way to try to get the little girl  to the marina where helicopters were waiting. Obviously we did many things wrong and I have relived that day daily in my mind as I am sure her family has as well. That is in large part why I am here. I could have been pulling a tube in the identical way and probably would have. There was no way without having experience to know what was coming. I then tried to get info about the proper way to pull a tuber on the lake and there is just so little out there. They let me buy a boat and start driving, pulling folks and anything else I wanted without taking a single safety class. I dont even know where there are safety classes. I questioned getting much boat insurance prior this accident until I was interviewed by the coast guard and realized the liability you face even if you know who is behind your boat. Boating is a lot of fun but it is also very dangerous. I will be posting more information in my next post about how to pull a tuber safely. Also about the differences in boat insurance. and jet ski insurance. . I will post about prime stripper and bass spots on Lake Cumberland and general stuff to do while you are there.