Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife officials say the striped bass population in Lake Cumberland is improving, according to a new report.
In years past, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife usually stocked 300,000 striped bass each year, with an increased stocking of 500,000 fish every third year. Department staff decided to increase the numbers of its striped bass stocking program after adverse weather conditions in 2018 and 2019 scaled back those year classes.
Earlier this year state wildlife officials had a surplus and stocked 600,000 striped bass in Lake Cumberland and will stock 500,000 striped bass per year for the foreseeable future. A striped bass stocked in 2022 could reach Lake Cumberland’s legal limit of 22 inches by the fall of 2024.
Striped bass stockings in 2018 were normal but that year was affected when Lake Cumberland reached its record pool of 756.52 feet above sea level on Feb. 26, 2019. The record pool also coincided with some hatchery issues and, as a result, Lake Cumberland only received 132,000 striped bass in 2019, less than half its normal stocking.