Lessons On the Cumberland River

True Story

I am a member of the Queen City Anglers Guild, Inc.. It is a fraternal fishing Club started in 1975. I was inducted into the organization in 2018 (6 years ago), 43 years after it was established. Members have a wide range of professional backgrounds but share a common passion for fishing.

One of the responsibilities of members is to coordinate fishing excursions. Roughly 20 fishing adventures are scheduled annually in locations such as Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, Henry’s Fork in Idaho, Green River in Utah, Lake Erie in Ohio, and the Whitewater River in Indiana to name a few. These trips provide an opportunity for camaraderie and the chance to pursue catching a variety of species.

One of the things I love most about the QCAG is the opportunity to fly fish with senior members. It allows me to get coaching on improving my casting skills and listen to amazing stories about their personal experiences. Life-earned wisdom is always a welcome gift when you can get it, but there is something very special about the unvarnished wisdom shared when “slapping the water” with a more experienced angler.

One of the first trips I went on as a new member was a float on the Cumberland River Tailwater in Kentucky. It was a trip that came with a few important lessons.

The Cumberland River starts below Lake Cumberland and is known as a premier trout fishing destination. The water has produced a state-record 21-pound brown trout and a record 14-pound, 6-ounce rainbow trout. The river is also home to walleye, sauger, and oversized striped bass. The river is heavily stocked with trout and the water stays cool for 75 miles downstream from Wolf Creek Dam.

One of the QCAG members (John) owns a home near the river and hosts an annual outing for 6 to 8 anglers. He hires experienced fishing guides and we float the river in drift boats. The trip I went on was in the Fall. The leaves were starting to turn and the air had a bite that foreshadowed the coming of Winter.

We got to John’s place late in the evening and bunked down to be ready for an early morning meet-up with our guides. I had packed for the weather forecast to be in the 60-degree range during the day. When we woke in the morning, there was a heavy frost and the temperature was below freezing.

Not to be dismayed, I dressed in the warmest clothes I brought and hoped for the best. Surely the temperatures would rise with the sun.

For this trip, I packed my Orvis Clearwater 5 wt rod and Battenkill fly reel. This was the rod/reel combination my wife bought me when I retired and decided to pursue fly fishing as a sport. She even had the rod personalized with my name. To this day, it is one of my favorite rods even though it no longer gets the amount of use it did early in my fly fishing journey. Every time I have that rod in my hand, I am reminded of my wife’s encouragement to take time and enjoy life.

When we arrived riverside, I was paired with Bob Goering our most senior member on the trip. Bob was an early member of the QCAG, is a highly successful lawyer, and has three generations of his family in the Club. Bob has forgotten more about fly fishing than I will ever learn. I couldn’t have asked for a better pairing.

Before the trip, I was counseled that the bow is an angler's preferred position in a drift boat. I hear it is because trout will see a fly presented from the bow before a fly presented from the stern. Now I have fished for a few years, I don’t buy the argument. A good Guide will position the boat so both anglers have the opportunity for a good drift. I think the advantage the bow offers is fewer obstructions for a right-handed caster. In the stern you are casting over the boat, and often over the Guide’s head. It can be a little more challenging, particularly as you tire.

Armed with the advice, I immediately offered Bob the bow position which he accepted without hesitation. We rigged our rods and I tied on a Wooley Bugger fly to start with. As we were getting into the boat Bob decided to share that he only had one boat rule when fishing with a partner. (particularly for an inexperienced angler). “Stay the hell out of my casting lane!”

There is a big difference between Wade fishing a river and fishing it from a drift boat. Both your perspective and frame of reference are skewed. When wading, you are stationary, the fish are stationary and the water is moving. From a drift boat, the fish are still stationary, but both you and the water are moving. It takes some experience to hit a spot with your cast. You need to be mindful to cast downstream and ahead of the boat. This can be challenging to remember and often you will make a nice cast to a current seam only to find the boat has drifted too far past the target and your fly is being dragged.

I had experience with Wade fishing, but not much with fishing from a drift boat. However, I read an article written by casting instructor Joe Mahler originally titled “No Fly Zone” and published in Fly Fishing Magazine. Joe defines the No Fly Zone as the area between you and your fishing partner, including the Guide. Bob was making it clear to me that he understood the concept of the No-Fly Zone and wanted to make certain I also understood it before we started. Essentially, you have a 45-degree zone within which you can comfortably cast without hitting either the Guide or your partner in the head with your fly. Joe has several other casts like a backhand delivery, cross-body, and off-shoulder tilt that can help ensure you don’t run into problems.

With lesson #1 out of the way, our Guide got us onto the water for a productive day of fishing.

The sun had yet to rise very high and the air temperature remained brisk. I was good until the wind started to pick up, and I began to shiver. I had to place my hands under my armpits between casts to get my fingers thawed. Bob noticed my dilemma. He was dressed like a Sherpa and I enviously noticed he even had a bead of sweat on his forehead.

“Hey rookie, having fun yet?”, he asked. The Guide did his best not to chuckle out loud. I think he didn’t want to jeopardize his tip.

“Getting by Bob,” I responded. He followed up with, “Didn’t I see you wearing wool pajamas last night?” “Yes sir, I was warm last night,” I said. And with the wisdom you only get from experiencing life, Bob gave me Lesson #2. “Wear them under your fishing clothes tomorrow!” Such a simple solution to my problem and yet without Bob suggesting it I am confident I would have never come up with it.

Bob and I had a good day on the water. As the sun rose, the temperatures followed. My chattering stopped and my casting improved. In mid-afternoon, I was fishing a Copper John nymph with a scud dropper under an indicator when a freight train hit and my rod bent almost in half. I knew I had hooked into a big trout, probably bigger than my relatively light rig could be expected to handle. My biggest fear was I didn’t have the experience to play the trout without having it break my tippet.

The Guide did an amazing job keeping the drift boat in position so it didn’t interfere with the fight. But Bob walked me through every move from his bow position. He was as excited for me as I was nervous. We landed that rainbow and to this date, it remains one of the biggest trout I have caught. I know I wouldn’t have succeeded without Bob’s coaching.

After we took the obligatory picture, Bob gave me an unexpected compliment. “Good job rookie,” he said, “Good job!”

Now, I was both a collegiate athlete and a successful business executive. But, I honestly can’t recall a compliment from a coach or professional colleague that felt as good as the compliment I got from Bob Goering that day. It may sound like a minor thing, but to me, it meant the world. It was the day I felt like a fully accepted member of the QCAG.

For the record, I did wear my pajamas under my fishing clothes the next day, and was much warmer. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the opportunity to fish with Bob on that second day. But, as we came off the water he asked me if the pajamas had helped. I told Bob they were a big help, but a big problem as well. “What was the problem?” he asked. “The pajamas made me sleepy the entire day,” I told him. We laughed together at that stupid joke, but I knew going forward, whenever I got a chance to fish with Bob I take it. The good news is we have slapped the water together again several times and each has been equally enjoyable.