There are big cats & stripers at the cumberland plant, but fishing is limited to bank anglers. No boats are allowed in the discharge are from the catwalk to the mouth. I know some guys catch bait just outside the mouth then motor downstream and soak cut bait for some monster blues.
As far as stripers, i've done much better on artificials (search this forum for my posts on cumberland city from last year). The super-abundant bait, as bd mentions in the past threads, makes fishing tough. I saw a solid line of threadfin lining the bank, about 4' wide, and saw numerous large schools of gizzards along with super active skippies EVERYWHERE. Stripers are hard to catch when all they have to do to feed is swim with their mouths open and their eyes closed, but i got lucky enough to keep me going back...my lure must have hit 'em in the face.
I'll be going this saturday afternoon. If you'd like to meet up, let me know. Jigheads and plastic bodies, from 3"-5" in white, pink, & chartreuse ranging from 1/4 - 1 oz work for stripers. Avg size is 3-7 lbs, but a few 20+ lb fish show up yearly. I use a 7 1/2' med-heavy spinning rod with 20 lb fireline and can cover almost the entire channel from one spot...saves a lot of time and wasted energy since i don't have to move much. Standard gear for whites, skippies, sauger, and crappie.
Chris