New Hot Fishing Spots
Scratch your angling itch for something different this year with new fishing opportunities for bass, trout, and blue catfish.
Kentucky’s newest place to fish is 784-acre Cedar Creek Lake in Lincoln County, located off U.S. 150 between Stanford and Crab Orchard. Cedar Creek, designed from the ground up to be a fishing lake, began filling 2-1/2 years ago. It features massive amounts of cover for fish and benefits from a major fish-stocking program.
The lake now harbors a good population of largemouth bass ranging from 10 to 14 inches. New regulations set a 20-inch size limit for largemouth bass, meaning Cedar Creek will grow into Kentucky’s only designated trophy bass lake.
There’s something new for trout anglers, too. Big Bone Creek in Big Bone Lick State Park will receive its first stocking of rainbow trout this year. This Boone County stream will receive 1,000 trout in April and another 1,000 trout in May. This stream has more than two miles of public access for anglers.
Russell Fork River in Pike County will also receive its first trout stocking this spring. Trout will be stocked at two sites in April, May, and October. This includes three miles of river stretching from a boat-launching area near the state line to a take-out spot near Elkhorn City. The river, a whitewater mecca in October, is easier to navigate by raft or canoe during the lower flows of late spring. Some sections may require portaging.
For the past few years, biologists have stocked blue catfish in a handful of central and northern Kentucky lakes. Blue catfish normally live in big rivers rather than small lakes. The experiment is a test to see if this variety of catfish can adapt and provide good fishing opportunities in lakes.
Anglers can decide for themselves whether the experiment is successful by visiting Reformatory Lake in Oldham County, Boltz Lake and Bullock Pen Lake in Grant County, A.J. Jolly Lake in Campbell County, or Taylorsville Lake in Nelson, Spencer, and Anderson counties. Biologists report blue catfish in these lakes now weigh 5-10 pounds.
If you’ve got the itch for something new and different this year, give these fishing opportunities a try.
INSIDER’S TIP
Kentucky’s new hunting and fishing license year begins March 1. Many retail stores sell licenses in the sporting goods section. You also can buy your license over the Internet at www.fw.ky.gov, or by calling (877) 598-2401.
