No Title 2365
Supplement to “The Lure of Family Fishing”
FISHING IN NEIGHBORHOODS (FINS) LAKES
FISHING IN NEIGHBORHOODS (FINS) LAKES
By Amy Cobb
Kentucky lakes participating in Fishing in Neighborhoods (FINS) are listed below by county. For more information on the FINS program or location of lakes contact Dane Balsman, Urban Fisheries biologist with KDFWR, by e-mail at dane.balsman@ky.gov, call (800) 858-1549, or go online to www.fw.ky.gov.
Anderson County Community Park Lake—Anderson
Southgate Lake—Campbell
Stein Community Park Lake—Campbell
Jack C Fisher Park Lake—Daviess
Yellow Creek Lake—Daviess
Panther Creek Park Lake—Daviess
Lower Sportsman’s Lake—Franklin
Upper Sportsman’s Lake—Franklin
Lake Pollywog—Grant
Kingdom Come State Park Lake—Harlan
Cherokee Park Lake—Jefferson
Fisherman’s Park Lakes—Jefferson
Miles Park Lake #4—Jefferson
Tom Wallace Park Lake—Jefferson
Watterson Park Lake—Jefferson
Waverly Park Lake—Jefferson
Lake Mingo—Jessamine
Middleton Mills Long Pond—Kenton
Middleton Mills Shelterhouse Pond—Kenton
Prisoners Lake—Kenton
Brickyard Pond—Knox
Mike Miller Park Lake—Marshall
Martin County Lake—Martin
Bob Noble Park Lake—McCracken
Easy Walker Park Pond—Montgomery
Bloomfield Park Lake—Nelson
Lusby Lake—Scott
Scott County Park Lake—Scott
Three Springs Lake—Warren
By Amy Cobb
With many business owners closing their doors these days, it’s nice to find one business opening their “shores.” Kentucky Hilton Head Pay Lake and Retreat Center in Lebanon Junction opened for business in August 2009.
Why the decision to begin a pay lake business? “We have a large family ourselves, love fishing, and it’s a combination of things we wanted to do,” says owner Kim Hilton.
This 8-acre lake is stocked weekly with “anywhere from 3,000-4,000 pounds (of fish), depending on the weather and how many people have been here,” Hilton says.
One catfish currently stocked in the lake weighs in at 112 pounds. Hilton says they have “over 27 tankfish and more than 25 fish over 50 pounds,” and that another catfish caught recently weighed 86 pounds. It was returned to the lake, but not before “we took a picture,” says Hilton.
The cost to try to snag “the big one” is $15, while children ages 10 and under fish for half price. This fee buys 12 hours of fishing fun and allows you to take home up to 12 fish.
With pay lake fishing, Hilton says, “The odds are better that you’ll catch a fish.” She adds, “It’s safe, clean, and a controlled setting.”
Even when fishing at a stocked pay lake, there are no guarantees. Hilton advises, “Be patient. You will eventually catch the big one. There’s a little bit of an art behind it.”
However, Kentucky Hilton Head offers more than fishing. In fact, Hilton says their motto is “We are more than just a pay lake.”
A large pavilion is available to host family reunions, as well as church and corporate events. Hilton says they offer bunk-style cabins, which sleep five to seven. Campsites are also available.
Hilton enjoys providing a place where families can get away to fish or camp. “It means a lot to have families say, as they’re leaving, that they’ll be back or mention the fun of staying in the cabin,” she says.
For additional information on Kentucky Hilton Head Pay Lake, go online to www.KentuckyHiltonHead.com, e-mail KentuckyHiltonHead@yahoo.com, or call (502) 833-0831.
To read the Kentucky Living July 2010 feature that goes along with this supplement, click on The Lure of Family Fishing.
