Delivering Fish Wishes

Sometimes my job at Fish and Wildlife is sheer torture. Trout are rising in the lake outside my office window and I can’t play hooky because everyone in the building will see me fishing instead of working.

It’s only going to get worse this summer—the big lake here on the grounds of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife in Frankfort is one of five places in the state enrolled in a special urban fisheries program.

This month, in addition to the trout stocked in April, fisheries crews will load the lake with 1-1/2-pound channel catfish, 10-inch bass, and 5-inch sunfish. They’ll repeat the stockings in June and July. Not only will Frankfort get these fish, but the hatchery trucks will also roll onto two other lakes in Jefferson County, and two additional lakes in northern Kentucky.

It gets worse. Our fisheries folks worry that these bass, sunfish, and catfish will be too easy to catch. And I’ve got to work.

In addition to the Upper Game Farm Lake in Frankfort, other lakes in the urban fisheries program include Miles Park Lake No. 4 and Tom Wallace Lake in Jefferson County; Middleton-Mills Lake in Kenton County; and Alexandria Lake in Campbell County. For directions and more information about these lakes, go to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Web site at fw.ky.gov, click “fishing,” then “urban fishing program.”

Department officials picked these lakes because at least one is located within an hour’s drive of 50 percent or more of the state’s population. If the program is successful, the department will expand urban fisheries opportunities to other areas in the state.

Each lake currently in the program has several things in common. All are small, offer good bank fishing access, and are great places to picnic with your family. These lakes are also good places to shake the dust loose from your fishing equipment, or to teach your kids, grandkids, or spouse to fish.

If you visit the Upper Game Farm Lake during the weekday, sneak a peek at the second floor windows. I’ll be the one looking outside with a long face, wishing I was fishing.

INSIDER’S TIP

Kentucky’s Fish and Wildlife artist Rick Hill spent two years meticulously painting stunning images of 27 of Kentucky’s most frequently encountered fish. Now we’ve assembled those paintings onto one poster available to the public. Call Kentucky Fish and Wildlife at (800) 858-1549 and ask for your free copy of the Kentucky Fish poster.