By Chris Erwin
September is the month that marks the real beginning of hunting season. Archery season begins Sept. 5 and runs all the way through Jan. 18, 2016 and many people start picking up their guns, bows and muzzleloaders thinking fishing season is about over.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In the next few weeks water temperatures will begin to drop. The cool nights and slow to warm up days will move the best fishing from the low-light periods to the middle of the day.
This is a great time to hunt in the early morning, fish in the afternoon and go back to the woods as the evening approaches. This new pattern will also pull the fish from the banks where they will stage to feed on shad.
While we are a few weeks away from this, it is a good time to do some combination trips. We have a few lakes where this is possible. My location of choice is the Cave Run Lake river system. There are miles and miles of the Licking River where you can camp, fish and hunt all from your primitive camping site.
This becomes a lot more difficult if you wait until the modern gun season, which starts Nov. 14 in zone 3 and zone 4. One thing to remember during the modern gun season, if you elect to wait until then, Rowan, Morgan and Bath are in zone 3 but Menifee is in zone 4. Zone 4 is antlered deer only while the other counties are either sex.
This only applies to modern gun season and not all of bow season, which is Sept. 5, 2015 – Jan. 18, 2016. During that time, either sex may be taken, except during Oct. 17-18, Nov. 14-23 and Dec. 12-17 when it is antlered deer only. I know this is a little confusing, but you need to be sure what county you are in if you elect to take a doe.
October is the most beautiful time to be on the water; the fall colors are painting the landscape, and the larger fish are on the prowl looking to tank up for the winter. Learning to fish the standing trees and other structure not located near the bank produces some of the largest fish of the season, and if you have to be on Cave Run Lake, the Muskie fishing reaches its prime and continues all the way thought Nov.
Forest Service recognizes National Public Lands Day, waives recreation fees
On Friday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Sept. 26, no recreation fee pass is required for overnight campers in the Red River Gorge backcountry, Barren Fork Horse Camp in McCreary County, or Bee Rock Campground along the Rockcastle River of Laurel and Pulaski counties. On Saturday, Sept. 26, no recreation fee pass is required at the following locations:
Cave Run Lake – all boat ramps outside of developed campgrounds
Laurel River Lake – all boat ramps outside of developed campground
Natural Arch Scenic Area, McCreary County
Appletree Shooting Range, McCreary County
Redbird Crest Trail, Clay and Leslie counties
White Sulphur ATV Trail, Bath County
Soc & Sam Little Sandy River Run: On Oct. 3 2015, a canoe and kayak race will be held as part of the Old Fashion Days in Greenup Ky. The event is to raise money for the Veterans’ Cemetery in Greenup, Ky. The race will have two divisions, Canoe and Kayak. The cost is $10.00 per person. The race is a six mile run from the Raccoon/ Gullet Bridge to the mouth of Little Sandy River. If you are interested in competing contact Portia Williams at (606) 831-2203, (740) 353-3101, ext. 1929, or on Twitter @PortiaWillPDT.
Chris Erwin is the Author of Camping Kentucky, founder and publisher of Kentucky Angling News an on-line magazine available at www.kentuckyangling.com/magazine Chris can be reached by email chris@ashlandbeacon.com
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