By Chris Erwin
Winter may still be making you shiver, but most of it should be behind us and the official start to the 2012 fishing season is just around the corner.
Opening day of the 2012 fishing season starts March 1. It requires a new license, so it’s time to make a trip to your local sporting goods store, get online at fw.ky.gov, or call 1-877-598-2401 to purchase your 2012 fishing license.
Annual resident fishing licenses for the 2012 season are $15.00, and if you fish for trout you will need a trout stamp. The cost $10. If you are disabled or a senior of 65 years of age, your fishing license will cost you just $5.00, and a trout stamp is not needed. They are also discounts for combination license purchases. If you are a non-resident call the number above, and they will fix you up.
While we are covering the opening of the 2012 season, it’s a good time to talk about what has changed and how you can make the most from the upcoming fishing year.
While they were only a few changes from last year in creel limits – none of them are on this end of the state. The big changes are what the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife has done to improve your chances of success.
Yatesville and Fishtrap lakes have received stockings of the Redear Sunfish. If you are trying to learn more about fishing, this is a good fish to find out more about. Redear Sunfish, commonly known as Shellcrackers, are not your regular sunfish or bluegill. These fish can grow up to 13 or 14 inches in length. At one time, they were the pride of Greenbo Lake. That fishery is also on the rebound. Yatesville has had a good bluegill population for some time, but the addition of the Redear sunfish should vastly improve the panfish in that lake.
White crappie stockings continue in Taylorsville, Carr Creek, Paintsville and Kentucky Lakes in order to bolster fish populations in those lakes.
Cave Run Lake has already seen big improvement in crappie and white bass. The forecast for this year is very good, with white bass catches in the 13-15-inch class expected to be common. Bass in the Licking River has also been improving for the last few years while Musky continues to be excellent on the main lake.
One of the lakes that has been steadily improving is Fishtrap Lake in Pike County. The bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and hybrid striped bass have all been the topic of conversation in fishing circles as the fishing improves each year.
If you happen to be a smallmouth fisherman, then you need to plan a trip to Laurel River Lake this year. This lake has seen some six-pound smallmouth produced with many three-pound fish coming to the boat last year. Early spring, including March, is the time to have the best success fish jigs and swim baits.
While we would like to see more improvement at Grayson Lake, the fishing has been on the rebound. The bluegill population is good, along with catfish, the hybrid striped bass has been fair with the last stocking in 2009 these fish are now about 24 to 27 inches.
As we head into this new fishing season, it is my hope that we can explore the fishing opportunities together, and I hope to see many of you at the town-hall meeting in Morehead where we can express our desire to continue to improve the eastern end of the state.
Good fishing!
Be the first to comment