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Website to Assist Kentucky's Stream Anglers

Fichigan

Fisheries crews with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources routinely see a variety of trophy smallmouth bass, muskellunge, catfish and walleye while doing their sampling studies in streams.

Now the department is unveiling those stream secrets through a new information section on the department’s website.

“Stream fishing is a whole lot better than people think it is,” said Fisheries Biologist David Baker, who headed the effort. “You can catch the fish of a lifetime in a stream.”

Paddlers and anglers can go online to: http://fw.ky.gov to access this section. Use the keywords “stream fisheries” to go directly to this page. The amount of information available makes it easier to plan a trip.

Currently profiles are limited to just a handful of locations, but more will be added throughout the coming years.

“We’re providing a one-stop shop for anglers and paddlers to find out more information about a particular stream,” Baker said. “There is a creek or river close to just about everyone in Kentucky.”

The new section offers stream maps, provides locations of access sites, details mileages between put-in and take-out locations and offers information about stream water levels. For anglers, the section has photos and information about the size and frequency of fish biologists find when they sample stream sections, as well as fishing tips for each area.

“We also include photos of the access sites so visitors will have a visual reference of what they will see,” Baker said.

The maps provided on the webpage are smart phone friendly, so users may load them on their phones and hit the stream.

The section currently profiles central Kentucky’s famous Elkhorn Creek, three pools of Green River, the Barren River below Barren River Lake and Slate Creek. More sections will be added in the future.

“This webpage is a starting point. We are going to compile more of these streams as we go along in the future,” Baker said.

Baker added that now streams have finally returned to normal from the wet spring, the fish are biting.

“Smallmouth bass have spawned and are aggressive, rock bass and sunfish are on the beds and channel catfish are near rocky shoals preparing to spawn,” Baker said. “We hope people use this page to help enjoy the wonderful stream fishing opportunities we have in Kentucky.”

(story provided by Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife)

Paul Hitchcock earned his Masters in Communications from Morehead State University and Bachelors in Radio-TV/Psychology from Georgetown College. A veteran broadcaster for more than 40 years and an avid fan of blues, jazz and American roots music. Hitchcock has been with WMKY since 1986 and was named General Manager in 2003. He currently hosts "Muddy Bottom Blues" (Fri., 8pm-9pm), "Nothin' But The Blues" (Sat., 8pm-12am), "Sunday Night Jazz Showcase" and "Live From The Jazz Lounge" (Sun., 8pm-9pm) and "The Golden Age of Radio" (Sun., 2pm-3pm). He also serves as producer for "A Time For Tales" and "The Reader's Notebook."
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