Fisheries Smorgasbord..

The Fisheries Division of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) has been quite busy working on a number of projects to provide additional fishing opportunities and improve existing fisheries throughout the state.

This article will update several ongoing programs, as well as cover other items regarding Kentucky's fishery resources.

As most anglers are aware, Kentucky harbors over 750,000 resident anglers. About 500,000 fishing licenses are sold in Kentucky each year to residents, and another 125,000 to nonresidents. In addition to the revenue license sales provide, the fish and wildlife agency also receives federal money from taxes on fishing equipment, boat fuel and other similar items to spend on fisheries-related projects.

Every angler who contributes to fisheries management and conservation through purchasing a license, or paying tax on a fishing reel, should be highly interested in how the money each one spends on the sport is being used. All anglers, whether they contribute through the license requirement or not, should be concerned with resource conservation and doing their share to enhance conservation and management efforts. So, where are your dollars being put to work for you? Well, the projects and programs are too many to mention all of them. However, let's highlight just a few of the examples of the work going on.

Building a "New" Lake
According to the project schedule, anglers should be able to be on the waters of Lake Reba, just outside Richmond in Madison County, in under two years.

The KDFWR is presently funding the renovation of this 76-acre impoundment at a total project cost of about $1 million. Dam construction is well underway and a launching ramp and parking area will be installed prior to fill-up.

Based on user surveys, Lake Reba is expected to provide at least 50 fishing trips and 100 pounds of fish per acre, per year for Kentucky anglers. (That's 3,800 fishing trips and 7,600 pounds of harvested fish each year.) The cost of the project will be paid using federal funds set aside for Sport Fish Restoration projects. The KDFWR will initially incur the cost of building the new lake, and will be reimbursed by the federal government. Lake Reba will be managed for fishing and regulated by the KDFWR and owned by the city of Richmond.

Normal small-lake fish stocking is planned for Lake Reba, which includes largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish and channel catfish. About 7,500 one inch and 2,000 four-inch largemouths, 18,000 bluegills, 12,000 redears and around 3,000 channel catfish will be stocked upon impoundment. Catfish will be released each year.

Regulations that are being discussed for Lake Reba include a 15-inch minimum size limit on black bass and a five' fish daily creel limit. There will also likely be either an electric motor only or idle speed only restriction in effect for boaters. No skiing will be permitted.

Some interesting physical features are planned for Lake Reba. Using a portion of a second dam that was built in the lake in the 1930s, an earthen jetty will be built extending from the shore out into the lake. The jetty will provide bank anglers access to deeper water. After a portion of the second dam is removed to allow boat traffic to pass through the gap, the remaining part of the dam will create an island in the lake. This planned island and other underwater structure provide good fish habitat and are good places to catch fish. Stake beds and other fish attractors are scheduled to be built and placed in the lake during the dry stage as well.

It is very rare that the KDFWR has the opportunity to construct a new lake - anywhere -- due to the expense. Although the Lake Reba project is technically a renovation of an old lake, the fishing opportunity there has been nonexistent for years. The dam was breeched over 15 years ago, and the lake drained in 1979 for safety reasons. So actually, getting the lake back in shape will be like having a brand new fishing spot for the Central Kentucky region.

Some anglers may ask why Lake Reba was chosen for repair and construction versus building another new lake somewhere else. Well, like everything else, one very important reason was because Reba will serve lots of anglers needs for less than it would cost to "create" a new reservoir of the same acreage. Because the existing area and materials lend themselves to reduced costs, Lake Reba can be rebuilt for about $10,000 per acre while construction of a similar lake from scratch runs in the neighborhood of $40,000 per acre.

According to the population census of 1990, over 10 percent of the state's population lives in Madison County and the counties surrounding Madison. Lake Reba is a short drive from Fayette County and Lexington is Kentucky's second largest city with over 220,000 residents. The new lake is expected to receive a high amount of use and fishing pressure because of the proximity to a large metropolitan area.

As a new lake, Reba will begin with a balanced fishery through a carefully designed stocking program. And, as the fish grow and reach harvestable sizes, anglers can help maintain good fishing opportunities by following the size and creel limits that will be set for the lake. Actually, anglers are the true managers of any fishing lake, since fishermen are responsible for most of the harvest and care of the resource that largely determines how good the fishing is. Let's do our best to take good care of what we have!

Hybrid Striped Bass Program Expansion
There are several others, but one fisheries program that is being expanded to provide more fishing opportunities is the hybrid striped bass program.

A cross between the striped bass and white bass, hybrids have been stocked in three new lakes in the last few years. One of the new kids on the block for hybrids is Taylorsville, which, within a short period of time, has produced harvestable size fish of 15 inches and longer. The outlook is quite good for this fishery on this highly used lake.

Fishtrap Lake in Pike County is also projected to begin yielding keeper hybrids beginning in the fall of 1992. The addition of a hybrid fishery to Fishtrap is a major plus in terms of opportunity the biological fact that Fishtrap (like most other Eastern Kentucky lakes) just isn't fertile enough to be a major black bass and crappie lake. (Black bass and crappie are Kentucky's most sought after fish overall).

The third lake, which received its first installment of about 6,000 hybrid fingerlings last June is Guist Creek Lake in Shelby County. A survey of Guist Creek Lake fishermen showed an overwhelming response for an fisheries to establish hybrids in this smaller public lake. Guist Creek is well-suited for hybrids biologically. It is fertile and supports a large shad population of the size hybrids feed on most often. Building a hybrid fishery in Guist Creek will not negatively influence the other fisheries already present; but will simply offer more opportunities. Hybrids usually reach keeper size sometime in their third year of growth.

Because the hybrid is versatile, the KDFWR fisheries division is looking closely at including several other impoundments, especially in the east, in the hybrid striper stocking circle. Hybrids can tolerate warmer water temperatures than purebred striped bass and survive in smaller lakes. In Kentucky, most of the water is suited for warm water species, therefore the potential that hybrids can do well in more places than striped bass is obviously greater. Hybrids also grow larger than pure white bass and fight harder, which makes the hybrid more desirable to fishermen. It is likely that a 15-inch minimum size limit will apply to hybrids, and possibly white bass, too, for any lake where a new fishery is developed.

Anglers should be SURE to consult a current copy of the fishing digest for complete details on all size and creel limits and other fishing regulations.

Yatesville Lake Jetty Project
One other major project nearing completion is the $90,000 construction of a jetty (or pier) at Yatesville Lake in Lawrence County.

This structure, when completed, will provide an earthen walkway about 400 feet out into the lake, which gives bank fishermen the opportunity to fish deeper water. Lights along the jetty and a parking lot are also planned. The jetty will also be completely accessible, a first of it's kind on a major reservoir in Kentucky.

As is the case with almost all newly impounded lakes, Yatesville Lake should provide some outstanding fishing especially for the next two or three years. Largemouth bass fishing is particularly hot early on in new lakes due to a large influx of food sources from freshly flooded land.

Yatesville Lake is approximately 2,242 acres at summer pool and owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Ramps and marina services are presently available. Special fishing regulations include a 15-inch minimum size limit on largemouth and smallmouth bass.

One of the primary goals of the KDFWR is to guide users in conservation of our fish and wildlife resources. Yet, helping insure that recreational opportunities remain available is also a prime objective. And frankly, these two items are quite a tall order, considering that almost 80 percent of Kentucky residents are interested and active with wildlife resources in some manner.

For the projects highlighted here, and numerous others, Kentuckians truly do have sportsmen to thank for much of the enjoyment available that is associated with wildlife. The sportsman's dollar is hard at work for everyone.