In Kansas, anglers could enjoy greater access to ponds, streams, and rivers through in the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) Fishing Impoundments and Stream Habitats Program (F.I.S.H.).
F.I.S.H. is patterned after the state’s Walk-In Hunting Access Program with a goal of increasing public fishing opportunities in Kansas. Funded by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Act and the sale of Kanasas fishing licenses, the program leases private waters from landowners for public fishing.
Landowners participating in F.I.S.H. receive payments for the use of their land while leaving it in private ownership, and anglers are in turn provided with a place to fish that might not have been available otherwise. Enrollment for 2015 is currently open and will close December 15, 2014.
Special regulations are in place for F.I.S.H. properties, and KDWPT officials periodically patrol the areas. Violators will be ticketed or arrested for vandalism, littering or failing to comply with fishing regulations.
Access is limited to foot traffic, except on roads designated by the landowner in the case of very large tracts of land. Additionally, under this program some landowners are eligible for fish stocking, habitat management, fence crossers, cattle guards, rock boat ramps, or rocked parking areas.
F.I.S.H. leases vary depending on the type of resource. Privately-owned ponds are leased by the acre. Stream fishing access leases are acquired by the mile per year, with rates dependent on the quality of the stream’s fishery. In addition, the F.I.S.H. program leases access sites from willing landowners along the Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri rivers.
Each year, KDWPT publishes a fishing atlas featuring maps that show each body of water enrolled in the program, boating allowance, and fish species available. F.I.S.H. sites are open for public access from March 1 to October 31 or year-round.
For more information on the F.I.S.H. program, visit www.ksoutdoors.com.
source: Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism