The Fishing in Neighborhoods (FINs) program, created to offer better fishing opportunities closer to cities, is scheduled to include rainbow trout and catfish stocking in 34 Kentucky lakes.
“The program began with just five lakes. 2009 was our biggest expansion, when 23 lakes were added,” said Fisheries Biologist Dane Balsman, who manages the program for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “This year our goal is to stock about 210,000 fish.”
Five lakes in central and northern Kentucky were added to the program this year: Camp Ernst Lake in Boone County; Millennium Park Pond in Boyle County; Whitehall Park Lake in Madison County; and Lake Carlson and Lake Dickerson on the Ft. Knox Military Reservation in Meade County. Balsman said the FINs lakes range in size from about one acre to 29 acres, but most are less than 10 acres in size.
Channel catfish will average about 13-16 inches at stocking, while rainbow trout will be about 8-12 inches. The department samples these lakes yearly to check on bass and bluegill reproduction, occasionally stocking larger bass in addition to trout and catfish.
Special size and creel limits apply in some areas. Anglers 16 years of age and older must have a license to fish as well as a trout permit if they wish to keep trout. Anglers under the age of 16, whether they live in Kentucky or elsewhere, do not need a fishing license or trout permit. Anglers who are at least 65 years old can fish and keep trout if they are in possession of a senior/disabled license.
For more detailed information on Kentucky’s FINs program, including lake maps and directions, fish stocking schedules and fishing regulations, visit the department’s website at fw.ky.gov and click onto the “Fishing in Neighborhoods” logo.
source: Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources