FISHING REGULATIONS FISHING REGULATIONS Dave Dreves photo NEW THIS YEAR The items highlighted here are a • Camp Ernst Lake in Boone County, quick overview of the changes to this Madisonville City Park Lake North NEED A PLACE TO FISH? year’s regulations. Changes from last in Hopkins County, Millennium Park season are printed in bright blue in Pond in Boyle County, Whitehall Find new fishing information on complete detail throughout this guide to Park Lake in Madison County, Way- Kentucky waterbodies by visiting assist you in noticing those changes. mond Morris Park Lake in Daviess fw.ky.gov. Click on the “Fishing” County, and Carlson and Dickerson tab, then on “Where to Fish” and FISHING lakes in Fort Knox in Meade County lastly “Find A Place to Fish.” An- • A 7-fish aggregate daily creel limit are now enrolled in the Fishing in glers may search lakes, rivers and on rainbow and brown trout on Dale Neighborhoods Program (FINs). creeks for boat ramps and access Hollow Lake. points, what species are available • Yellow bass on the Ohio River are BOATING and maps of how to get there plus now under the statewide daily creel • Below locks and dams on U.S. Army other useful information. lmit of 30 fish with no minimum size Corps of Engineers waterways and Also under the “Where to Fish” limit. the Kentucky River, boat occupants tab is the 2011 Fishing Forecast. • The special fishing regulations on must wear a personal floatation This report details the anticipated ponds on Taylorsville Lake WMA are device (lifejacket) upstream of danger fishing success for each species removed. These ponds are now under signs and open-diamond buoys or in major waterbodies based on statewide regulations for all species. within 150 feet of the downstream population samples conducted by • Anglers may take up to 5 softshell lock and dam wall. KDFWR fisheries biologists. turtles year round. Turtles can not be • Unlimited horsepower on boat motors 4 sold. at Lake Beshear. FISHING REGULATIONS STATEWIDE REGULATIONS Some waterbodies have different size and creel limits, please refer to the “Special Fishing Regulations” section for more details. SPORT FISH SPECIES Daily Limit Possession Limit Minimum Size Limit Largemouth Bass 6* 12* 12” Smallmouth Bass 6* 12* 12” Kentucky (Spotted) Bass 6* 12* none BLACK BASS Coosa Bass 6* 12* none Rock Bass 15 30 none Redear Sunfish 20 40 none 15” on walleye and Walleye, Sauger and their Hybrids 6* 12* hybrids; none on sauger Muskellunge 1 2 30” Chain Pickerel 5 10 none Northern Pike none none none White & Hybrid Striped Bass 15** 30** none** Striped Bass 5 10 15” Yellow Bass 30 60 none Crappie (Black & White) 30* 60* none Rainbow Trout none Daily limit 8, only 3 may be brown trout*** Brown Trout 12” Brook Trout Catch and release only * Singly or combined; a total of these species ** No more than 5 fish in the daily creel limit may be more than 15 inches long. *** Possession limit is double the daily creel limit for these species. Fish not included in this list are considered rough fish. There are no size or creel limits for rough fish, unless special regulations apply. For daily creel and fishing license purposes, one fishing day equals one calendar day. STATEWIDE SIZE AND CREEL MEASURING FISH LIMITS (301 KAR 1:060, 1:201; KRS Q: How is a daily creel limit (301 KAR 1:201) 150.010) different than a possession limit? Measure all fish from the tip of the Fishing season is open year-round lower jaw (closed) to the tip of the tail in Kentucky, except on waterfowl refug- A: The daily creel limit is the with fish laid flat on rule with tail lobes es and as otherwise noted in this guide. number of a particular sport fish squeezed together. Undersized fish must Statewide size and creel limits apply to species you may keep in one day’s be returned immediately to the waters all Kentucky waters, public and private, fishing. A possession limit is two from which they were taken in the best except some waters have different limits times the daily creel limit for all fish possible physical condition. (see, “Special Fishing Regulations”.) The species with a daily creel limit and Kentucky Trout Waters information is excludes processed fish. now incorporated into this guide. Please Squeezed tail see page 26. Did you know? Camping is prohibited on KDFWR owned or managed lakes. length 5 SPECIAL FISHING REGULATIONS (301 KAR 1:080, 1:180, 1:201, 2:222 Park Lake (Campbell County), Three BEAVER LAKE 4:100, 4:200E; KRS 150.010, 150.025) Springs Lake (Warren County), Tom Anderson County Wallace Park Lake ( Jefferson County), Possession or use of shad for bait is SPECIAL REGULATION WATERS Upper Sportsman’s Lake (Franklin prohibited. LISTED ALPHABETICALLY County), Watterson Park Lake ( Jeffer- • Largemouth Bass: 15-inch minimum The public waters listed below have son County), Waverly Park Lake ( Jef- size limit. different size and/or creel limits than ferson County), Waymond Morris Park • Channel Catfish: 12-inch minimum statewide regulations allow. Statewide Lake (Daviess County), Whitehall Park size limit. size and creel limits apply unless other- Lake (Madison County), Yellow Creek wise mentioned below. Special boating Park Lake (Daviess County) BERT COMBS LAKE regulations are listed in the Boating sec- Clay County A.J. JOLLY LAKE tion of this guide. Possession or use of shad for bait is Campbell County Some privately owned waters may prohibited. have special size and creel limits as post- No harvest of flathead catfish. ed by signs. BESHEAR LAKE BARK CAMP CREEK Caldwell County Whitley County FINs LAKES: • Channel Catfish: 12-inch minimum Lakes in the Fishing In Neighbor- All trout caught from October 1 size limit. hoods (FINs) program now have uni- through March 31 must be immediately form regulations for daily creel and size released and only artificial baits shall be BIG BONE CREEK limits: used during this period. Boone County • Rainbow Trout: 5-fish daily limit. All trout caught from October 1 BARKLEY, KENTUCKY LAKES • Catfish: 4-fish daily limit. through March 31 must be immediately (and their connecting canal) • Sunfish: 15-fish daily limit. released and only artificial baits shall be • Largemouth Bass: 15-inch minimum • Crappie: 10-inch minimum size limit, used during this period. FISHING REGULATIONS size limit, 1 fish daily limit. 20 fish daily creel limit. The follwing FINs lakes are now • Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass: BOLTZ LAKE under these special regulations: 15-inch minimum size limit. Grant County Anderson County Community • Sauger: 14-inch minimum size limit. Possession or use of shad for bait is Park Lake (Anderson County), Bloom- prohibited. BARKLEY TAILWATER – See field Park Lake (Nelson County), Bob • Channel Catfish: 12-inch minimum Cumberland River Noble Park Lake (McCracken County), size limit. Brickyard Pond (Knox County), Camp BARREN RIVER LAKE Ernst Lake (Boone County), Carlson BRIGGS LAKE and Dickerson Lakes (Ft. Knox, Meade The boundaries of Barren River Logan County County), Cherokee Park Lake ( Jeffer- Lake are from the dam upstream to the Possession or use of shad for bait is son County), Easy Walker Park Pond Hwy. 100 bridge, Long Creek to the prohibited. (Montgomery County), Fisherman’s Hwy. 100 bridge, Beaver Creek to the Park Lakes ( Jefferson County), Kingdom Hwy. 1297 bridge, Skaggs Creek to the BUCKHORN LAKE Come State Park Lake (Harlan Coun- Matthews Mill Road bridge and Peter • Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass: ty), Lake Mingo ( Jessamine County), Creek to the Peter Creek Road bridge. 15-inch minimum size limit. Lake Pollywog (Grant County), Lower • Crappie: 9-inch minimum size limit. • Muskellunge: 36-inch minimum size Sportman’s Lake (Franklin County), • Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass: limit. Lusby Lake (Scott County), Madison- 15-inch minimum size limit except 1 • Crappie: 9-inch minimum size limit. ville City Park Lake North (Hopkins fish in the daily creel limit or 2 in the County), Martin County Lake (Mar- possession limit may be less than 15 BULLOCK PEN LAKE tin County), Middleton Mills Long inches long. Grant and Boone counties Pond and Shelterhouse Ponds (Kenton • Channel Catfish: 12-inch minimum BEAVER CREEK County), Mike Miller Park Lake (Mar- size limit. Wayne County shall County), Miles Park Lakes ( Jef- ferson County), Millennium Park Pond All trout caught from October 1 CANE CREEK (Boyle County), Panther Creek Park through March 31 in the section of Laurel County Lake, (Daviess County), Prisoner’s Lake Beaver Creek from the Hwy. 90 bridge All trout caught from October 1 (Kenton County), Scott County Park upstream to the Hwy. 200 bridge must through March 31 must be immediately Lake (Scott County), Southgate Lake be immediately released. Only artificial released and only artificial baits shall be 6 (Campbell County), Stein Community baits shall be used during this period. used during this period. FISHING REGULATIONS CARNICO LAKE CLEAR CREEK specific area. This includes all tributar- Nicholas County Bell County ies up to the first riffle and in Hatchery • Largemouth Bass: 15-inch minimum All trout caught from October 1 Creek. size limit. through March 31 shall be immediately • Brown Trout: 20-inch minimum size released and only artificial baits may be limit, 1 fish daily creel limit, also ap- CARPENTER LAKE used during this period. plies to all tributary streams. Daviess County • Rainbow Trout: 15 to 20-inch Possession or use of shad for bait is CORINTH LAKE protective slot limit. All trout caught prohibited. Grant County between 15 and 20 inches in length Possession or use of shad for bait is must be immediately released. Until CARR CREEK LAKE prohibited. further notice, the daily creel limit is • Crappie: 9-inch minimum size limit.