LBL’s Duncan Lake little but bluegills large

Duncan Lake is the closest thing I know of to a public farm pond. It’s about the right size, and the field just below the dam is often planted in soybeans or corn.

Like many farm ponds, the lake is loaded with bluegill and bass. The bass are generally small but healthy and feisty. Most of the bluegill easily provide a couple of serving-size fillets. A few will cover a man’s hand. Unlike many farm ponds, however, Duncan is closed from mid-October through mid-March as a federal waterfowl and eagle refuge. Even when it’s open, the fishing pressure is surprisingly light.

Read the rest of Gary Garth’s Duncan Lake story by following the link below:

Duncan Lake little but bluegills large | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal.

Avoid boating class rush: take a free boater education class now

Although this spring’s weather has been cool and damp so far, it will break soon. Once we have a week or two of temperatures consistently above 80 degrees, people will start packing for a trip to the lake – and then remember their teenager needs a safe boating card before zooming away on a Jet Ski.

Waiting until the last moment will cause stress and cost money.

“It can be done quickly,” said Capt. Mike Fields, commander of the operations support branch of the law enforcement division of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “You can take an on-line course for $29.50, but it will require pretty significant effort to obtain your certification.”

A better choice is to avoid the last-minute rush and enroll in a free boater education class. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources offers these courses throughout the state twice a month. Class schedules and on-line course information is listed on the department’s Internet page.

Operating a boat or personal watercraft safely requires education and practice. “A parent that insists on driver education for their children should insist on boater education before a family vacation at the lake,” said Col. Bob Milligan, director of law enforcement for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “On the water, you only get one chance. You only get one mistake.”

In Kentucky, a person must be 12 or older to operate a boat with a motor of 10 horsepower or more. This includes personal watercraft. Boat operators who are 12 to 17 years old must have a Kentucky Safe Boating Certificate Card or a certificate showing successful completion of a National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) approved boater education course in order to operate a motorboat of 10 horsepower or greater.

“If you are coming from out of state, we accept their boating education certification as long as the certification is NASBLA approved,” Fields said.

Boater education isn’t just some bureaucratic obstacle to clear. Among the lessons taught in these classes is the importance of wearing a personal flotation device, as known as a life vest. Boating safety education saves lives.

“A huge majority of people killed in boating accidents have no formal boating education,” Fields explained. “It is nearly 90 percent. So, boating education will keep you alive. The longer a state’s had boater education, the lower the fatality rate in boating accidents in that state.”

All boaters in Kentucky are strongly encouraged to pick up a copy of the 2009 Kentucky Fishing and Boating Guide for a review of all boating laws and for more information on boating education. The guide is available at Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s homepage at fw.ky.gov in a printable format. The guides are also available wherever fishing licenses are sold, at county clerk’s offices or you may request one by calling 1-800-858-1549.

Also, if you haven’t renewed your boat registration or placed the new 2009 stickers on your boat, you must do so before launching your boat this month. Boat registrations expired April 30. A ticket is a bad way to start the summer boating season.

By KDFWR

A guided canoe trip down Elkhorn Creek in Central Kentucky

Join the Salato Wildlife Education Center staff for a guided canoe trip along the Elkhorn Creek in Franklin County. This event is from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Paddling down this beautiful creek is a wonderful way to surrounded yourself in nature and view some wildlife.

We will meet at the Salato Center in Frankfort at 8 a.m. We provide transportation to the outfitter, Canoe Kentucky. The trip requires about two hours of paddling and is 6 miles long. This section of creek is good for beginners or intermediate paddlers. Please bring a sack lunch, water and sunscreen. Small coolers are allowed for food and drink items. Wear water shoes and clothes that can get wet. A waterproof bag is ideal for items you don’t want to get wet.

We will provide a few field guides and binoculars, but feel free to bring your own. Canoe Kentucky is providing life vests, paddles and canoes. The cost of the program is $35 with a limit of 15 people. The program may be cancelled due to bad weather. Registration and pre-payment are required.

The Salato Center has a variety of native animals for the public to see, including black bear, bobcats, elk, deer, bison, eagles, snakes and fish. The Center has numerous indoor exhibits and miles of hiking trails open to the public. Fishing is available at two lakes. While some programs may require a registration fee, general admission to the Salato Center is free.

For more information call 1-800-858-1549, ext. 4445. Learn more about upcoming events at the Salato Center on the Internet at fw.ky.gov. The Salato Center, operated by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, is located at the department’s headquarters on U.S. 60 in Frankfort, 1.5 miles west of U.S. 127. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The Center is closed Sundays, Mondays and state holidays.

The best on-the-road coffee maker, at a price

I know what you’re thinking: This is a fishing Web site. Why is he reviewing coffee makers?

I’m reviewing coffee makers because whether I like it or not, coffee has become a central component of every fishing trip I’ve ever taken with a friend or family member.

One friend has to stop for coffee before he leaves Lexington. Another drinks several cups before he leaves his house, lets nature take its course, then gets more coffee at every pit stop. I point out that it’s a vicious cycle, and he points out that it’s better than using drugs or drinking too much….. then I stop again for coffee.

My uncle, my favorite fishing buddy, will start talking about how we’re going to procure coffee before he talks about which baits he should stock in his tackle box. He’s not picky: gas station coffee will do. But if I don’t get coffee in this guy before a day of fishing, the already taciturn man will turn darn near comatose.

So it is with reluctance but acceptance that I come to my review of the Keurig B30 Mini Personal Single-Serve Brewing System.

Here are some of the traits that make it better than a hotel-room coffee maker, a gas station brew, or the stuff they pour at McDonald’s.

• It only brews one cup at a time. No washing the pot every time you make coffee. You simply slip one of the coffee “cartridges” in the machine, put a cup underneath, push a button, and a perfectly brewed cup awaits in about 30 seconds.
• There’s no fighting over whether you should brew light roast or extra, extra dark, desert Sumatra blend. Each cup of coffee uses its own cartridge. You like it bold? Go for it. You like it a step above water? There’s a wimpy coffee cartridge just for you.
• You can also use it for hot chocolate for the kids or tea for the English in your group. You can even heat water for oatmeal, soup or raman noodles.
• It comes with a nifty carrying case.

There are, as always with do-it-all gadgets, a few downsides.

• It’s REALLY expensive. I have one of the larger models in my home, and I bought this one for travel. It took me a while to decide that great coffee-on-the-go was worth $79.
• It’s REALLY expensive. Oh, wait, I said that.

In the end, whether you buy this thing depends on how important coffee is to you on a fishing trip, and how much time you waste tracking some down or brewing some up.

I’m one of those guys who wakes up in the morning and appreciates nothing if it delays fishing. Sadly, I have yet to find a fishing partner who can throw a lure without throwing back a cup of Joe first.

So….the Keurig mini is my solution. It takes 30 seconds to brew a cup.

The time you save you spend on the water.

Wolf Creek Dam: A Progress Report This Weekend on “Kentucky Afield” TV

Two years have passed since news broke that Wolf Creek Dam was leaking and major repairs were needed. Concern about the structure that creates Lake Cumberland rippled far beyond the lake’s shores. This weekend, May 9 and 10, we meet with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for an update.

Host Tim Farmer joins David Hendrix of the Corps and John Williams, regional fisheries biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, for a look at the repair progress and how that plays into the upcoming season of boating, fishing and summer fun.

Lastly, in honor of Mother’s Day, Sherry Farmer enjoys a spring day fishing with her son at a farm pond in Mason County. Meet the lady who introduced the great outdoors to the person who is now the host of our show.

By KDFWR

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources – Wolf Creek Dam: A Progress Report This Weekend on “Kentucky Afield” TV.

Cajun Cuisine: Want to get a smallmouth’s attention? Tie on a crawfish

Served fresh on a bed of gravel and garnished with moss, a live crawfish has the same appeal to a smallmouth bass as does the last boiled crawfish on an appetizer platter at a south Louisiana festival.

Smallmouths eat crawfish – lots of ’em. In streams and lakes alike throughout Kentucky, crawfish are at or near the top of the smallies’ favorite foods list. Therefore, if you want to catch your share of smallmouths, be sure to incorporate plenty of crawfish imitating lures into your bait selections.

Because crawfish are such important forage for smallmouths (and various other species), lure manufacturers make many different kinds of lures that imitate crafish in one way or another. Most fall into the broad category of crankbaits, soft-plastic lures or jigs.

Probably best known of the crawfish lures is a Rebel crawfish. One of the best-selling lures in the nation, as it has been for many years, a Rebel Crawfish imitates a craw in its swimming posture (claws tucked in), which is when a live crawfish is most vulnerable.

Read more

Teenager yanks 10+ pound largemouth from Tom Wallace Lake

Dana Tindall says her teenage son, who is home schooled, fishes nearly every day after school. You can bet he never before had a day like last Saturday.

courier-journal.com | Gary Garth blog | The Courier-Journal.

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