Muskies this weekend on Kentucky Afield TV

Frankfort, Kentucky- It’s like Christmas in September for one young lady. We open the box containing an unbelievably big fish on “Kentucky Afield” television this weekend, September 12 and 13.

Folks that bump into Sarah Terry at the grocery store call her the “big fish girl” and for good reason. The 15-year-old Mount Sterling resident does hold the Kentucky state record for muskellunge. Her smiling face and her 47-pound keeper grace the cover of the current issue of the Kentucky Fishing & Boating Guide. This week on “Kentucky Afield” TV, the mount of the fish will now grace her wall at home. She’s been anxiously waiting for host Tim Farmer to help her open the box just delivered from the taxidermist.

Elsewhere, fishing guide David Jones knows crappie fishing at Green River Lake. Oddly, he and Farmer hook a muskie, too.

“Kentucky Afield” is a production of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. It is the longest continuously running outdoor television show in the nation. The program airs Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern /7:30 p.m. Central and is repeated Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Central on KET 1. Show segments also air on the Internet atfw.ky.gov. To see the latest news about “Kentucky Afield” television and view your favorite show segments from the past, sign up today for the electronic newsletter. Visit fw.ky.gov onthe Internet and click the Kentucky Afield Newsletter icon.

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The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources manages, regulates, enforces and promotes responsible use of all fish and wildlife species, their habitats, public wildlife areas and waterways for the benefit of those resources and for public enjoyment. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is an agency of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet. For more information on the department, visit our web site at fw.ky.gov.

New rules for flathead catfish at A.J. Jolly Lake in Campbell County

Frankfort, Ky. – Anglers fishing 175-acre A.J. Jolly Lake in Campbell County must immediately release any flathead catfish caught.
“We stocked flatheads last fall as part of an effort to improve fishing in the lake,” said Gerry Buynak, assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “It appears that many of the fish were removed before they could do what we hoped.”
Prior to this regulation, no size or creel limits existed on flathead catfish. Flathead catfish feed primarily on sunfish, small bullhead catfish and shad.
“Everything in the lake is stunted,” said Dane Balsman, urban fisheries biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “The overall goal of stocking the flathead catfish is to improve fishing for sunfish, largemouth bass and other catfish. We don’t want any additional flathead catfish removed. The blue and channel catfish are still fair game.”
Buynak reminds anglers that limb lines, trotlines or jug lines are not legal on A.J. Jolly Lake or any other lake in the state less than 500 acres.
—Lee McClellan

Kentucky measures success of alligator gar restoration

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is beginning to restore the alligator gar, a fish not seen in the state in more than half a century. We measure the success this weekend, August 29 and 30, on “Kentucky Afield” television.

A popular sportfish in areas of the South where it still thrives, the alligator gar will eventually grow over 6 feet in length and weigh in excess of 150 pounds. Today, 12-inch fish are being released into backwater streams of western Kentucky that flow into the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, where they swam historically. Host Tim Farmer follows the journey with the department’s fisheries experts, who made the reintroduction possible.

With October’s bull elk season fast approaching, we take aim on questions of hunters. Big Game Coordinator Tina Brunjes will discuss zones, weapons, terrain, calling techniques and more.

Produced by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, “Kentucky Afield” is the longest continuously running outdoor television show in the nation. The program airs Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern /7:30 p.m. Central and is repeated Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Central on KET 1. You may also view “Kentucky Afield” online at fw.ky.gov. To see the latest news about “Kentucky Afield” television and view your favorite show segments from the past, sign up today for the electronic newsletter.

Meet the new fisheries director on this week’s Kentucky Afield

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources welcomes a new face to Kentucky fishing on “Kentucky Afield” television, August 15 and 16.
Although Ron Brooks is no stranger to the state’s waters, Kentucky’s new fisheries director enjoyed a warm welcome from a limit of striped bass at Lake Cumberland. On a mid-summer fishing trip, Brooks joins host Tim Farmer to chase the big ones and get an inside look at what’s ahead for anglers and angling in Kentucky.
Also on the show is a new twist on spyware. Morgan County’s Steve Bailey has developed a web-based wildlife surveillance system landowners can use to peek at what’s prowling on their property. Part of the system is already in your pocket – a cell phone. As white-tailed deer season approaches, so does demand for the technology. Farmer gets a demonstration.
Lastly, striper linguini anyone?
“Kentucky Afield” is a production of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is the longest continuously running outdoor television show in the nation. The program airs Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern /7:30 p.m. Central and is repeated Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Central on KET 1. Show segment also air on the Internet at fw.ky.gov. To see the latest news about “Kentucky Afield” television and view your favorite show segments from the past, sign up today for the electronic newsletter. Visit fw.ky.gov on the Internet and click the Kentucky Afield Newsletter icon.

Ohio River To Host BFL Buckeye Division Tournament Aug. 8

MAYSVILLE, KENTUCKY – The Buckeye Division of the $8 million Walmart Bass Fishing League® will visit the Ohio River in Maysville, Kentucky, August 8 for the fourth of five regular-season events. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $45,000 in cash, including a top award of $6,000 in the Boater Division.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he or she will receive a $2,000 bonus from Ranger Boats. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $1,000 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant. That’s a potential top award of $8,000 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude E-TEC or Direct Injection outboard.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $3,000 cash.

Read more

Fly Tying Basics at Kentucky’s Salato Center August 1

Frankfort, Ky. – Join members of the Frankfort Fly Fishing Club for a basic introduction to fly tying and techniques of fly fishing from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1. Fly tying can be a challenging art, but few things are more rewarding than catching a fish on a lure you made yourself. Tying your own flies is fun and can save you money on your next fishing trip. All participants will take home the flies they make and get a chance to try their hand at casting a fly rod. The cost of the program is $35 and is open for ages 9 and older. Registration is required. Read more

Charges upgraded in holiday weekend Ky. boat crash

PARIS, Tenn. — Authorities have upgraded charges against a Woodlawn man in a fatal boating crash on Kentucky Lake during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

For the rest of the story, check out the Herald-Leader:

Charges upgraded in holiday weekend Ky. boat crash – Latest News – Kentucky.com.

Fishing for catfish with leeches and shrimp on KY Afield TV

Join host Tim Farmer and the rest of the “Kentucky Afield” television crew as they catch catfish, recreate fishing lures and visit nesting sites of an endangered bird this weekend, July 11-12.

The action starts on Kentucky Lake as Malcolm Lane shows the crew how to catch catfish with leeches and shrimp. Farmer also visits Charlie Hines for a glimpse at recreating fish lures popular at the turn of the century. Finally, the crew ventures to western Kentucky to take a look at research underway on the endangered least tern.

“Kentucky Afield” is a production of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. It is the longest continuously-running outdoor television show in the nation. The program airs Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern /7:30 p.m. Central and is repeated Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Central on KET 1 and on the Internet at fw.ky.gov. To see the latest news about “Kentucky Afield” television and view your favorite show segments from the past, sign up today for the electronic newsletter. Visit fw.ky.gov on the Internet and click the Kentucky Afield Newsletter icon.

Post-spawn bass in Kentucky pose fun, but tough, challenge

Mid to late June is a confusing time to fish for largemouth bass. Common sense dictates bass would inhale anything resembling food after the rigors of spawning in late May and early June. It seems a Carolina-rigged lizard or spinner bait tossed into places where the fishing was good earlier in the year would be crunched by a hungry, ornery largemouth at this time of year.

However, many anglers may fish long hours just to catch a few 12-inch bass to show for it.

“I have trouble with post-spawn fishing because it’s transitional,” said Jeff Ross, assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “The spawn takes a lot out of them. Shallow water fishing declines after the spawn. You may still catch little ones, but the big females are transitioning to their summer habitat.”

That decline in shallow water fishing is the reason Ross isn’t the only bass angler who struggles to catch fish after the spawn. Anglers fishing for bass from Kentucky Lake in the Purchase Region to Fishtrap Lake in Pike County find tough fishing in late June. The likely reason is they still fish the same areas in the same way they did in April.

Anglers need to intercept largemouth bass during this transition. “It all depends on the kind of lake,” Ross explained. “At a shallow water lake like Lake Barkley, the post-spawn transition will be different than at a lake like Laurel River.”

Creek channels, points, weedlines and other features such as roadbeds or rows of stumps along what was once a fencerow serve as arteries for fish migration. They move from the shallow spawning beds to deeper summer bass habitats such as deep points, channel drops and off-shore humps in June.

“They aren’t going to randomly swim around in open water and then dive down to their summer habitat,” Ross said. “They are going to follow something. On a really shallow lake, they may use a weedbed as a guide, but on most lakes, it is usually a channel. At a deep lake like Laurel or Cumberland, they may just move down the point closest to their spawning grounds.”

On shallow to mid-depth lakes with defined channels – such as Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, Barren River Lake or Green River Lake – a soft plastic jerkbait, or a Carolina-rigged 7- to-inch plastic worm or lizard, is a tremendous choice to fish channels in June. Carolina rigs consist of a heavy egg-shaped sinker and a swivel. Tie the hook 1-2 feet from the swivel, with the egg sinker placed above the swivel to keep the sinker from contacting the hook. This gets the rig down, but allows the bait to float above the bottom.

Sling the Carolina rig onto the flats adjacent to a channel, then work the bait over the channel lip and down into the channel. Channels with brush or stumps along their lips are the best places to try. Once you catch a fish, mentally note the location and depth and try and replicate those conditions along other channels in the lake. This may lead to a glory day you’ll brag about to your buddies for many years.

“Flats are good post-spawn areas,” Ross said, “especially if they lie near channels, stump fields or weedlines.”

Carolina rigs are also good for probing weedlines. The heavy weight of the rig plows the way for the soft plastic offering to hover just above bottom. Soft plastic jerkbaits and spinner baits are two other lures to try along a weedline during the post-spawn period.

In deep lakes like Herrington, Laurel River Lake, Lake Cumberland – or most lakes east of Interstate 75 – a 4- to 6-inch finesse worm rigged on a Shakey head and slowly worked down the point should intercept any transitioning bass. A Shakey head is a specialty jig designed to make a soft plastic bait stand up from the bottom. By gently twitching the tip of your fishing rod, you can impart a tantalizing action to the bait.

A 3/16 -ounce jig-and-pig combination swum just over the bottom along the contour of the point also fools post-spawn bass.

For soft plastic lures on the Carolina rig, Shakey rig or jig-and-pig combination, earth tones are the way to go in June. Combinations of green, brown, black, red or orange perform well on bass. For soft plastic jerkbaits and spinner baits, the reliable white and chartreuse combination is still tough to beat.

The June post-spawn transition period isn’t that hard to figure out if you intercept bass as they move from their breeding grounds to their summer haunts. Don’t fish for them in same areas as you did earlier this spring. They’ve left town for the summer.

By KDFWR

“Kentucky Afield” host Tim Farmer to throw first pitch at Louisville Bats baseball game on June 7

“Kentucky Afield” television host Tim Farmer goes in pursuit of a different kind of game this weekend – baseball. This Sunday, June 7, is Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Night as the Louisville Bats host Lehigh Valley, the AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Game time is 6:15 p.m.

Farmer will make the ceremonial first pitch then greet fans at the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife booth on the main concourse during the first and second innings. As an added bonus, anyone presenting a valid Kentucky fishing license at the ticket office can save 50 percent off their tickets for the game. The limit is four tickets for each person.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife personnel will also be on hand to answer questions about wildlife, fishing, hunting and boating, plus register visitors for fun prizes of sporting equipment.

“Kentucky Afield” is a production of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. It is the longest continuously-running outdoor television show in the nation. The program airs Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern /7:30 p.m. Central and is repeated Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Central on KET 1 and on the Internet at fw.ky.gov. To see the latest news about “Kentucky Afield” television and view your favorite show segments from the past, sign up today for the electronic newsletter.

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