Kentucky Afield, Summer 2018

Summer 2018

Since 1945

$2.95

Catfish • Peabody WMA • Tug Fork • Fish Rescue

Cover Story Catfish

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Tips for catching the best meal of summer

By Lee McClellan

On the cover: A behemoth emerges from deep within its lair to hunt the shallows for prey at sundown in Rick Hill’s “Flathead.”

Obie Williams photo

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Tug Fork

Summer 2018

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The official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources – your partner in the great outdoors

FEATURES

Multiple Choice • By Kevin Kelly

Spacious Peabody WMA provides ample hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities

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Blue Water Trails • By Lee McClellan

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Mission Possible • By Dave Baker

Paddling the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River An extraordinary effort to rescue fish from a lake losing water

Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, #1 Sportsman’s Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601 1-800-858-1549 • fw.ky.gov

Pollinator and game habitat

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John Goodin photo

Summer 2018

Departments 4 5 6 7 20 30

Front Porch

Changing of the Guide

Kentucky Wild

Keeping an Eye on the Birds

Fishing

The Happenstance Ramp

Hunting

Hunters for the Hungry

Nature Notebook Hydrilla

37 38 39 40 41

Cooking

Simple Sear

Habitat

Farmland Conversion

Destinations

Jones-Keeney WMA

Ask the Experts

How Hydrilla Harms Fishing

Your Story Crappie Tales

Outdoor News

News from Fish and Wildlife

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Don’t forget to notify Kentucky Afield. Just e-mail us at ky.afield@ky.gov or use the envelope conveniently located in the centerfold. Need information about department programs or regulations? Call 1-800-858-1549 weekdays or visit our website: fw.ky.gov

Send (advertising only) inquiries to: Outdoor Sales & Marketing Group, Inc. P.O. Box 429, Sweet Home, OR 97386 Phone: 1-800-564-6818 • E-mail: wildlife@centurytel.net

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Front porch • By Kentucky Afield Editor Dave Baker

since 1945

Changing of the Guide Commonwealth of Kentucky Matthew G. Bevin, Governor

FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION First District Dr. Harry W. Carloss, Paducah Second District C. F. “Frank” Williams, Madisonville Third District Russell J. Gailor, Louisville Fourth District Kenny Knott, Glasgow Fifth District Kevin R. Bond, Burlington Sixth District Jimmy Bevins, Frankfort Seventh District Paul B. Horn, Prestonsburg Eighth District Richard M. Storm, Carlisle Ninth District Dr. Karl D. Clinard, Somerset Commissioner Emeritus Dr. James R. Rich, Taylor Mill

Department of FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES Commissioner Frank Jemley III (acting) Deputy Commissioner Karen Waldrop Wildlife Director Steve Beam Fisheries Director Ron Brooks Law Enforcement Director Col. Eric Gibson Information & Education Director Norm Minch Administrative Services Director Lisa Cox Engineering, Infrastructure and Technology Director David Bruce Marketing Director Brian V. Blank

KENTUCKY AFIELD STAFF Editor Dave Baker Associate Editor Lee McClellan Writer Kevin Kelly Art/Design Director Adrienne Yancy Graphic Designer Obie Williams Artist/Illustrator Rick Hill Circulation Manager Lisa Tolliver

SUBSCRIPTIONS fw.ky.gov Printed by Thoroughbred Printers, LLC Lexington, Ky. Volume 74 Number 2

MAJOR CHANGES ARE coming to Kentucky’s hunting guides this year. We’re folding the dove and waterfowl guides into the fall hunting and trapping guide to provide hunters with one publication that covers all the seasons from August through March. We will still produce the spring turkey guide as a separate publication.

Having just one guide for all the fall and winter seasons is more convenient for hunters and just makes sense. You’ll no longer have to scrounge around for another guide when your .270 is back in the safe for another deer season and you’re hauling out your duck decoys.

Despite adding two guides to the existing one, the new comprehensive hunting guide won’t look like the old telephone books we used before the Internet. We’re putting the content on a diet so the new guide will be roughly the same size as the old fall hunting guide. We’re doing this because, in all honesty, a big regulations book is intimidating.

And, like the telephone book, we’re moving more information to the Internet.

You’ll be able to go online to find the public dove fields nearest you. Since field locations were subject to change even after the guide came out, having the latest and most accurate information is less confusing for hunters.

A major driving force behind this change is a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to give earlier approval to the waterfowl regulation frameworks that states use to set their seasons and bag limits.

We now have enough time to add waterfowl seasons to the fall guide.

You might be asking what all this has

Kentucky Afield (ISSN No. 1059-9177) is published quarterly by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Periodical Class postage paid at Frankfort, Ky. and additional mailing offices. Editorial Offices at the Arnold L. Mitchell Bldg., 1 Sportsman’s Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601. E-mail: Ky.Afield@ky.gov. Phone: 1-800-858-1549. Not responsible for unsolicited materials. Contact editorial offices for permission to reprint. Subscription rate: $10 per year.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Kentucky Afield Magazine, Department of Fish and Wildlife, 1 Sportsman’s Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601.

“Kentucky Afield” is a trademark of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Contents © Kentucky Afield

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Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

Photo submitted

KDFWR photo

to do with Kentucky Afield magazine. It’s relevant because it’s the magazine staff who write, assemble and design all the guides produced by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

Meticulously checking the facts and coordinating with other divisions on how the information is presented – just like we do with the magazine – is a time-consuming process. That, combined with all the other staff duties, such as creating press releases, taking photos, crafting designs for promotional materials and more, keeps us hopping.

So we’d like to thank our readers for your support. Because without you, Kentucky Afield would be just another telephone book. n

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or the provision of services and provides, upon request, reasonable accommodation including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in all programs and activities.

If you feel you have been discriminated against by this department, please contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, 1 Sportsman's Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601; phone 1-800-858-1549.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is administered under the Kentucky Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet.

fw.ky.gov

Kentucky wild

Looking back on a decade as a nongame bird biologist • By Kate Slankard

Keeping an Eye on the Birds I HAVE THE best job in the state.

I’ve said that a lot over my 11 years at the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources as an avian biologist. While it may not exactly be true that my job is superior to other jobs, it is the best fit for me for a number of reasons. The most important reason is that I get to work with the wildlife species group I am most interested in – birds.

What makes birds so fascinating? Well, for starters, unlike other more secretive types of animals that spend most of their time submerged or underground, many species of birds will let you watch nearly their entire life cycle. Through your binoculars or spotting scope, you can observe them finding food, going to sleep, building a nest and raising young.

Another reason birds are so fascinating: songbirds make their own music. How cool is that? Of course, the reason they sing isn’t to entertain or create art, the way humans would create music. They sing to announce their territories and attract a mate.

Birds enrich our outdoor experience with cheerful song. They create nature’s music. I’ve always appreciated music, so songbirds were an instant favorite for me.

My job at Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is to monitor and manage for nongame, landbird species. In short, this means our program works with raptors, songbirds, night-

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Author Kate Slankard with a golden eagle captured at Bernheim Forest as part of a research project.

jars – such as whip-poor-wills – and corvids, which include ravens.

Some of our higher profile projects have included the restoration and monitoring of previously endangered raptors, the bald eagle and peregrine falcon. These species are wonderful success stories for wildlife management and the Endangered Species Act. A big part of our job is to keep species from becoming endangered in the first place.

Kentucky has a State Wildlife Action Plan, which lists species that are rare, declining or on the rebound after recent declines.

Our job is to figure out how to stabilize or increase populations of these species through monitoring and management. Many of our projects cover suites of species that use

a particular habitat type, such as grasslands or forests.

Our program consists of two biologists and a seasonal technician. We also receive help from other staff in the department’s nongame program and regional wildlife staff.

Although wildlife biologists often divide programs and areas of expertise into game and nongame species, wildlife management doesn’t realistically fall into such clean pockets. For example, habitat management for the northern Loren Taylor photo bobwhite quail can benefit several grassland and shrubland songbird species. Hence, we often work with biologists in the game species programs to achieve nongame habitat management objectives.

Find out more about what avian biologists do by going to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website at fw.ky.gov and searching under the keyword, “birds.”

If bird-watching interests you, consider joining the Kentucky Ornithological Society.

The online address is www.birdky.org. n Kentucky Wild is a new program which supports vulnerable wildlife facing threats in our state. Learn more by going online to fw.ky.gov/kywild.

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FISHING

Union County man honored for his generosity • By Kevin Kelly

The Happenstance Ramp GENE BUTTS IS a friend of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

The Union County resident leased his Tradewater River boat ramp to the department for several years, and the small sporting goods store he operated at the top of the hill for three decades served as a deer check station for hunters before the telecheck system debuted.

Butts closed his Croppie Shack store for good this past October, but he continues to operate his boat ramp off KY 923 along the Tradewater River across from Big Rivers Wildlife Management Area and State Forest even as he battles cancer.

“His bait and tackle shop was one of those places that not only could he sell you hunting and fishing licenses, but he’s one of those guys that could sell a story, too,” Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officer Todd Jones said. “You could sit there and talk with him and goof off. Just a mom and pop place. There was no hustle and bustle about trying to sell stuff. It was just more about the person and the community.”

On May 10, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife law enforcement Capt. Richard Adkins joined Jones in presenting Butts with a plaque recognizing his outstanding service to the department and furthering the cause of wildlife conservation in Kentucky.

“He’s just genuine, and a good guy,” Jones said.

Humbled by his honor, Butts recalled something the late David “Donan” Jenkins told him years ago. Jenkins retired as a law enforcement captain in 1997, after 39 years of service to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

“Some people grow up to be conservationists and some people never grow up,” Butts said. “I guess I’d be the conservationist since what all I’ve done.”

Butts can watch over the patchwork boat ramp from his back door.

“I enjoy it,” said. “I let people go down there and fish any time they want to. When the water’s right down there, it’s nothing to

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Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

Below: Gene Butts (center) helped open fishing opportunities by developing a ramp for public use on this property.

Presenting a plaque of appreciation are Conservation Office Todd Jones (left) and Capt. Richard Adkins.

Photos courtesy The Sturgis News

go catch a good mess of fish.”

The story about how the boat ramp came into existence is a unique one. It started with a friend tying up his pontoon boat to Butts’ property by mistake and led to mining trucks carving out a driveway and grading the slope.

The cement trucks followed. They showed up at Butts’ place and offered to offload their

excess for free rather than let perfectly good material go to waste.

A few yards here. A few yards there. In time, the boat ramp took shape. It’s provided boaters and anglers access to the Tradewater River since 1974.

“It was a blessing to me,” Butts said, “so I just kept the thing up.” n

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HUNTING

New executive director wants to double deer donations • Lee McClellan Roger LaPointe now serves as executive director of Kentucky’s Hunters for the Hungry program.

Lee McClellan photo

Hunters for the Hungry’s Ambitious Goal Roger LaPointe, of Louisville, recently became executive director of Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry.

Hunters for the Hungry helps Kentucky hunters provide venison to those in need. The organization’s work includes helping cover deer processing fees.

“My goal is to double the number of deer donated from last year,” said LaPointe,

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who also serves as vice-president of the Third District of the League of Kentucky Sportsmen. “I would like to see 2,000 deer donated this year.”

During the 2017 deer season, Kentucky hunters donated 992 deer. That provided nearly 40,000 pounds of venison to hungry families. “This made 300,000 meals of soups, stews and sauces,” LaPointe said.

“Everything is ground. Ground venison goes farther and can be used for burgers, chili and soups.”

The group is reaching out to potential donors to help make the organization’s goal possible. “I don’t want a hunter to donate a deer and the funds not be there to process it,” LaPointe said. “We want to pay for the processing of any deer that comes through the door. We encourage people to donate money for processing a deer on our website or to donate a deer.”

A PayPal portal to donate and a list of approved processors is on the Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry website at www. kyhuntersforthehungry.info. A $75 donation provides about 400 meals for needy Kentuckians. On this website, hunters will also find instructions for donating a deer.

“We are reaching out to find more processors,” LaPointe said. “We want processors in every part of the state.”

The Kentucky Whitetail Access Program is another effort by the organization to increase deer donations. “It is kind of a dating service for hunters and farmers,” LaPointe said. “Farmers in need of deer removed from their farm can meet up with hunters who may potentially donate a deer to Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry.”

The Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry website has more information about this program.

LaPointe also encourages hunters to donate a deer taken during the seasons prior to modern gun season. “We would like hunters to donate before the peak time of modern gun deer season,” he said. “Processors get backed up during that time. Those participating in the youth hunts in October can also donate their deer. This is a good lesson for a youth hunter to learn, to donate their deer to help a needy person.”

Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry not only provides healthy protein to those who need it most, it also helps manage Kentucky’s robust deer herd. n

Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield

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h s i f t Ca 8

Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

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I

T’S A GOOD thing channel catfish taste a whole lot better than some of the baits anglers use to catch them. Rolled in a bit of cornmeal and served hot out of the fryer, catfish filets are a staple of summer.

Kentucky’s big three catfish include blues, flatheads and channels. Catfish thrive in different water bodies across the state; they all bite willingly and taste fantastic on the dinner table.

You don’t need expensive equipment to catch them, either. A medium to mediumheavy fiberglass spinning rod works well for small lakes and streams. For big waters like the Ohio River, a heavy casting rod works well. Expect to pay $30-$50 at the low end of the scale for a decent catfish rod.

Read on for tips and tactics for catching catfish in rivers, lakes and streams.

Tips for catching the best meal of summer

Kevin Kelly photo

By Lee McClellan

fw.ky.gov

OHIO RIVER The Ohio River holds some catfish bigger than the average toddler.

Jay Herrala, stream fisheries biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, said his crew recently captured two monster catfish that measured nearly 4 feet long and weighed more than 55 pounds.

“There are much bigger catfish in the Ohio, but electrofishing equipment does not capture the bigger fish as well,” he said.

Research shows the number of catfish in the river are on the upswing, Herrala said, with a gradual increase of the bigger fish over the past couple of years.

In the medium-sized range, the number of 20- to 30-inch blue catfish has jumped significantly over the past couple of years.

“These numbers should translate into more blue catfish coming into trophy size in the coming years,” Herrala said. “Flathead catfish are also showing gradual improvement.”

Tailwaters below dams are high percentage areas for blue catfish when the river is at normal pool or lower. To catch the blues, fish the bottom along current seams with cut bait rigged with a slip sinker. Use enough weight to tickle the bottom – a 1- to 2-ounce sinker will do.

A slip rig consists of an egg-shaped sinker, glass bead and barrel swivel. The glass bead, placed between the sinker and swivel, protects the swivel’s knot from punishment caused by the egg sinker pounding against it. For the line between the swivel and hook, tie a 30-inch piece of 20-pound

Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield

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Fisheries Biologist Jay Herrala captured this monstrous 75-pound blue catfish while sampling the Cannelton Pool of the Ohio River. The 51-inch fish was released back to the river.

Lew Kornman photo

Brandon Sawyers photo

monofilament to the other ring of the barrel swivel. Now attach a 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook to the end of the line.

Many catfish anglers use 40-pound monofilament line for their main line, while others prefer 60-pound braided line for fishing in current. Those targeting trophy fish may want to start at 60-pound test for the main line and 30-pound test for the leader.

The slip rig has its faults, because the egg sinker may hang on the bottom. Breaking off heavy braided line is a challenge and results in the loss of the entire rig.

Some anglers prefer a three-way rig to get around this problem. This rig consists of a ring with three swivels. Tie the main line to one swivel, the leader to the hook to the second swivel, and finally, a 2-foot piece of 8-pound monofilament tied to the last swivel. Now tie a bell-shaped sinker to the lighter line.

Anglers can break off a stuck sinker without losing the entire rig with the threeway system. The rig also allows anglers to drift the cut bait just above the bottom.

Ohio River anglers favor skipjack herring or shad caught with a cast net in the tailwaters for their bait. Bluegill or small drum also work as bait.

Some anglers use a Sabiki rig instead of a cast net to catch skipjacks in the tailwater. Sabiki rigs consist of a half-dozen small 10 Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

Mylar jigs tied sequentially on a light line.

Anglers use a light spinning outfit to cast the rig into the shallow, flowing edges of the tailrace. Skipjacks cannot resist this rig when anglers jerk it up and down.

In late summer and fall, blue catfish often suspend in the water column above the main channel. “This is where your electronic sonar unit can help you,” Herrala said. “Find the depth where the blues are suspended and drift cut bait just above them. This is a good way to catch a trophy blue.”

Anglers targeting flathead catfish should stick to live bait, such as small skipjack herring, goldfish, bluegill or large shiners. “Flatheads also attack small green sunfish,” Herrala said. “Sunfish are easy to keep alive and I’ve had good luck using them for bait.”

Fish live bait around cover in the river.

“For flatheads on the Ohio, you want to fish near something gnarly, like a big log jam, downed tree or some large boulders,” Herrala said. “Those areas with some current close by are the best spots.”

The slip sinker rig works great for presenting live bait to flatheads. A wiggling small green sunfish or skipjack herring draws big flatheads from cover. Their diet of live bait also bodes well for the skillet. “I think flatheads have a lighter, sweeter meat,” Herrala said. “The belly meat on them is especially good.”

Kyle Estep caught the state record channel catfish from the Ohio River in 2004. It weighed 32 pounds.

Channel catfish also grow big in the Ohio. The river produced the current state record, a 32-pound fish, back in 2004. “The channel catfish in the Ohio River look awesome in all the river’s pools,” Herrala said.

“Shallow sandy points typically work well for channels and rocky areas intermixed with sand have channels everywhere as well.

Channels also locate in backwater habitat.”

Channel catfish will bite on cut bait, stink baits, dead shiners, chicken livers and hot dogs or chicken gizzards soaked in a syrup made from strawberry Kool-Aid. “Channel cats are not as picky as the other catfish species,” Herrala said.

KENTUCKY RIVER The Kentucky River is an overlooked hotspot for flathead and channel catfish.

Anglers can catch channel cats from siltfree, rocky areas along outside bends in the Palisades region, but they should overlook fishing farther upstream.

“The Forks of the Kentucky have channel catfish everywhere,” Herrala said.

“They’ve been sampled recently for channel cats in both the North and South Forks.

On the North Fork, they are river wide. You will see channels from Hazard past Jackson.

They are often in shallow water.”

The Kentucky’s South Fork is a sleeper for channel catfish. “We see them the entire

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length of the river, from Oneida to the mouth at Beattyville,” Herrala said. “They are an overlooked opportunity on both forks.”

Rocky areas with logs and woody cover make productive spots to cast a stink bait. Cast the bait upstream of cover then let the scent draw out the catfish.

Cut bait, chicken livers and night crawlers also produce in these spots. Fish these baits under a slip bobber, adding some split shot near the hook to keep the bait just off bottom.

The Kentucky River produces good numbers of flathead catfish, too.

“Flatheads are river wide and the pools with a lot of rock are better for them,” Herrala said. “The Palisades region is a good place to start.”

Anglers should use small bluegills fished near woody cover for flatheads. “Fish them around the biggest boulders you can find,” Herrala said.

Tackle on the Kentucky does not need to be as brawny as that used on the Ohio. A slip sinker rig with a 20-pound main line, 17-pound monofilament leader and a 5/0 hook works well for Kentucky River flatheads.

STREAMS Kentucky’s landscape features an abundance of streams with rocky bottoms, pools and riffles. While most anglers target smallmouth or spotted bass in the these streams, they should not overlook the often bountiful populations of channel catfish.

Central Kentucky’s Elkhorn Creek earned its reputation for productive smallmouth bass fishing over the past 200 years. However, anglers seeking channel catfish in its waters may catch more fish than those chasing smallmouths.

“There are a lot of good, eating-sized 14 to 18 inch fish, with some fish up to 23 inches

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For their sampling studies, biologists conduct 15-minute trips with their fish shocking boat along the banks of the creek. “We usually get from 10 channels up to 30 per run on the Elkhorn,” Crosby said. “We’ve had up to 65 catfish per run behind the Pfeiffer Fish Hatchery. That is quite a few catfish for a stream the size of Elkhorn.”

The lower third of the creek is the best section for channel catfish. “From Peaks Mill Bridge downstream to the mouth is best for channels, with the stretch behind the hatchery a hot spot,” Crosby said. “You can get 25 channels per run in those holes just above the hatchery. There are also some flatheads in the lower section of Elkhorn.”

Dip bait is a great choice here. Dip bait, which is widely available in stores, is a concoction of various stinky things: the recipe often includes rancid cheese or entrails.

Dip baits emit a plume of foulness downstream that drives channel catfish crazy. The fish detect the whiff of this stuff then follow the stink trail to the source.

The challenge is to keep the stench off your hands and clothes.

An effective system for delivChase Wininger ering dip bait involves impaling a used dip bait one-inch square piece of sponge on a sponge to (natural sponges work best) on a catch this Elkhorn 3/0 circle hook.

Take a stick and Creek catfish. stir the jar of dip bait, then drop the sponge into it. Use the stick to push the sponge into the dip bait to load it up.

Obie Williams photos Cast this ball of goop genin our recent population sampling,” said Jeff tly or the bait will fly off the sponge. Lob it Crosby, Central Fisheries District biologist beside undercut banks, logs or large rocks, for the Kentucky Department of Fish and and let the current deliver scent to channel Wildlife Resources. “If you see one channel catfish hiding in the structure.

Manufacturers offer several variations cat, there are going to be five to 10 other ones in the hole. It stays the same year after year.” of dip bait “worms” as well as combina-

Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield 11

tions of mesh and sponges to hold it. Many of these employ a treble hook. However, treble hooks snag the tree roots and other woody cover common near catfish lairs. Treble hooks also aren’t much fun when dealing with a catfish flopping in the current. Instead, consider using a circle hook. These hooks nearly always grab in the corner of the fish’s mouth, avoiding the problem of gut hooking.

The South Fork of the Licking River in Harrison and Pendleton counties also offers opportunities for catfish, with biologists sampling flathead catfish up to 26 inches there. The river features numerous undercut banks, downed trees and root wads that provide habitat for flatheads.

Shiners or tiny long ear sunfish fished on a 3/8-ounce slip sinker are good ways to catch these fish.

The Green River above Green River Lake holds bountiful channel catfish from 15 to 20 inches. The section fishes similar to Elkhorn Creek, with undercut banks, root wads and logs as the primary channel catfish habitat. Dip bait works well here.

Downstream of the lake to Mammoth Cave National Park, the Green River holds impressive numbers of channel catfish from 17 to 25 inches long. The fishing in this section of the river depends on releases from Green River Lake Dam. Check the Daily Lake Report on the Louisville District website for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Releases from 50 cfs (cubic feet per second) up to 200 cfs provide the best levels for catfishing.

Drift cut bait in rocky holes with moderate current by using a 3/8-ounce threeway rig for channels on this stretch of river.

LAKES Small to mid-size reservoirs also make good places to catch flathead and channel catfish. Lake Herrington in central Kentucky holds many large flathead catfish. At times, the schools of shad in Herrington are so thick it seems you could walk across the lake on them.

Savvy anglers throw a cast net for shad,

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Timothy Ridgeway is all smiles as he holds up a 30½inch channel catfish caught out of the Kentucky River.

then place them in a round, aerated bait tank with the water iced down and salted to help keep the baitfish alive. Some anglers favor small bluegill for bait instead, because they survive longer in the livewell than shad.

Place enough split shot about two feet above a 5/0 octopus-style hook to get the bait to sink slowly. Cast the rig against rock bluffs at night for flatheads, concentrating on the indentations and cracks in the abundant limestone.

Buckhorn Lake in Leslie and Perry counties is another destination for catfish anglers. This 1,200-acre lake holds an excellent population of channel and flathead catfish, with some flatheads exceeding 40 pounds.

Fish small bluegills on a 1-ounce slip sinker rig along the flats in the upper lake at night in summer through fall for flatheads.

For channel catfish, concentrate on rocky banks in the lower and mid-lake areas.

Channels will hit night crawlers, stink bait and chicken livers or gizzards fished in these areas at dusk and at night. A 3/8-ounce slip sinker rig works well in this situation.

Carpenter Lake, a 68-acre lake in Da-

viess County, along with the neighboring Kingfisher Lakes, one 13 acres with another 21 acres, are listed as up and coming fisheries for channel catfish in the department’s annual Fishing Forecast.

Channel catfish in crescent-shaped Carpenter Lake exhibit excellent growth rates.

Night crawlers fished on a light slip sinker rig on the flats at night produce fish. Check the “Find a Place to Fish” page on the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website (fw.ky.gov) for an excellent bottom contour map of Carpenter Lake. Carpenter holds many eating-sized channels from 15 to 22 inches long.

Fish the same night crawler rig on the sections of Kingfisher lakes that border KY 405 for numbers of chanPhoto submitted nel catfish.

Another hotspot in western Kentucky is 760-acre Lake Beshear in Caldwell and Christian counties. The channel catfish population in the lake earned an excellent rating in the department’s annual Fishing Forecast. Night fishing with cut bait or night crawlers on the rocky banks in the Piney and Clifty Creek arms of the lake produces channel catfish.

Suspending cut bait under noodles or jugs is a popular way to catch channel catfish here as well. The lake holds abundant numbers of channel catfish from 15 to 24 inches.

Suspending bait under a noodle is a great way to produce catfish in the 3- to 7-pound range at Kentucky Lake or Lake Barkley.

“I use a 2-foot section of pool noodle and run a piece of 1-inch PVC pipe through the hole in the noodle that sticks out about 6 inches,” said John Hast, bear biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife and a western Kentucky native. “I drill a hole in the PVC pipe and tie on 6 feet of duck decoy line through the hole. I glue the noodle to the PVC pipe so it stays snug.”

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Joe McDermott nets a chunky catfish caught on a noodle in Kentucky Lake.

Kevin Kelly photo

Noodles are the new jugs for fishing.

Kevin Kelly photo

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Hast prefers duck decoy line because it does not rot. “I slide an egg sinker on the decoy line and tie it to a barrel swivel,” he said. “I tie on about 2 feet of 20-pound monofilament leader to the other end of the barrel swivel.”

He prefers a Kahle-style hook ranging from 4/0 to 6/0 in size. “I use hot dogs and pieces of chicken soaked in strawberry Jello mix,” he said. “I use ½ cup of water and shake it up really well and let it sit overnight.”

Chicken gizzards also make up part of Hast’s bait arsenal. “Gizzards are cheap and they stay on the hook,” he said.

On Kentucky Lake, Hast favors the coves around Shawnee Bay. “The perfect scenario is an east wind that blows the noodles back into the bay,” he said. “I set a long line of noodles and let them drift through the bay.”

Kentucky Lake is typically choppy, especially during the heat of the day. “If you fish noodles on the main lake, then you have to chase them in open water, they get hidden in the rollers,” Hast said.

Wind determines the amount of weight.

“It varies, but I usually use an ounce or two,” he said. “The weight makes retrieval of the noodles easier because they don’t float up on the bank. I don’t have to raise the big motor to keep it out of a mud flat or deal with overhanging trees. They don’t float up under docks with weight, either.”

Hast usually catches good-eating sized channel catfish. “l have about 47 noodles now. On my last trip, I had a fish on before I even had put 15 noodles out,” Hast said. “I caught 8 to 10 decent channels all about 20 to 24 inches long. The next day I caught 15 or 16 about that size and released two big ones. I get good meat, white meat off them.

I vacuum seal them and freeze them. A couple of trips sets me up with catfish for the rest of the year.”

Hit these waters this summer and fall for blue, flathead and channel catfish. In a time of rising grocery prices, a meal of fresh catfish fillets, corn on the cob and coleslaw is a meal worthy of any restaurant. n Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield 13

Summer 2017 $2.95

Since 1945

Spacious Peabody WMA provides ample hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities

Multiple Choice

By Kevin Kelly

14 Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

fw.ky.gov

P

eabody Wildlife Management Area is a sprawling – by Kentucky standards – complex of reclaimed mine land in the heart of the state’s western coal field region.

Approaching 46,000 acres, the patchwork of properties sprawled across Ohio, Hopkins and Muhlenberg counties is the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ largest wildlife management area (WMA). It holds that distinction by a comfortable margin.

“My favorite aspect of the area is the amount of ground that we have and the opportunities that it offers,” said wildlife biologist Eric Williams, who manages the area for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “We’ve got deer.

We’ve got turkey. We’ve got quail. Rabbit.

Plenty of ground to be able to find an area to hunt. All the fishing opportunities you can want. I think that’s our biggest draw for members of the public - you can find anything that you’re interested in doing out here.”

Its considerable size, vast network of roadways and wooly terrain can leave those

unfamiliar with the area feeling overwhelmed and unsure about where to start.

Michael Austin, who has two trophy bucks from Peabody to his credit, can attest to the challenge of scouting the area’s vast landscape.

“The first time I ever went onto Peabody, I thought it was like being in another country. It’s not like anything else you see anywhere,” he said. “There is some really rough terrain, just rough country to try to scout and walk through and hunt. It can be overwhelming for hunters.”

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s website, fw.ky.gov, is a good jumping-off point for anyone wishing to explore the area. The website offers printable and interactive maps of the WMA along with links to fishing and boating access sites, a bird checklist and a new quail hunting booklet packed with tips to help upland bird hunters enjoy greater success in the field.

Distilling that information and visiting the area are keys to realizing all that the property can offer hunters, anglers, birders -

anyone who enjoys outdoor recreation.

When asked for his recommendations about where to hunt or fish on Peabody, Williams asks questions in return. What do you like to hunt? How do you like to hunt?

Do you like to hunt big woods? Do you like to hunt small game? Are you a field hunter?

“Then I’ll point them in a certain direction,” he said.

What are you interested in fishing for?

Where are you coming from?

“Then I’ll stop them at the quickest place,” he said.

Peabody WMA is divided into nine units. The Joseph Fay Britt-White City Unit, Vogue Unit and River Queen Unit comprise its western properties. The Sinclair Unit, Ken Unit, Baker Bottoms Unit, Homestead Unit, McHenry Unit and Centertown Unit make up the area’s eastern properties.

A network of more than 100 miles of Scott Cronin lands a bluegill from one of Peabody Wildlife Management Area’s many small lakes.

Kevin Kelly photo

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roads courses throughout the area, making detailed maps a necessity for first-time visitors. The GPS on a smartphone also can be beneficial, but cellular reception can be spotty.

To utilize the area for any purpose, a $15 user permit is required for people 16 years old and older. Buy one in advance through the department’s website at fw.ky. gov, or at a license vendor. The WMA office does not sell permits.

Permit fees help pay for upkeep on the nearly 72 square miles of property, including road maintenance, wildlife habitat work, plus building and maintaining the area’s many fishing piers.

Fishing

A recent survey conducted by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife shows fishing draws the most visitors to Peabody. Driving this is the area’s nearly 300 ponds and lakes ranging from ⅓-acre up to 183 acres.

Anglers can explore a variety of waters, from swamps in the alluvial bottoms

16 Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

to high-walled lakes left over from strip mining.

Most of Peabody’s lakes are deep and clear. This creates low fertility conditions in some of the lakes, which can inhibit the size and number of fish. Nevertheless, anglers can still find good fishing for largemouth bass, catfish, crappie, bluegill and redear.

“One thing about Peabody is you have to run and gun,” said Scott Harp, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Green River Region wildlife coordinator. “If they aren’t cooperating in one lake, go to the next one pretty quick.”

Peabody has 77 designated boat ramps.

Access to most lakes is easiest with a johnboat, canoe or kayak, but many spots offer good bank access. Anglers planning to fish by boat should be aware that all lakes on the area, including Goose, Island and South lakes, are idle speed only.

Island, South, Ken, Musky, Jack’s, Rob’s, Bell and Tom’s lakes on the Ken Unit, and Goose Lake and Adkin’s Swamp on the Sinclair Unit, are among the most popular

among anglers.

Goose, Island and South lakes are located in a wildlife refuge and closed to fishing from Oct. 15-March 15.

Enticing bites from bluegill and redear can be as simple as tipping a feather jig with a wax worm or threading a wax worm onto a gold Aberdeen hook and fishing under a bobber.

“Don’t be afraid to drop a worm in 15to 20-feet of water and bounce the bottom, then work up slow, if you can’t find them somewhat shallow,” Harp said.

On high-walled lakes, probe drop-offs and points and around any structure, like fallen timber and beaver huts.

The clear water conditions found on most lakes call for smaller lures and lighter line.

Target largemouth bass with plastic worms, lizards, grubs and jerk baits. Lure color preference leans toward subtle tones, such as brown, blue, smoke, black, and watermelon. Spinnerbaits from ⅛-ounce to ¼-ounce in chartreuse or white, smaller

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Deer Hunting

On such a large area, scouting becomes even more critical for hunters.

Michael Austin harvested this 185-inch nontypical buck in November 2017 on Peabody WMA in Ohio County. several scouting trips a year from his home in Sardis, Tennessee.

Photo courtesy Michael Austin He looks for areas deep in the interior, where multiple habitat types come together. His hunting spots are usually within a mile or two of neighboring corn or soybean fields.

“That’s not too hard to do on Peabody because it is not just one big contiguous area.

It’s several chunks of land spread out in the counties, so there’s some good farmland around most of it,” Austin said. “You want thick (cover) for deer to be able to live for four or five years without being harvested and Peabody’s got plenty of that.”

Deer hunting with a modern firearm drives the deer season harvest on Peabody, as it does across the state. Peabody’s modern gun season is independent from the county zones surrounding it. On the area, modern gun season starts on the second Saturday in November – Nov. 10 this year – and continues for 10 consecutive days. Modern gun hunters accounted for 78 percent of the 662 deer taken on the area last year.

Austin, who has hunted Peabody since 2005, prepares for the season by making

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crankbaits and in-line spinners also are worth a spot in your tackle box.

In even-numbered years, Island Lake, Jack’s Lake, Rob’s Lake, South Lake and Old Boy Scout Lake receive stockings of channel catfish. The lakes last received redear sunfish in 2014.

“Most of our better crappie lakes are the ones that do get flooded by the Green River or one of its tributaries, like Ken Lake,” Williams said. “Ken Lake itself is about 178 acres and it gets through-pipe flooding from the Green River. So it’s got some nice blue catfish, channel catfish and flathead catfish along with crappie, bass and bluegill.”

Peabody also offers a seasonal opportunity to catch rainbow trout. Access Lake and Rob’s Lake on the Ken Unit and Flycatcher Lake on the Sinclair Unit are stocked with rainbow trout in January and November.

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His public lands strategy works: he’s bagged two trophy book bucks since he started hunting on Peabody, including a 176 17-point non-typical taken with a Remington pump action rifle last November. That buck scored 185 in the Boone and Crockett Club scoring system.

“Peabody has everything it takes to grow big deer but you’ve got to figure out a way to get a shot at them after they’ve spent four years getting away from hunters,” he said.

Hunters who need to sight-in their deer rifles before the season can do so at the tube range on the Homestead Unit in Ohio County.

While the modern gun deer season is a

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big draw for hunters like Austin, bowhunters looking for a pre-rut place to hunt with lots of deer might want to consider Peabody.

Archers took 66 deer last season70on the area.

“We don’t see any one area that produces larger bucks or more deer,” Williams said.

“It all seems to be the same.”

Bird and Small Game Hunting As of this year, Peabody is a national quail focus area under the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative. Habitat im-

provements undertaken on the Ken and Sinclair units over the past decade have focused on improving the quail population and produced encouraging results.

Biologists have found a combination of block disking, controlled burning, herbicide application and plantings produce the best results for wildlife.

Williams is quick to point out that quail have not been the only beneficiaries.

“The habitat work we’ve been doing not only benefits quail but also rabbits, turkeys and deer,” Williams said. “It’s been amazing.”

In fall and winter, Peabody is a popular

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destination among rabbit and quail hunters.

Both groups need to be aware of new areaspecific regulations for the 2018 hunting seasons.

Quail hunting will be allowed on the Sinclair Unit from 7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays. On the Ken Unit, quail hunting will be allowed during the same hours but on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The daily bag limit is four quail on either unit.

Starting this year, rabbit and quail hunters on the Sinclair and Ken units also will need to check in and check out at a self-service kiosk and display a department-

fw.ky.gov

provided vehicle hangtag in a vehicle. The hangtags will be available in advance on the department’s website.

“With these changes, the aim is to maximize hunter opportunity and positive hunting experiences,” said John Morgan, small game coordinator with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “Our concern is, primarily, that we’ve been putting a lot of opportunity out there on these premier areas but the longer the season goes on the less likely you are to have success, probably because of the hunting pressure. So we’re trying to control hunting pressure to hopefully extend the period of time that you can have positive hunting experiences even as you go deeper into the season.”

Waterfowl Hunting

With so much water on the area, waterfowl hunting opportunities are popular locally. Some of the larger swamps attract duck hunters from outside the region.

“The Ken Unit is pretty popular because it’s got more water bodies than any place else on the WMA,” Williams said. “The Sinclair Unit, with Adkins Swamp, gets a lot of use.

Flat Creek Bottoms on the White City Unit is about a 600-acre swamp that gets quite a bit of use and you have the Pond River right there as well. A lot of people will put a boat in and go out there.”

Again, scouting goes a long way.

“It takes a lot of scouting to hunt Peabody because there’s so much water there and a lot of it is lakes,” said Wes Little, mi-

With so many water bodies scattered across Peabody WMA, scouting helps waterfowl hunters improve their success rates. gratory bird program biologist with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “Anywhere can have waterfowl; it’s just where they’re going to be. There are very few of those shallowwater spots and there are going to be hunters there. So you’ve got to do your scouting, get there early, get your spot and follow the regulations.”

Shooting hours on Peabody WMA are 30 minutes before sunrise until 2 p.m. on portions of the area that are open to hunting. Waterfowl hunters cannot enter an area before 4 a.m. One new waterfowl hunting opportunity to consider this year is the September Canada Goose season, which runs Sept. 16-30.

The Sinclair Unit is a mobility-impaired access area. More information about mobility-impaired hunter access permits is available in the Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, available online at fw.ky.gov.

Primitive camping is allowed on the area, but only alongside maintained roads.

No backcountry camping is allowed. Camping is popular during deer and turkey seasons, and in the summer among people who like to fish, especially for catfish at night.

For anglers, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, Peabody offers something for just about everybody.

“I love the area,” Austin said. “It’s rough, but it’s beautiful.” n Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield 19

NATURE NOTEBOOK

Hydrilla

Scourge of waterways now in six Kentucky lakes Story by Justin Heflin Illustrations by Rick Hill

Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) is an underwater aquatic plant that originated in Asia. Its first known introduction in the United States occurred in Florida during the 1950s. Since then, it has spread to 33 states, including Kentucky. This invasive plant now grows in Kentucky, Dewey, Carr Creek, Paintsville, Greenbo and Cave Run lakes.

Turion

Tuber

20 Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

Hydrilla is a thin-stalked plant.

Its pointed leaves grow in whorls of four to eight around the stem. Hydrilla rarely reproduces through seeds. Instead, it usually spreads by tubers, turions – the buds found against the leaf - and fragmentation. The process of fragmentation, the most common way hydrilla spreads, occurs when part of the plant breaks off and sprouts in a new area.

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Hydrilla grows quickly – up to an inch per day. It can double its biomass in two weeks. Hydrilla also has special characteristics that help it outcompete other aquatic plants. It also can grow in light as dim as 1 percent. It grows deeper than most other aquatic plants – as much as 30 feet deep - and starts photosynthesizing much earlier in the morning. Hydrilla branches heavily as it grows closer to the surface, forming large mats that block sunlight to other vegetation below. Hydrilla stores enough nutrients in its tubers to allow it to live for up to seven years in the soil without sprouting.

Hydrilla is an example of why people should never introduce foreign plants to Kentucky’s waterways. Ecosystems are delicate. The introduction of new plants or animals can cause major harm to native species. fw.ky.gov

Combatting hydrilla is no simple task; prevention is the best means of control.

Boaters and anglers should avoid boating through the mats of hydrilla. They must clean all vegetation off the boat. Anglers who fish an infested lake then plan to launch at an unaffected lake should keep their boats out of the water for at least five days to allow any hidden plant material to dry out.

The dense mats of hydrilla impact all forms of water recreation. Fish in infested lakes don’t grow as long or weigh as much because they have a harder time finding prey. Hydrilla can affect fish reproduction by growing over spawning sites. This invasive plant is tough to control because it has no natural predators or diseases.

Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield 21

David Baker photo

the

Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River Obie Williams photo

22 Kentucky AfieldAfield Summer 2018 2018 22 Kentucky Summer

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Paddling the eastern borderlands in search of big fish and rich history

By Lee McClellan he violent collisions between Earth’s tectonic plates and the resulting uplifts that formed the southern Appalachians in Kentucky find their most stark and dramatic relief in easternmost Pike County. The nearly vertical mountains and narrow valleys provide vistas as arresting as any in the state.

The Tug Fork of Big Sandy River, which forms part of the boundary between Kentucky and West Virginia, flows through this maze of steep ridges. The Tug carries in its waters healthy smallmouth bass, large flathead catfish and the detritus of longterm human habitation of the valley. The ruggedness of the Tug Fork Valley rubbed off on its settlers; this is a land of notorious family feuds, rugged individualism and labor conflicts.

It’s fitting that even the name of the river derives from the toughness of its people.

In the winter of 1756, early in the French and Indian War, a group of Virginia soldiers returning home followed the North Fork of “Sandy Creek.” Their stomachs empty for days, they boiled, then ate the leather straps, or “tugs,” that they used to tie gear to their packs. They also drank the “tug” soup in an effort to avoid starvation.

Afterward, soldiers began calling the river Tug Fork.

The river wears a long history of human exploitation of the valley’s timber and coal resources. It is scarred, but not defeated, and in the process of healing. Water quality in the Tug Fork has dramatically improved during the past few decades. It now supports a population of smallmouth bass that rivals

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The first riffle downstream of the HatfieldMcCoy Park is the longest of the float. any found in Kentucky.

“The smallmouth bass in the Tug Fork are one of its most popular fish and doing very well,” said Kevin Frey, Eastern Fisheries District biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

“The fishery continues to improve from the late 1980s.”

Fisheries crews used to find 10-15 smallmouth bass per hour while doing population sampling there. “Now, we average 50 fish per hour,” Frey said. “The size distribution is really good. We have smallmouths in the 21- to 22-inch range on the larger end. We have plenty of 3- to 4-pound fish to go after.”

Muskellunge will be another top shelf predator for Tug Fork anglers to pursue in the coming years due to a joint stocking effort between the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources and Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

Dave Dreves, assistant director of fisheries for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, said the department stocked 100 muskellunge measuring 13 inches in May 2017, along with 25,000 muskie fry at Hatfield-McCoy Park in McCarr. A similar stocking occurred at Burnwell while the river near South Williamson received 190 of the larger muskellunge, along with 52,300 fry.

“This year, in late summer, we are going to stock

This is a land of notorious family feuds, rugged individualism and labor conflicts.

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9-inch muskellunge in partnership with West Virginia. Each state will contribute 195 fish,” Dreves said. “We intend to keep doing this through 2021.”

Water Flow Matters Two floats showcase the history and beauty of the Tug Fork Valley. One is a short but productive journey through the heart of the Hatfield-McCoy feud country. The other is a longer voyage featuring excellent scenery and smallmouth bass fishing.

Paddlers must consult the weather forecast before heading out. Runoff from the steep mountains of the headwaters can turn the normally placid river into a muddy, foamy froth in a matter of hours.

“You’ll do better if the Tug is clear, so you can pinpoint where to cast and fish,” Frey said.

Finding the flow’s sweet spot for productive fishing and enjoyable floating is the key for paddling the Tug. Go online to the Williamson gauge on the United States Geological Survey streamflow webpage to find the latest information. Flows of 200 to 700 cfs (cubic feet a second) offer the best conditions for paddling and fishing. Paddlers will likely need to walk their boats over drops and shallow shoals if flows are lower. The Tug’s mild drops are perfect for families, beginners and intermediate paddlers.

Hatfield-McCoy Park to Matewan The first float begins at the Hatfield-McCoy Park in the McCarr community in Pike County. It ends about three miles downstream at a public ramp in Matewan, West Virginia.

To reach the Hatfield-McCoy Park, take U.S. 119 east from Pikeville for approximately 23 miles. Turn right onto Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield 23

Obie Williams photo

KY 319 for 7 miles then left (east) on KY 1056 for 3 miles. The parking lot for the launch lies just after the playground and paved walking path at Hatfield-McCoy Park.

Paddlers will need to leave a shuttle vehicle at the take-out, located across the state line and a few miles away. To reach the takeout, take KY 1056 across the Tug into West Virginia. After 1 mile, turn left onto WV 49 at the T-intersection. After 2 miles, look for a tennis court and playground on the left. A road beside the tennis court leads you to the take out.

The route to the put-in is steeped with the history of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, a murderous conflict between two families that lasted nearly three decades.

The drive, followed by the float down the river, touches many significant sites of America’s most notorious feud. A little history helps paddlers understand the underpinnings of the conflict along the way.

Driving on KY 319 brings travelers through the coal town of Hardy. On

24 Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

its southern fringes awaits the site of the Randolph McCoy Cabin. Here, an attack by nine members of the Hatfield family on Jan. 1, 1888, resulted in the deaths of two of Randolph McCoy’s children. The attack also severely injured McCoy’s wife, Sally.

Just down from the junction of KY 319 and KY 1056 stands the cabin of the Rev. Anderson “Preacher Anse” Hatfield, who served as a justice of the peace. This is the site of the Hog Trial, in which Randall McCoy accused Floyd Hatfield of stealing a hog. McCoy’s loss at the trial intensified the feud between the families.

Also near the cabin is the site of the “Election Day Fight” in early August 1882.

Tolbert McCoy jumped Elias Hatfield, the brother of “Preacher Anse” Hatfield, over $1.75 owed Tolbert from the sale of a fiddle.

Family member Ellison Hatfield joined the fight. Tolbert, along with two of his brothers, stabbed Ellison 26 times then shot him for good measure. Ellison died two days later, leading to the famous “Paw Paw Incident” in which the McCoy brothers were

The Matewan floodwall illustrates significant events in the town’s history. tied to trees and shot.

After putting in at Hatfield-McCoy Park, this short float gives anglers time to paddle upstream past the old railroad bridge and fish the long hole back to the launch.

Anglers should fish the rocky mouth of Blackberry Creek with a 3-inch, electric blue swimbait. This imitates some of the native shiners that smallmouth bass favor.

Local anglers say this hole holds flathead catfish topping 20 pounds. “The catfish in the Tug are phenomenal, both channel and flathead catfish,” Frey said. “When we electroshock the river during population sampling, the channels are so thick you could practically walk across the river on them. There are plenty of numbers of channels from 16 to 24 inches, prime eating size.”

Target flatheads in rocky areas with live bait such as shiners, bluegill and green sunfish on a slip-sinker rig. Anglers have good motivation to try this kind of fishing. “We

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Randolph Mccoy cc

Patriarch of the McCoy Clan

volatile country

“Devil Anse” Hatfield

Patriarch of the Hatfield Clan Photos courtesy www.tourpikecounty.com

The dramatic events that unfolded during the Hatfield and McCoy feud have become part of Kentucky’s lush historical tapestry. Landmarks highlighting violent confrontations between the two families are scattered throughout eastern Pike County. Many are open to the public.

Obie Williams photo

FEUD destinations

(Above) The Randolph McCoy cabin, and site of the famous hog trial, can be accessed off of KY 319, just before its intersection with KY 1056. (Below) The site of the Paw Paw Incident, where the lives of three McCoys were taken by a posse led by “Devil Anse” Hatfield, is now a public park in Buskirk, Kentucky. It can be accessed via KY 1056 between McCarr, Kentucky and Matewan, West Virginia, and can also be seen while floating the Tug Fork (see map for exact location).

Obie William s photo

regularly see flatheads above 30 pounds, and up to 45 pounds or so,” Frey said.

Good smallmouth bass fishing begins at the first drop downstream of the launch.

Cast a beaver-style creature bait in hues of green pumpkin and blue in the flowing water just above the drop. A 1/8-ounce, green pumpkin or black skirted double-tailed grub also works well here.

Paddlers negotiating the braided water just downstream of the launch should take the chute on river left. What follows are a series of mild riffles bordered by water willows that hold smallmouth bass. This is a good place to work a black, 4-inch finesse worm rigged on a 1/8-ounce jig. Black is a productive color for smallmouth bass in summer and fall.

The Tug next flows over a long shoal before taking a hard left. Shoals like this are good spots to work medium-running, crawfish-colored crankbaits.

Paddlers soon will see the Matewan floodwall in the distance. The wall features murals of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, the Battle of Matewan labor dispute and mountain scenes.

The flat on the left of the bend is the site of the Paw-Paw Incident. After Ellison Hatfield’s murder by three McCoy brothers, a posse lead by “Devil Anse” Hatfield, the cousin of “Preacher Anse” Hatfield, captured the trio. They tied the McCoy brothers to the bankside paw paw trees and shot them.

The bank below this area is a good place for anglers to beach their boats and fish. Work the current above and below the rapids at the floodwall with an electric blue swimbait for smallmouth bass.

The Tug deepens with a rocky bank on river right after flowing underneath the KY 1056 bridge. “This stretch of river is known for big flathead catfish,” Frey said. “There are also some big channel cats through there as well.”

At the end of the deep hole, the river constricts and flows over a riffle before disappearing around a hard right bend. The drop downstream of the bend offers some of the best smallmouth bass water on this float.

Creature baits fished along current seams draw strikes here. This is also a good place to fish a swimbait. It’s worth it to pull over and wade fish here.

The Tug then flows through deeper water that holds flathead catfish. Target the

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rocky areas and woody cover for these rugged fighters.

Soon, paddlers will see the double bridge of the Norfolk Southern Railroad.

The Tug constricts and increases its velocity here. The substrate also grows rocky: prime smallmouth bass habitat.

“The area around the railroad bridge is known for rock bass and big smallmouth bass,” Frey said.

Wade fish the rock bar downstream of the bridge thoroughly. Drift a black finesse worm in the current, letting it gently touch the bottom occasionally.

The river then bends gently left and flows over two small drops that hold smallmouth bass. It soon gains depth with some rocky banks on the outside bend, prime flat-

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head catfish territory.

The take-out on river right is easy to miss. Watch out for broken glass around the access.

Matewan to Williamson/South Williamson The second float begins at the Matewan access. Paddlers can end their trip after 10 miles at Williamson, West Virginia, or go another 2 miles to the concrete boat ramp in South Williamson, Kentucky. Paddlers should be on the water early and prepared to leave late due to the length of this float.

This deeper float features more paddling than fishing. Wise anglers should concentrate on the flowing water upstream and downstream of stream drops and enjoy

Old railroad bridge Obie Williams photo

the scenery and paddling through the many long, tranquil deep holes in this stretch of water.

The first bend downstream of the Matewan access features gravel bars and flowing shoals that hold smallmouth bass. This bend forms a horseshoe, with opportunities for anglers to beach their boats and thoroughly fish the gravel bars with a green pumpkin, 3/16-ounce, double-tailed skirted grub, or an electric blue swimbait.

Paddlers next encounter a straight stretch of medium-depth water. Paddlers will pass under a golf course bridge and a railroad bridge. After a third bridge, the Tug bends left and into the float’s best smallmouth bass water. Anglers should pound gravel bars downstream of the bend with their skirted grub.

The Tug takes a hard right and flows over a deep, aquamarine hole. A long gravel bar lies on river left. This is Burnwell Beach.

Aside from stopping to admire its arresting mountain views, the beach is a good place to pull over and wade the shallower, flowing shoal to cast for hefty smallmouth bass.

Shoals and stream drops grow infrequent downstream of Burnwell Beach as the river transitions to long holes and tranquil waters. Anglers should paddle through this section until the river bends hard left and braids.

fw.ky.gov

or Tug F

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" Smallmouth bass in the Tug are ARREN "(Left) " (Right) abundant in size and numbers.

OUNTY " The low head dam in Williamson must be portaged around. A distinct metal wall " marks " the dam’s location.

Phil Moore Park (P2)

a mile to reach a concrete boat ramp in South Williamson, Kentucky. The ramp on river left, just downstream of a hard 65 right bend and deep hole.

Vehicles for this shuttle KY 240 BOWLING GREEN Road Access Here, rocky bars hold smallmouth bass. should continue on WV 49 KY 622 cess "with the skirted grub Probe these areas from the Matewan access. The " and Road Access " 240 " £ " the finesse worm. In late summer £ and KY fall, road follows the river for apBOWLING GREEN Road Access KY 240 let these lures rest on the bottom and let " the proximately 9½ miles. Turn left Road Access Goodrum Road current flutter them.

Smallmouth bass often onto " " Road Access " £ £ U.S. 52 and continue for WARREN Goodrum Road £ Road Access resist this presentation. " cannot two miles. Turn left onto Har" Lee McClellan photo COUNTY £ some of this vey Street Phil and cross the river "The next mile or so features Moore Woody Atkinson Park (P2) "U.S. Road Access infrequent shoals rimmed with £ section’s waAnglers may park behind"the water into Kentucky. Cross 119 and continue 65 Phil Moore ter willow. Work a 3-inch, sexy shad-colored plant and carry their boats out via a path on Second Street. Turn " Parkleft(P1) onto Central swimbait in the deep flowing water near the behind a metal retaining wall upstream of Avenue (KY 292) for slightly more than shoals, and along the water willow beds. WOODBURN the dam. Paddlers may before restau£ portage on " also " ei- half65a mile then turn right, " sign marking The Tug flows gently until a railroad ther side of the dam. " Local anglers report rant. Look for a small white bridge appears in the distance, followed by catches of hefty smallmouth bass in excess " the entrance.

ALLEN KY 240 Fork combines history, scenThe Tug the U.S. 119 Bridge. Paddlers must pre- of three pounds below the " dam.

Road Access COUNTY £ WOODBURN ery and excellent pare for a dangerous low head dam awaiting" For this shuttle, continue on WV 49 KY 622 " fishing in the eastern " most Road Access " NKLIN section of Kentucky.

It is worth the KY drive to them a few hundred yards upstream of the from the Matewan access. The road follows " 240 Road Access Dam to take out highway bridge. this incredibly scenic corner of the state. the river for approximately 9½ miles. Turn " n Goodrum Road This dam was created in the 1980s to left onto U.S. 52 and continue for two miles.

1.5 miles Sadler Ford/Clay " Road Access Starks Road Access serve the water treatment plant of Wil- Turn left onto Vinson Street, then an im- Learn more about the Hatfield-McCoy £ WILLIAMSON " liamson, West Virginia. Local officials are mediate left onto East Third Avenue to the Feud and more of what Pike County has "to Atkinson Woody studying ways to make the passage safer as parkingSIMPSON area. offer Low online Road Access head at tourpikecounty.com, or call dam they create a water trail for the Tug" Fork.

Boaters also may paddle for more than (606) 432-5063.

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fw.ky.gov

Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield 27

MISSION:

e l b i s s o P

W

aiting just one more day would have turned the effort into a Mission Impossible experience.

Still, rescuing nearly 300 fish from a lake losing water challenged the ingenuity and mettle of crews from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

“The lake at Big Bone Lick State Park was already down three feet, and they were dropping it by 10 inches a day,” said Fisheries Biologist David Baker. “The banks were that kind of soupy mud that comes from years of sediment.

“We took a look at it and thought, this is going to be bad.”

Ironically, the state park in northern Kentucky draws its name from the Ice Age mammoths, stag-moose, bison and mastodons whose bones were recovered from the ancient swamps and salt licks of the area.

Fortunately, that collection will not include the bones of the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife crew or their shocking boats – although the mud surrounding the park’s 9-acre lake did give its best effort.

Without a ramp on the Boone County lake, the crew had to pick a spot on the exposed banks to launch the two electrofishing boats needed to collect fish. “As soon as the boat trailer hit the mud, it sank all the way to the boat’s transom. We had to plow mud with the back of the boat to get it into the water,” Baker said. “We nearly sunk the boat trying to launch it. If we had waited one more day, we probably couldn’t have pulled this off.”

The effort in early July came

28 Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

An extraordinary effort to rescue fish from a lake losing water Story by Dave Baker Photos by Obie Williams about with the discovery of a leak in the dam. Getting at the problem area would require dropping the lake level significantly, with the possibility of having to drain it entirely. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife worked closely with the Kentucky Department of Parks to collect fish then move them to another lake in need of bigger predators.

For the task, personnel from the Central Fisheries District, Transportation and Fishing in Neighborhoods sections worked

together to pull it off.

The muddy banks were not the only difficulty encountered. “The challenge for us was there wasn’t a developed access road to the lake. So we had to drive our trucks pulling the shocking boats up a hiking trail,” Baker said. “The trail goes up the back side of a 70-foot dam, and we could not get the fish hauling truck up there. So we had to shuttle fish in a side-by-side from the lake to the truck parked below.”

Recovering the boats proved just as challenging. Fisheries crews picked their launch site carefully – realizing they would likely have to winch the trucks and trailers away from the bank, they picked a spot with a good-sized tree to attach a winch cable.

Even the oversized truck winches strained at the effort to recover the equipment.

Crews worked quickly to reduce stress on the fish as the heat index climbed past the 100-degree mark. Workers recovered nearly 300 fish, specifically targeting larger predators, such as bass and catfish. These fish ultimately reached their destination at Benjy Kinman Lake in Henry County.

“We usually get 2-5 inch bass from the hatchery for stocking, but most of the bass we got out of Big Bone Lick Lake were 11 to 14 inches,” Baker said. “So Kinman Lake got a boost of larger fish that should get on the shad pretty quick.”

A survey of Kinman Lake afterward revealed all but one fish survived despite the heat and stress of the move. Mission accomplished. n

fw.ky.gov

Stuck in the muck.

The gooey mud along the banks of the rapidly dropping lake produced a major challenge for the intrepid fisheries team. Trailers sank past their axles and created a steep angle that nearly sunk boats at water’s edge. Retrieving the boats and their buried trailers required a heavy-duty truck winch attached to a stout hickory tree.Â

Moving fish.

Fisheries crews transferred lake water into a large tub placed in the back of a side-by-side utility vehicle.

This acclimated fish gathered by the shocking boat for the transfer and helped keep them alive. The utility vehicle made several trips down the back side of the dam to a fish stocking truck waiting below.

fw.ky.gov

Summer 29 Summer2018 2018 Kentucky KentuckyAfield Afield 29

Fish & Wildlife

OUt-

New book details the evolution of a beloved central Kentucky creek

DOOR NEWS

Rick Hill illustration

Water scorpions are large predator insects found in ponds, lakes and slow moving streams.

They breathe while submerged by pushing a long respirator siphon, much like a human snorkel, out of the water. Water scorpions capture prey, such as tiny fish and insects, by use of their jointed front legs.

Compiled by Dave Baker, Kevin Kelly and Lee McClellan

30 Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

ELKHORN CREEK FLOWS through the heart of Franklin County, with human history and geology intertwined in its rich waters. Although licked at its edges by development, the valley of the main stem of the Elkhorn still retains the patina of its historic past, lending a feel to the visitor of what it looked like in the day when artist Paul Sawyier painted his landscapes of the creek.

Richard Taylor, former Kentucky poet laureate and current professor of English at Transylvania University, penned a history of the creek in his recently published book, “Elkhorn: Evolution of a Kentucky Landscape.” Taylor’s monumental work, published by The University Press of Kentucky,

details the geologic and human changes to the creek over the centuries.

Taylor’s interest in the Elkhorn blossomed when he bought the historic 1859 Giltner-Holt house along the creek in 1975. His property borders the historic farm of Judge Harry Innes, an important figure in the settlement of the Elkhorn valley and in pioneer Kentucky.

Taylor records the contributions of the overlooked but important Innes in meticulous detail, highlighting his long, acrimonious feud with the influential early Kentucky politician, Humphrey Marshall.

The poet and philosopher in Taylor emerges in the text often, lending an esoteric quality and depth rarely found in local histories. Anyone who has paddled the Elkhorn in successive years understands the Greek philosopher Heraclitus’ dictum, “No one ever steps in the same river twice.” The floods of late winter frequently melt islands in the Elkhorn; the waters often fill in good smallmouth bass holes while carving new ones downstream.

The book relates the story of the early Elkhorn valley surveyors Hancock Taylor and John Floyd, who met grisly

fw.ky.gov

outdoor news fates at the hands of Native Americans enraged at their presence. The work the two surveyors managed to complete opened up large swaths of central Kentucky to settlement.

Richard Taylor also exhaustively details the raid by the Wyandotte on the Cook Settlement, in their attempt to drive the interlopers out of central Kentucky in 1792.

Two of the Cook cabins still exist, overlooking Elkhorn Creek downstream from the Forks of Elkhorn. Paddlers can catch glimpses of them in winter.

As Kentucky developed from a rough-hewn pioneer society into a more civilized one, so did entrepreneurs on the Elkhorn. Taylor documents the rise and fall of Ebenezer Stedman, who manufactured much of the paper used by the Kentucky state government from the late 1830s through the Civil War from his mill complex on the banks of Elkhorn Creek.

Stedman printed money for the Confederate government; but its failure to pay him in full led to the downfall of his business. A few huge timbers buried in the bottom of the Elkhorn and a few tumbledown stone foundations are all that remain of Stedmantown’s mill.

Taylor ends the book with a chapter on turnof-the-century artist Paul Sawyier, followed by a historical explanation of the Elkhorn’s relics.

This deep, richly researched book gives readers a powerful understanding of Elkhorn Creek’s history, geology and place in central Kentucky society.

fw.ky.gov

Retired state police leader named head of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Law Enforcement Division

Dave Baker photo

A RETIRED KENTUCKY State Police officer with decades of experience will lead the Law Enforcement Division of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

Lancaster native Col. Eric Gibson began his service with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife this summer.

“I want to increase the re-

lationship between sportsmen and women and our officers, so that people are comfortable with our officers and they are approachable,” he said. “I want our officers to be a good source of information to people in their counties.”

“I also want a dedicated effort to conserve wildlife and Kentucky’s natural resources,” he said.

Gibson began his law enforcement career at the Richmond Post of the Kentucky State Police in 1995. He earned a promotion to Sargeant in 2006 and Detective Sargeant in 2007.

While at state police, Gib-

son led a multi-agency task force combating illegal narcotics in central Kentucky. He later became assistant commander and operations director for the Governor’s Marijuana Task Force. He retired from state police in 2017.

Gibson wants to emphasize boating safety, along with modernizing and upgrading the equipment conservation officers need. A primary goal is increasing law enforcement manpower across Kentucky. “I want to provide coverage for each county, so they have a local officer in that county,” he said.

Wisconsin presents check for grouse restoration Eric Lobner (left), director of the wildlife management program, Wisconsin DNR, Gabe Jenkins, deer and elk program coordinator Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, Kim DeLozier, RMEF, Jimmy Bevins, Chairman of the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission and Steve Beam, director of Wildlife for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

ERIC LOBNER, DIRECTOR of the wildlife management program for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, presented the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources with a check

Mark Marraccini photo

for $288,000 for grouse restoration efforts in eastern Kentucky earlier this summer.

The check is part of an agreement between the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Kentucky Fish

and Wildlife concerning elk restoration efforts in Wisconsin. As part of the agreement, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife provided elk to Wisconsin for that state’s elk restoration effort.

Wisconsin is providing Kentucky grouse restoration guidance and funds for habitat work.

Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield 31

Pollinator habitat added to Veterans Memorial WMA VISITORS TO Veterans Memorial Wildlife Management Area (WMA) near Georgetown can enjoy a 5-acre field of wildflowers, thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Bayer North American Bee Care Program.

The grant supports local pollinator species populations by improving habitat, providing a site for the public to enjoy and offering local schools and other organizations a place for research and education. Plantings included multiple types of habitat, including upper and lowland meadows and a pond area.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources provided the site for the Feed a Bee Pollinator Habitat Project

1-2Pg.indd 1

32 Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

near the entrance of the wildlife management area.

Kay Bechel, owner of Hay Honey and Horsen Around, and a volunteer with the Double Eagle Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation in Scott County, was instrumental in obtaining the grant. The new area is an expansion of previous plantings done during Jake's Day events hosted by the local chapter at Veterans Memorial WMA. Wildlife Biologist Dave Frederick joined Kay Bechel in a field planted with pollinators at Veterans Memorial WMA. Bechel helped obtain a grant for the project.

Eric Smith photo

7/11/2018 12:37:19 PM

fw.ky.gov

outdoor news

Teachey named manager of Salato Wildlife Education Center A NAVY VETERAN and former park ranger is the new manager of the Salato Wildlife Education Center.

Heather “Teach” Teachey was named branch manager of the popular family destination in July. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources operates the Salato Center at its headquarters campus in Frankfort. The center offers conservation displays and viewing of live wildlife in naturalized enclosures.

“Other than serving in the Navy, this is the best job I’ve ever had,” Teachey said. “Watching the positive effects our message has on the public is rewarding

on so many levels. The Salato team is passionate, professional and knowledgeable. It is a privilege to manage such competent people for such a worthy cause.”

Teachey earned her degree in Recreation and Park Administration from Eastern Kentucky University. She is a five-year Navy veteran, serving as an aviation electrician’s mate maintaining Navy spy planes.

She served as a park ranger for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2017 and worked in the aquatic education program of the R 3 branch of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Information and Education Division.

Teachey’s goals include el-

Dave Baker photo

New Salato Wildlife Education Center manager Heather “Teach” Teachey (holding turtle) wants to share the center’s wildlife and conservation message with even more people. evating the center’s visitation beyond 60,000 people a year.

“In my opinion, the Salato Center is the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife storefront and wildlife

conservation is our product,” Teachey said. “By selling this product, we ultimately serve the mission of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.”

Dave Baker photos

NEW OFFICERS, NEW BEGINNING

fw.ky.gov

Left: Franklin District Judge Chris Olds administers the oath of service to 11 new conservation officers at a graduation ceremony held in Frankfort. Right: Officer Clint Cox took the opportunity afterward to propose to his childhood sweetheart, Ashley Gibson. She said yes. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s newest conservation officers include Andrew Amburgey, Jonathan Barks, James Berry, Timothy Brett, Kyle Clark, Clint Cox, Paul Hughes, Alexander Kidd, Floyd Maggard, Dylan Martin and Paul Sorrell.

Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield 33

Department program offers Louisville residents a fishing education FOURTEEN MEMBERS OF Outdoor Afro of Louisville enjoyed a day at Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area in Meade County as part of a Hook and Cook workshop held in May. Outdoor Afro is a nationwide network that celebrates and inspires African American connections and leadership in nature.

Several adults brought along kids to share in the fun.

“Outdoor Afro Kentucky participants have shared their childhood memories of fishing trips and have been excited to expose this cherished pastime with their children and loved ones,” Alicia Hurle, event coordinator for Outdoor Afro of Louisville. “Kentucky Fish and Wildlife made everything really accessible to our participants who are new to fishing and everyone left ready to plan their

Shannen Patterson (left) and Keyana Thorn enjoy an afternoon of fishing during a Hook and Cook workshop at Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area.

next fishing trip.”

The event is one of many offered by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources through its recruitment and retention programs.

Hook and Cook caters to anglers, while Field to Fork is geared toward people wanting

creek side to learn how to filet a fish, followed by a fish fry for lunch. Afterwards, everyone had the opportunity to test out their new skills and go fishing.

“We’re hoping to partner with Kentucky Samantha Seaton photo Fish and Wildlife for a fly fishing event this to learn how to hunt.

For their day, Outdoor fall,” Hurle said. “The Hook Afro participants learned about and Cook program is a wonderfishing regulations, equipment ful opportunity to learn fishing selection, setting up a rod and skills and more about Kenreel, fish identification and bait tucky’s aquatic wildlife.”

For more information selection. A handful of kids who accompanied the adults about these programs, go online perfected their casting skills to fw.ky.gov and search under with the Backyard Bass casting the “education” tab at the top of game. Participants later went the page.

Woods and Water Law Quiz Test your knowledge of Kentucky’s woods and waters regulations. Do you know the answers to the following questions?

Samantha Seaton photo

Kevin Cowherd (left) picks up fish fileting tips from Camp Earl Wallace Counselor Alex Cline.

34 Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

1. Do you need to keep the head and/or fully feathered wing attached to a mourning dove that you’ve harvested?

2. Can you swim at smaller, state-owned lakes such as Cedar Creek Lake? (answers on page 36)

fw.ky.gov

outdoor news

Brian Moore photo

Kentucky Wild rounds up new members KENTUCKY WILD, a new initiative of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to support wildlife diversity, has quickly grown to include members from 12 states.

A Kentucky Wild donation and membership offers participants an opportunity to enjoy a wildlife experience with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife

employees. The first experience allowed members to try their hand at rounding up Canada geese for banding research this summer at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.

“It went great,” said Kentucky Wild Coordinator Laura Burford. “We had five members who brought five guests and we worked up 123 birds, most of

NATURE HILL-USTRATED • By Rick Hill Hmm... poli-ticks...

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fw.ky.gov

VOTE OFTEN

Your side BITES

Brian Moore photo

Participants in the first Kentucky Wild hands-on program included Rebecca Grau (left) and Kayla Franck. which received a band. This site had not had a goose roundup for a long time.”

Participants conducted some disease monitoring on the

geese, as well.

Members and their guests included fathers with daughters, husbands with wives, fathers with sons and co-workers.

“This is an exciting new initiative,” Burford said. “Kentucky Wild is a way to partner with folks that we didn’t have an avenue to reach before.

Members can invest in helping bolster wildlife populations.”

All funds raised by Kentucky Wild go directly to the Wildlife Diversity Program of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

This section manages wildlife species that are not hunted such as songbirds, raptors, reptiles, bats, freshwater mussels and unique stream fish species, such as darters.

“Income from Kentucky Wild funds monitoring and research, purchasing research equipment and helps facilitate habitat improvements for these species,” Burford said.

To learn more about Kentucky wild or become a member, visit the Kentucky Wild website at fw.ky.gov/kywild.

Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield 35

EARLY MIGRATORY BIRD SEASON DATES 2018-19 DOVES First segment: Sept. 1 – Oct. 26 Second segment: Nov. 22 – Dec. 2 Third segment: Dec. 22, 2018 – Jan. 13, 2019

Woods and Water Law Quiz Answers 1. No. However, but must keep a head or fully feathered wing attached if you harvest a Eurasian collared dove, which is not a native species. Eurasian collared doves do not count toward the 15-bird daily bag limit for mourning doves.

2. Swimming in any lake owned or managed by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is prohibited, except in areas set aside for swimming. A qualified lifeguard must be on duty in order to swim.

WOODCOCK First segment: Oct. 27 – Nov. 9 Second segment: Nov. 12 – Dec. 12 SNIPE First segment: Sept. 19 – Oct. 28 Second segment: Nov. 22, 2018 – Jan. 27, 2019

MOORHENS, VIRGINIA and SORA RAILS Sept. 1 – Nov. 9

Follow us on Twitter!

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife: @kyfishwildlife Kentucky Afield Magazine: @kyafield Kentucky Afield TV: @kentuckyafield

Fisheries WESTERN DISTRICT @kyfisheriesw • Kentucky Lake • Kentucky Lake Tailwater • Lake Barkley • Lake Barkley Tailwater • Lake Beshear

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36 Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

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EASTERN DISTRICT @kyfisheriese • Paintsville Lake • Dewey Lake • Yatesville Lake • Fishtrap Lake • Martins Fork Lake • Carr Creek Lake

NORTHWESTERN DISTRICT @kyfisheriesnw • Lake Malone • Rough River Lake • Nolin River Lake

Ballard

SOUTHEASTERN DISTRICT @kyfisheriesse • Lake Cumberland • Lake Cumberland Tailwater • Laurel River Lake • Cedar Creek Lake • Buckhorn Lake

NORTHEASTERN DISTRICT @kyfisheriesne • Cave Run Lake • Licking River • Grayson Lake

Whitley

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Knox

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fw.ky.gov

cooking

Fresh fish, garden tomatoes offer best of summer • By Dave Baker

Simple Sear Fresh is the word for summer. It’s when gardens overflow with tomatoes and stringers weigh heavy with channel catfish.

Take advantage of the season and try a simple sear for your fish that allows you to fully enjoy the flavors of summer. Add a salad of vine-ripened tomatoes from your garden or local farmer’s market, and you have a

lighter meal that keeps you going.

This recipe requires a piping hot cast iron skillet that can really smoke up the house. If you have a gas grill, put your skillet on the grate, close the lid and let it heat over high flame for 10 minutes. A good sear, whether it’s on the stove or on the grill, works best for this recipe. n

RECIPE 5 medium, garden-ripe tomatoes, diced 1 sweet onion, preferably Vidalia, thin sliced 1 avocado, diced 4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped 1 lime 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Kosher salt Fresh ground pepper 1 pound fish filets, preferably catfish Canola oil 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided Dice fresh tomatoes, preferably an interesting mix of heirloom varieties.

Add onions, avocado, cilantro and olive oil. Cut lime in half. Squeeze juice from one of the halves over the salad mixture. Reserve the other piece of lime.

Sprinkle salt and grind pepper over salad, to taste. Mix well.

For bigger fish filets, cut as wide as your spatula. Pat filets dry with paper towel, then coat thinly with canola oil.

Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper.

Warm skillet over high heat until smoking hot. Pour a thin coat of canola oil over the bottom of the pan. Add fish to skillet and sear for two minutes. Add butter then flip fish. Butter will begin browning. Tilt pan on edge then scoop melted butter over filet with metal spoon. Continue doing until the fish is flaky. This can be anywhere from an extra 2-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filet.

Plate with tomato salad and squeeze the reserved lime over the fish.

Kick back and enjoy all the freshness summertime offers.

Obie Williams photo

fw.ky.gov

Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield 37

habitat

Pollinator habitat blooms near Elizabethtown • By John Goodin

Farmland Conversion Sarah Routt and John Bowles felt their farms needed a new direction after leasing their property out for corn and soybean production. So, they came to their local USDA service center looking for something else to do with their land.

As farm bill biologist for the area, I discussed alternatives available through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). At the time, pollinator plantings were the only option for landowners who wished to enroll entire fields into the program.

Routt and Bowles liked the idea of tak-

ing their farms in Hardin and Larue counties out of crop production to let the land rest – with the bonus of providing habitat for pollinators and small game.

Pollinator plantings typically include nine or more species of wildflowers, mixed with a spattering of short native grasses.

These colorful wildflowers not only serve as pollen sources, but the grasses and bare Black-eyed Susans and purple coneflowers are popular native wildflowers that grow in Kentucky.

John Goodin photos

Landowners and land users have a variety of technical and financial assistance available. For more information, contact your Kentucky Fish and Wildlife private lands or farm bill biologist. Call 1-800-858-1549 or go online to fw.ky.gov to find the biologist serving your area.

38 Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

ground offer bee nesting cover. These plantings also attract insects that quail and turkey poults feed on, and provide places for many species of wildlife to nest and raise their young.

Only one herbicide treatment was required to reduce weed competition since both farms had been previously cropped.

Routt and Bowles spoke with the staff at Roundstone Native Seed Company. They selected a wildflower mix of 15 species along with some native grasses.

Some landowners make the mistake of planting native grass and forbs too deep.

After speaking with me in depth about this issue, the landowners decided to contract the work through someone with experience planting native seed. Roundstone did the work in spring 2016.

The planting only produced a few flowers at first because of undesirable competition from Johnsongrass, an invasive species native to the Mediterranean. Since the herbicides that control Johnsongrass also eradicate the desired wildflowers, I suggested top clipping, or bush hogging higher than the desired species. Doing this for the first three years would keep the Johnsongrass at bay while allowing the flowers to seed and create a seed bank.

The second summer yielded a sea of yellow over 300 acres as several coreopsis species bloomed through June. The third summer produced an impressive bloom of bergamot and Black-eyed Susans. The area is the second largest pollinator planting on private lands in Kentucky.

The landowners are happy with the plantings. On a recent field visit to photograph the field, I heard quail calling and witnessed fields alive with bees and butterflies. n

fw.ky.gov

destinations

• By Lee McClellan

Jones-Keeney WMA

ree k

G u m lick B r.

town Lewis h Rd. Churc

ditions on Jones-Keeney make excellent habitat for rare plant species such as bugbane, rushfoil and To Dawson Springs glade knotweed. The area is also Cla 69 rk R . home to the shrub black cohosh, d a plant usually found in eastern Kentucky, but rare in the western Archery part of the state.

Range Rd. .

Rd Rifle & k A trail from the parking area a Archery re b at Archery Range Road leads to g Range Lon another natural wonder, Waterfall 62 Cave. Locals know it as Saltpeter Cave, or the Rockhouse.

1627 Saltpeter Cave consists of a To Princeton waterfall with a deep rock shelter behind it. Near the cave is a small Jones-Keeney WMA natural bridge, one of the few in west Kentucky. The natural bridge Fork lynn F is pristine, so visitors should find r k or me o F it on their own to help protect it E. from vandals.

The Caldwell County Sports. man’s Club operates a rifle range d off U.S. 62 adjacent to the area. It r on 627 s bu es Scott is open for public use, except dur-K N ee ing club events. ney Rd. Visitors must be careful on Adrienne Yancy illustration Jones-Keeney WMA. The steep JONES-KEENEY WILDLIFE Manage- of old growth forest, with some near Hunt- terrain and bluffs pose a hazard to those not ment Area in Caldwell County combines er’s Bluff. “It is upland woodland,” Hahs paying attention. n history with special features. said. “The area is high and dry hills which The property, extending just over 2,000 limits tree growth, but the trees are bigger acres, is the first wildlife management area and older than what you will see in the surHOW TO GET THERE (WMA) acquired by the Kentucky Depart- rounding area.”

From Dawson Springs, take U.S. 62 west ment of Fish and Wildlife Resources, back The area is open under statewide regufor four miles to Archery Range Road in 1931. The area also grants access to Hunt- lations for hunting for all species. “The area on the left. Look for the brown signs er’s Bluff, a piece of the Dripping Springs is best for turkey and squirrel,” Hahs said. denoting Jones-Keeney WMA. Escarpment that gives visitors some of the “Jones-Keeney is so steep and rugged that grandest views in west Kentucky. it would be hard to get a harvested deer out “When you stand on Hunter’s Bluff, of there. Squirrels like the older growth foryou can see a long way. It is a special place,” est.” said Pat Hahs, public lands biologist for Spring turkey hunting on Jones-Keeney JonesHenderson Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “In October is productive. “It is in the heart of all that Keeney WMA when the leaves change, it is an ideal place good turkey hunting area in west Kentucky,” Cadiz to be.”

Hahs said.

Jones-Keeney WMA holds some tracts The older forest and undisturbed con-

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A place of natural wonders

Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield 39

ask the experts Boaters at Dewey Lake (left) must power through mats of hydrilla. This invasive weed is already found in six Kentucky lakes, and can easily spread if not properly cleaned from boats and trailers.

Kevin Frey photos

Q

There’s an old saying, “grass equals bass.” Does this mean introducing hydrilla to a lake will improve bass fishing there?

A

There are many misconceptions and misinformation surrounding hydrilla.

Hydrilla is an invasive species that lacks natural control factors. For that reason, it acts differently than native aquatic vegetation and proves that not all “grass” is the same. Hydrilla grows quickly, outcompetes other types of vegetation and can grow under poor conditions. As a result, hydrilla forms massive mats that cover acres and acres of the lake. Other types of vegetation don’t form these kind of barriers.

The main issue with hydrilla is these mats. Many studies have shown that there

is an optimal density of aquatic vegetation – too much can damage fish populations.

Hydrilla typically fits in the “too much” category. Other types of native aquatic vegetation usually maintain an optimal density, providing benefits to a fishery.

What about the assumption that “grass equals bass”? Studies from the southeast have shown that as hydrilla mats grow, largemouth bass anglers can see an increased catch rate of smaller largemouth bass but weights of these fish are lower than normal.

Additionally, it takes anglers longer to catch a memorable bass (a bass over 20 inches) in lakes with hydrilla.

While hydrilla has been in three eastern Kentucky reservoirs for more than a decade, these lakes still struggle to produce high quality bass populations. The introduction of hydrilla does not equal better bass.

What does all this mean for fishing?

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Catfish • Peabody

WMA • Tug Fork

• Fish Rescue

40 Kentucky Afield Summer 2018

First, the dense mats cause a decrease in growth rates and condition factors of largemouth bass. So, you’ll have smaller fish that don’t weigh much for their size when compared to lakes without hydrilla; so it can hurt the overall population.

Second, the best fishing for a predator fish like a largemouth bass occurs along the edges and pockets of weed mats. Native vegetation forms diverse clusters of weeds with many pockets and edges.

Hydrilla grows into a monoculture mat that covers acres of the lake with no pockets and edges.

Finally, in lower fertility systems where fish growth rates are already a problem, hydrilla compounds the problem by making it more difficult for predators to get at prey hiding in the dense vegetation. This slows the growth rate of predators even more. So, in stunted lakes where anglers are not catching many big fish, the situation worsens.

The federal government lists hydrilla as a noxious weed, meaning it harms ecosystems. This is not a weed wanted in Kentucky waters. Little can be done for lakes except to try and keep access ramps open. However, anglers and boaters can help prevent its spread. For tips on how you can help, see the Nature Notebook section on page 20.

Tom Timmermann, Northeastern Fishery District Biologist

fw.ky.gov

your story

Our battle with the Ninja carp • By Jana Mansfield

Crappie Tales I once struck up a conversation with a stranger while on a flight from Maui to Oahu. He was Hawaiian and was pleased to learn I was from Kentucky. He told me he watched “Kentucky Afield” every week and was fascinated with the state’s wildlife, the landscape and its people. One day, he hoped to travel to Kentucky to catch crappie – only he pronounced it the way one might say you were having a terrible day. I didn’t have the heart to correct him; I was too amazed that someone living in such a beautiful and diverse paradise was interested in my home.

“Do you fish for crappie?” he asked.

“I sure do,” I replied, then proceeded to tell him about a recent fishing trip with my husband, chocked full of surprises.

After launching our 12-foot johnboat at sunrise on a bayou near the Ohio River in Livingston County, we carefully zigzagged past numerous visible and submerged stumps. As careful as we were, suddenly our little boat was sitting squarely atop a large stump hidden below the water. We tried to power over it. Nothing. We tried to back up.

Nothing. We tried rocking the boat. Nothing.

We tried powering right, then left, at full speed, but only succeeded in spinning the boat in circles, with dizzying results.

Again, nothing.

Fifteen minutes later, after numerous attempts, we discussed someone jumping in and pushing the boat off the stump. Neither of us wanted to spend the rest of the day soaked, so we gave it one last attempt by simultaneously rocking the boat while

fw.ky.gov

Photo courtesy Jana Mansfield

powering forward. The boat slipped off the stump and we breathed a sigh of relief. We continued to an area of the bayou where we caught a mess of fish a few weeks earlier.

I used minnows; my husband used jigs.

I pulled out three nice crappie; he changed to minnows.

By late morning, we had tangled with an enormous snapping turtle, wrestled with a giant gar and caught a couple of catfish; but, most importantly, we had enough crappie for the freezer, plus evening dinner.

Not wanting to call it quits, we reluctantly packed up our poles, securing them for the ride back to the boat ramp.

Suddenly, as the motor launched the

WHAT’S YOUR STORY? Share your favorite story and photo of a good day outdoors with the readers of Kentucky Afield. Email us at ky.afield@ky.gov. If we use your story, you’ll receive a free one-year subscription to Kentucky Afield.

Author Jana Mansfield and her husband, Lynn Mansfield, battled a hostile Asian carp while returning from a fishing trip. boat forward, a huge Asian carp jumped from the water, striking us in the back and knocking me to the bottom of the boat. The fish then flopped viciously near the motor, where a fight ensued between it and my husband. The fish surrendered after a few powerful blows from the paddle, but not before my husband suffered a few gashes on his hand from the carp’s sharp fins. We cautiously continued on, expecting to face another attack from the depths at any moment.

While most fishing trips offer a relaxing day listening to birds chirping, beavers slapping the water or watching muskrats chasing one another, this particular day was a bit more challenging and unnerving.

“One I will never forget,” I said to my fellow passenger. n Author Jana Mansfield is a retired high school English teacher who now has the time to write personal narratives. That is, when she’s not battling Asian carp.

Summer 2018 Kentucky Afield 41

Your license dollars at work

Anglers have the opportunity to catch a variety of fish thanks to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s stocking programs. Each year, we stock nearly 16 million fish representing 24 species into Kentucky’s waters.

Your purchase of a fishing or hunting license helps make this possible.

Support the great outdoors. Buy your license today.

Lee McClellan photo