Kentucky Afield Summer 2016 issue by Kentucky Afield

Summer 2016

Since 1945

$2.95

Hawg Hunting • Tygarts Creek Vet • Floyds Fork Creek • Liberty Nature Center

Cover Story Hawg Hunting

Four lakes to scout for your next trophy bass By Lee McClellan

On the cover: A bass lurking in a lake’s flooded timber awaits its prey in Rick Hill’s “Bigmouth.”

Ryan Oster photo

Summer 2016

22 Floyds Fork fun

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

FEATURES

Lifetime Love Affair • By Kevin Kelly

Bass Fishing Tips from Chad Miles • By Kevin Kelly

Blue Water Trails: Floating Floyds Fork

Liberty Nature Center • By Lyndsey Williams

Tygarts Creek draws 96-year-old Carter County veteran back time and again

Host of “Kentucky Afield” TV shares his experience

By Lee McClellan New public access opens 9 more miles of creek A place for injured birds to call home

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

New record elk

Photo courtesy Tony Brown

Summer 2016

Departments 4 5

Viewpoint

Fishing

7 20

Breadcrumbs to a Bucket List

Front Porch

Law Enforcement’s New Director New-age Tools Help Anglers Find Fish

Hunting

New Elk Archery Record

Nature Notebook The Grass Carp

30 37 38

Outdoor News

39 40 41

Destinations

News from Fish and Wildlife

Cooking

Catfish Quesadillas

Habitat

Fire Erupts at Perryville Battlefield Hunting Access Areas

Ask the Experts

Kentucky Afield

CONTRIBUTORS Lyndsey Williams (Liberty Nature Center) graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Integrated Strategic Communications. Her internship with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife emphasized writing and advertising with creative, research, public relations and marketing requirements. Her hobbies include nature photography and hiking.

Armadillos

Your Story

Habitat Improvement Works

ADDRESS CHANGED? 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

ADVERTISE IN KENTUCKY AFIELD MAGAZINE! 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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VIEWPOINT • By Kentucky Afield Editor Dave Baker

since 1945

Commonwealth of Kentucky Matthew G. Bevin, Governor

FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION First District Terry Teitloff, Smithland Second District C. F. “Frank” Williams, Madisonville Third District Russell J. Gailor, Louisville Fourth District Barry W. Stotts, Columbia Fifth District Jimmy Bevins, Owenton Sixth District Stephen Glenn, Frankfort Seventh District vacant Eighth District vacant Ninth District vacant Commissioner Emeritus Dr. James R. Rich, Taylor Mill

Department of FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES Commissioner Gregory K. Johnson Deputy Commissioner Charles Bush Deputy Commissioner Karen Waldrop Wildlife Director Steve Beam Fisheries Director Ron Brooks Law Enforcement Director Col. Rodney Coffey Information & Education Director Tim Slone Administrative Services Director Billye Haslett Engineering Director David Bruce (acting) Public Affairs 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 Editorial Intern Lyndsey Williams

SUBSCRIPTIONS fw.ky.gov Printed by Advertiser Printers Inc. Dayton, Ky. Volume 72 Number 2

Breadcrumbs to a Bucket List I INHERITED A dusty old pile of folders when my old friend and former boss, Carl West, died in February. His neighbor and good friend, Anne, was preparing the house for the estate auction when she called to ask if I wanted Carl’s fishing notes. “They’re nothing that would sell,” she explained. “I was going to toss them in the recycling bin, but I thought you might want to see them.” Sure, I replied. Anne greeted me at the door of Carl’s house and invited me inside. The rooms of the old bachelor were stacked with coats, fly tying equipment, furniture, dozens of boxes, even a clay thrower missing its spring. “Carl was a pack rat,” she said. “He never threw anything away. I don’t know why he kept all those fishing papers.” One by one, she pulled a dozen folders out of a box and handed them to me. The writer in me hoped for fishing diaries or drafts of stories about trout in exotic places. I sat in my living room that night, turned on the reading lamp and opened each folder, hoping to find treasure inside. The faint aroma of Carl’s pipe arose from the slightly brittle paper.

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

Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

No diaries. No short stories. Just pages of receipts, packing lists, AAA maps, phone numbers, printed emails from optimistic guides and breathless magazine articles on some of the country’s best fishing destinaRick Hill photo tions. The folders, I realized, were Carl’s bucket list. And what a list it was. While well into his 60s, Carl rode his motorcycle from Frankfort to Key West to try his hand at bonefish. Joined by his golden retriever, Mac, he drove to New Mexico in his SUV to fish the hallowed San Juan River. His trips included Louisiana redfish, Lake Erie steelhead and Colorado River trout, among others. Carl left behind more than just a bucket list. The folders, filled with phone numbers, email addresses, fly patterns, brochures and lists of motels, were breadcrumbs for other anglers to follow. It made me realize that Kentucky Afield does the same. We sprinkle breadcrumbs throughout our pages to lure folks outside to enjoy everything the state has to offer. Life is short. The outdoors is vast. Isn’t it time we all filled our bucket list? 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

front porch

Former Sheriff of the Year takes over • By Rodney Coffey

Col. Rodney Coffey now serves as director of the Law Enforcement Division of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

Photo courtesy Rodney Coffey

Law Enforcement’s New Director I WAS ORIGINALLY raised on a small farm in Indiana before moving to central Florida when I was 8 years old. Fresh water lakes surrounded our new home, providing me great hunting opportunities and the chance to fish for catfish late at night. Later, I married my high school sweetheart and we decided to move to Kentucky. We’ve lived 26 years on a family farm that

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we currently share with our children and grandchildren. My law enforcement career began shortly after we moved to Kentucky. After graduating from the Police Academy at Eastern Kentucky University in 1994, I started work at the Morehead State University Police Department. I stayed there for 4½ years, working my way up to lieuten-

ant and training officer before leaving the department. In 1998, the voters of Menifee County elected me as sheriff. I was 28 – and one of the youngest sheriffs ever elected. I served as sheriff for the next 16 years, gaining law enforcement experience at many different levels. In 2003, I was named Kentucky’s Sheriff of the Year. I was successfully nominated for the FBI National Academy and graduated from the program. I also had the great honor during my time as sheriff to serve in dual service to the United States Naval Reserves for eight years and the Kentucky Sheriff ’s Association as a board member for 14 years. In my final year as sheriff, I served as president of the Kentucky Sheriff ’s Association. Upon retiring in December 2014, I had no idea what the next chapter in my life held, but I knew the Lord had something else planned for me. So my wife and I prayed that the Lord would open the next door so that I could take what I have learned in my past experience and make a difference in someone else's life. A year and a half later, I now find myself serving as law enforcement director for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to work with the men and women of the department. Although my law enforcement career has prepared me for many challenges, I have discovered in just a few short weeks that I am in a true learning curve: going from traditional law enforcement to dealing with bears, monkeys and wildlife complaints. This is a new adventure every day, and I am truly blessed and loving every minute of it. n Col. Rodney Coffey became director of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Law Enforcement Division in May. Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield

FISHING

Attractors, bottom contour maps among features • By Kevin Kelly

Want to find all the department’s fish attractors?

Tom Timmermann photo

Online maps provide GPS coordinates.

KDFWR illustration

New-age Tools Help Anglers Find Fish ADVANCES IN MARINE electronics and satellite mapping are changing the way anglers find the best places to fish. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ website at fw.ky.gov is another resource that helps cut down on some of the guesswork. Through it, anglers can access useful information about individual lakes and what’s in them. The “Where to Fish” and “Lakes with Fish Attractors” pages are maintained by fisheries biologist Don Bunnell, who oversees databases and web management in the department’s Fisheries Research Section. “Every time I get a change, it’s changed on the website,” Bunnell said. Clicking on the “Fish” tab on the department’s home page and choosing “Where to Fish” from the dropdown menu whisks users to a page featuring links to more than 250 waterbodies across the state. Each listing includes detailed information such as special fishing regulations and ramp locations. Users also can access interactive Google maps. These maps offer satellite imagery and show exact locations of fish

Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

attractors placed by department employees. Clicking on the specific icon on the map provides information on the location, type, latitude and longitude. Christmas trees, pallet stacks, weighted brush piles, stake beds or buckets and other materials are used as fish-attracting habitat. Type “lakes with fish attractors” in the search box on the department’s home page to easily reach a web page just for those lakes. Some lake listings also provide a link to new bottom contour maps. The department compiles these maps by canvassing a lake and utilizing a depth finder to collect data essentially every second while the boat is moving. The data are converted into contour maps using a software program. “We’ve concentrated on Fishing in Neighborhoods (FINs) lakes and stateowned lakes like Guist Creek, Corinth, Elmer Davis,” Bunnell said. “Many times we’re not actually collecting that data specifically to make contour maps. We’re also collecting that data to get volume estimates and to get other estimates in case we need to do some-

thing like a rotenone shad eradication.” Knowing the underwater contour of a lake is valuable information for those operating without depth finders or sonar units. Like the fish attractors, knowing the locations of physical features under water can save time. Anglers already are reaping the benefits of the ongoing large-scale habitat improvement project at Cave Run Lake. Crappie anglers there enjoyed great fishing around fish attractors this spring. These locations are noted on a map, which can be found by typing “Cave Run Lake Fish Habitat Improvement Project” in the search box on the department’s home page. The map lists the locations of fish attractors and habitat reefs as well as their GPS coordinates. “We’ve tried really hard to get the word out there and to publicize what we’ve been doing because we want people to take advantage of it,” said Tom Timmermann, Northeast Fisheries District biologist with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “We’re not keeping any secrets. We’re here trying to provide places for people to fish. We want them to use them.” n

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HUNTING

Teen downs big bull in January • By Kevin Kelly

New Elk Archery Record The final weekend of Kentucky’s 2015-16 elk season rewarded the perseverance of a 14-year-old high school student from Cincinnati with a new state archery record. Anthony Brown was bow hunting on reclaimed mine land in Letcher County with his father, Tony Brown, when he downed a 7x7 bull on Jan. 16. “It was huge,” Anthony Brown said. “Like a horse with a rack,” was how his father put it. A Pope and Young Club scorer determined the final score at 373 4/8, making Anthony’s bull the largest taken with a bow in Kentucky since elk hunting returned to the state in 2001. Based on records maintained by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, only the bull taken by Lexington rifle hunter David Giles in October 2015 measured larger: that 8x9 non-typical bull scored 377 5/8. “I have some classmates who are into hunting and they were just amazed at the size of it,” Anthony said. “I told them I shot it with a bow and arrow and they were like, ‘No way. You can’t shoot that thing with a bow and arrow.’” Tony Brown gave his son the compound bow last year. Anthony Brown shot it nearly

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Anthony Brown’s elk not only is Kentucky’s new Pope and Young record, but it’s the second-largest bull ever taken in the state. every day. “I wasn’t that accurate at first,” he said, “but I got it down.” The Browns made several trips to the elk zone during the season and Anthony was feeling somewhat discouraged after missing a bull first thing in the morning on Jan. 16. By chance, the Browns met the father of a cow elk hunter and he tipped them off about a pair of bulls bedded nearby. After a long hike up the hill, they spot-

ted the elk and the teenager cautiously closed the gap. As he leaned over to get a better view and range the elk, Anthony slipped and cracked a big stick. “There was another bull with him that was smaller,” he said. “He stood up and was looking right at me. And just then the guy that we were staying with comes driving down the road and both of the elk look at him. I took two big steps forward and up the hill. Photo courtesy Tony Brown “I ranged the big one and he’s at 45 yards. I have a 40yard pin. We had practiced the holdover the week before, so I hold over on it and I shoot. I actually see the arrow hit the elk before it runs off. I turned back to dad and I was like, ‘Yeah!’” Brown’s first shot pierced the animal’s lungs. When they caught up with it, it took two more shots before the bull succumbed. Sharing the experience and spending time with his father made it all the more special in Anthony’s mind. “It was priceless,” he said. “I had a great time. When we saw that elk, all the time that we had spent, it paid off. It was just the best feeling in the world.” n

Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield

HAWG HUNTING 8

Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

fw.ky.gov

T Four lakes to scout for your next trophy bass By Lee McClellan

Photo © Eric Engbretson

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HERE ARE BASS that break off or you lose at the boat that haunt you for years. Seeing the basket-sized mouth of a trophy largemouth shaking violently and throwing your lure brings an adrenaline rush for the ages. The agony and regret that follows settles like a cannon ball in the pit of your stomach. You are left shaking with your head in your hands. The excitement of a monster bass at the end of your line is what draws many anglers into the hunt for trophy fish. Fortunately, Kentucky has several lakes with largemouth bass big enough to give you the shakes. In Kentucky, you’ll find smallmouth bass as big as anywhere in the world. So if you’ve hooked but lost that big fish – and want to recreate that adrenaline rush – here are four of the top lakes in the state to try. KENTUCKY LAKE/LAKE BARKLEY Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley rank 12th in the 2015 Bassmaster’s Top 100 Bass Lakes in the United States. Bassmaster calls Kentucky and Barkley the most consistent producers of 5-pound bass on the continent. At any time of year, you can enjoy the best bass fishing day of your life. “Both lakes are doing extremely well for bass, with a lot of fish coming on from good reproduction,” said Paul Rister, Western Fisheries District biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “Bass are still growing extremely well in both lakes,” he continued. “For many years, Kentucky Lake had better quality while Lake Barkley had better quantity. Over the past several years, Barkley has out-produced Kentucky in both quality and quantity. If I had to pick one, I would pick Barkley based on our data.” Geography plays a strong role in why these lakes consistently produce healthy, fat bass. It is a geologic anomaly that two huge rivers, the Cumberland and Tennessee, parallel each other for more than 40 miles from Tennessee north into Kentucky. The Tennessee Valley Authority dammed the Tennessee River in 1944 to form Kentucky Lake, doing the same to the Cumberland

River in 1966 to create Lake Barkley. Dave Dreves, assistant director of fisheries for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, studied the food habitats of juvenile bass in Kentucky Lake for his master’s thesis. Dreves, who once worked as the district’s assistant fisheries biologist, noted the diversity of habitat in both lakes provides an excellent foundation for trophy bass. “There are plenty of weeds and brush that makes great nursery habitat by protecting young bass from predators,” he said. “There are many slack water areas where fish don’t have to fight current the whole time and there is plenty of food for them to eat.” Dreves also noted that both lakes lie at the end of large drainages, providing a constant flow of nutrients. Something else sets these lakes apart from most others in the state: the lack of a thermocline in summer. A thermocline is the zone where the warm, oxygenated water on the top meets the colder, oxygen-depleted water below. Fish cannot survive without oxygen, so areas below the thermocline become deserts for bass. Kentucky and Barkley lakes have enough current flowing through them that they function more like giant rivers than sluggish reservoirs. Except in rare drought years, there’s enough current to keep the lakes from stratifying in summer. This provides oxygenated water into the cooler, deeper areas of the lakes, which benefits bass seeking relief from the heat. “Largemouth bass, especially, can locate deeper than they can in most good largemouth reservoirs in summer,” Dreves said. In fertile reservoirs such as Taylorsville Lake in central Kentucky, the thermocline generally ranges from 8- to 12-feet deep. Fishing below this thermocline is pointless because the fish aren’t there. The channels of Kentucky and Barkley lakes, on the other hand, maintain adequate oxygen levels past 60 feet. In summer, look for bigger largemouth and smallmouth bass on channel drops, submerged humps and deep gravel bars along the main lake. Other areas to try include the mouths of creeks and bays. Bass anglers call these locations “ledges.” Topographic maps of the lake can help anglers pinpoint these spots. Areas that look like someone dropped ink-soaked spaghetti on the page are best.

Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield

“The ideal ledge spots have Lourdes Oster holds her personal best creek channels, humps, bends 6½-pound largemouth bass caught on and other structure that crea ledge in Kentucky Lake. ates an eddy effect,” Rister explained. “The irregularities create extra current and that keeps some of those old mussel beds swept off and clean. The extra current is like a vortex where everything collects in the middle. The churning and turning of current collects plankton, which draws shad, which attracts bass.” On Lake Barkley, the bays along the Land Between The Lakes shoreline, from the dam to Davenport Bay, all have excellent channels, humps and other ledges that hold big summer bass. The channel drops across the lake on the eastern side, including the mouth of Eddy Creek, Hurricane Creek and Little River are also excellent spots. While most of these areas are known for largemouth bass, anglers report a surge of large smallmouths being green flakes or black and blue colors. caught on the west side of Barkley. Heavy ¾-ounce jigs in shades of green, On Kentucky Lake, the mouth of prac- brown or black and blue also work well in tically every bay on the Land Between The this situation. Lakes side, from the Kentucky/Barkley CaWith the rising popularity of side scan nal south to Byrd Bay, has channel drops sonar and more people targeting bass on the and ledges that hold large summer large- ledges with big baits, some anglers are optmouth bass, along with a smattering of tro- ing instead for finesse techniques. This techphy smallmouths. Some of the best are in nique involves using a drop-shot rig paired the mouth of Duncan, Sugar, Pisgah, Hig- with a 5- to 7-inch straight-tailed worm. gins, Vickers, Turkey and Ginger bays. The mouths of major creek arms such as FISHPOND LAKE Blood River, Jonathan Creek and Big Bear This diminutive 28½ acre lake in LetchCreek also make good summer ledge fishing er County may be the best spot in Kentucky areas on Kentucky Lake. to catch an oversized largemouth bass. A Carolina rig is hard to beat for fish“We had four largemouth bass caught ing deep ledges. Many anglers use at least in Fishpond submitted to the new Trophy 1-ounce weights, with some going up to 1½ Bass Propagation Program,” said Kevin ounces in summer. The Carolina rig with its Frey, Eastern Fisheries District biologist heavy weight gives incredible bottom feed- for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “We took back and versatility in soft plastic lures one three of them, all females weighing over can throw. 8 pounds. We had someone call with a 12 Six-inch soft plastic stick baits such as pounder, but we didn’t take it for the prothe Senko work well for summer ledge bass gram because we already have too many fish on these lakes. Good colors include green from the same lake.” pumpkin, June bug, watermelon candy, baby Frey said his crew sees 9- and 10-pound bass and shad. Some anglers also use 6-inch largemouth bass regularly when they conlizards or 10-inch ribbon tail worms on their duct population sampling on Fishpond, also Carolina rigs. Preferred colors include black known as Payne Gap Lake. “It is definitely the with a chartreuse tail, pumpkinseed with best lake we sample in our district,” he said.

KENTUCKY LAKE

10 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

Ryan Oster photo

Two things make Fishpond good for trophy largemouth bass. “It is an exceptionally clear and deep lake which makes for tough daytime fishing,” Frey said. “The second thing is this lake has trout and big bass really go after those trout.” The bruiser largemouths go into a feeding frenzy when the trout stocking truck delivers its payload. “The surface is chopping with bass,” Frey said. “The truck drivers stay and watch because it is so impressive. Any trout-colored crankbait or swimbait would work when they stock.” Although the lake holds huge bass, most of the fishing pressure is on the trout. Bass anglers need to concentrate their efforts on dawn, dusk and night most of the year. Rainy, dark days are also good times to fish there, especially in spring and fall. “What I see for the bass is working the woody cover around the lake, the deadfalls,” Frey said. “We see those suspended 8-feet deep in the timber. You can look down and see these giant bass, but they can see you, too.” Most daytime fishing for Fishpond largemouths comes in late spring when the fish spawn. “Anglers sight fish for them and sometimes pester them into hitting when they are preparing their nests,” Frey said. “It is tough fishing, though.”

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Paul Collins (left) and Darrick Sexton hold two largemouth bass from Fishpond Lake submitted to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Trophy Bass Propagation Program.

Jason Russell photo

Fishpond’s big bass hide underneath the algae mats. Frey suggests using a lightly weighted, trout-colored soft jerkbait or a trout-colored swimbait worked along the mats to produce bass in the daytime. During summer, though, low light periods are the only times those hogs will bite. “Night anglers have good luck with big 10- or 11-inch plastic worms in summer,” Frey said. “Purple and black are good colors. They also do well with big black and blue jig and pig combinations. The ones with large rattles do best.” A black, short-arm spinnerbait is another good option for low light fishing. “It gives you those vibrations,” Frey said. “It would be good to work near those deadfalls at night.” Frey said he typically doesn’t see any boats on Fishpond, so bass anglers fishing from one have an advantage. “Big boats can launch on the ramp easily, but it is trolling motor only,” he said. Letcher County provides excellent maintenance around the lake and keeps the bank fishing spots mowed down for shore fishing opportunities.

get Laurel River Lake for the smallmouth bass of a lifetime. “If I wanted to catch a smallmouth bass over 6 pounds, I would head to Laurel River Lake,” Williams said. “I regularly hear of fish over 7 pounds coming from the lake. It seems to get better each year.” The praise comes with a caveat: Laurel River is one tough nut to crack. The smallmouths hit sporadically and only in the best weather conditions. Daytime fishing is tough from late spring through fall. Williams said newbies may come away from Laurel convinced the lake is devoid of smallmouths. “It can be an incredibly frustrating lake to fish,” he said. “But if you catch a hog, you can’t wait to get back.” Night fishing on Laurel is the only way to go in summer. Many of the small coves in the Spruce Creek arm have ledges and dropoffs. Anglers working a Texas-rigged, 4-inch lizard in the green pumpkin candy color may fool a trophy smallmouth. This is a sleeper lure for Laurel smallmouths in the dark. Black and purple hair jigs with small black Beaver-style trailers weighing from 3/16- to 5/16-ounce also shine in the same

LAUREL RIVER LAKE Dale Hollow Lake is home to the 11-pound, 15-ounce world record smallmouth bass. It has also produced six of the 10 largest smallmouths of all time. However, Southeastern Fisheries District Biologist John Williams believes anglers should tar-

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Biologist John Williams holds a healthy smallmouth bass he caught on a white curly-tailed grub from Laurel River Lake. He believes Laurel offers the best chance to catch a smallmouth more than 6 pounds in Kentucky.

LAUREL RIVER LAKE Lee McClellan photo

FISHPOND LAKE

spots. The Laurel River arm of the lake above Hightop Boat Ramp also has coves with a pronounced channel lip that hold smallmouth bass on summer nights. The long extended points near the dam and in lower Craigs Creek make great spots to fish these same lures at night, but smallmouths also hit small black short-arm spinnerbaits worked slowly down these points. Laurel smallmouths tend to shy away from large lures, even at night. Medium-sized shiners or large crappie minnows fished on the bottom of points may be the best presentation of all for trophy Laurel smallmouths on summer nights. As summer cools into fall, daytime fishing does pick up, but only on days with leaden skies and light rain. September and October days can be dynamite fishing for anglers using small pearl and chartreuse swimbaits rigged on ¼-ounce lead-head jigs. Swim these over channel drops. Fourinch curly tailed white grubs also produce in these spots on rainy fall days. This summer, hit these lakes if you want to catch the largest largemouth or smallmouth bass of your life. They’re in there, waiting for you. n

Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 11

Tygarts Creek draws 96-year-old Carter County veteran back time and again Story by Kevin Kelly â&#x20AC;˘ Photos by Obie Williams

12 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

During an April visit to Tygarts Creek, Baker scans the hillside looking for jack-in-the-pulpit.

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Baker carries a small assortment of tried and true muskie lures in a simple waist pack.

ack Baker is just back from a half-mile stroll through the countryside on a sun-splashed morning in late October. The hillsides in this part of Carter County blaze in showy fall colors and there’s a slight chill to the air. Baker is wearing a blue plaid flannel shirt jacket over a blue and white-striped button down shirt. He settles into a porch swing, crosses his legs, and looks out over his backyard where he has neatly stacked the wood logs that will carry him through the coming winter. “There’s a lot of people 70 years old in a lot worse shape than I am,” Baker says. “I think huntin’ and fishin’ have kept me going.” His still sturdy frame, sharp mind and sound health defy expectations of a man of his age. Baker, a 96-year-old World War II Army veteran, is very much a fixture around these parts. He grew up and raised a family here, hunted small game and ginseng in the surrounding hills. He started fishing nearby Tygarts Creek before the Great Depression. Tygarts Creek meanders northeast through Carter and Greenup counties before emptying into the Ohio River at South Shore. One of the state’s native muskellunge streams, its population is now supplemented by periodic stockings by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Baker walks often along his beloved

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A muskellunge stalks a 7-inch floating crankbait as Baker slowly retrieves it.

creek for the exercise – and to occasionally pick a fight with a muskie. “My buddy used to say there’s no use in fishing Tygarts because Jack Baker’s got their mouths all sore,” he said. “But I turn ‘em loose.” Locals have grown so accustomed to seeing Baker’s white Chevy pickup parked near a bridge on the road to Carter Caves State Resort Park that they direct out-oftowners to stop there if he’s not at home. Across the road from Baker’s parking spot, a double track blocked by a steel gate follows the floodplain above the blue-green waters of the creek before dropping down to a ford. This is the area where Kentucky Fish and Wildlife fisheries biologist David Baker first encountered Jack Baker in the spring of 2015. “He had a heavy action fishing rod and this big white buzz bait tied on the line,” said David Baker, who is not related to the older man. “We got to talking. He said, ‘I love this place. I’ve been walking up and down here for years. You wouldn’t believe how many muskie I’ve caught.’ “He asked what we were doing and if we were still stocking the creek. He knew every nook and cranny. I was sitting there the whole time and couldn’t get over the fact that he’s 90-something years old and in such good shape.” Besides his fishing gear, Jack Baker car-

ries decades of memories about the creek. He recalls an uncle catching muskie from its waters using a cane pole, nylon string and live creek chubs. Jack Baker himself didn’t catch his first muskie in Tygarts until 1950. “Off of that rock up there,” he said as he glanced at the boulder jutting into a deep pool above the ford upstream of the bridge. “I was fishing for bass and catching sunfish, little bitty ones. That muskie hit and tore my little plastic reel with plastic gears all to pieces. I had 8-pound test line and held him to where he couldn’t roll. If you give those fish a little slack, they’ll roll and cut that line every time. You have to keep the line tight on them.” Local landowners know Baker well enough that they allow him access to areas otherwise off-limits to the public. On days he plans to fish, Baker gathers his favorite lures in a small waist pack and picks up his South Bend Black Beauty rod with its Abu Garcia baitcasting reel. He threads the curved metal shaft of a homemade wood-handled gaff through a belt loop on his blue jeans. The gaff isn’t used to impale his catches, he explains, but at his age helps him secure the fish so he can remove the lure with pliers before releasing it to swim away. “If I want a fish,” Baker says, “I’ll go to Long John Silver’s.” He boasts of catching as many as four Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 13

muskie in one day while walking the banks. This past April, he caught a 34-incher near where he caught his first muskie nearly six and a half decades earlier. But his favorite spot is downstream. “I used to put a boat in down here at the bridge and go down the creek about four or five miles,” Baker said. “A friend of mine’s

14 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

got a farm down there, where Sutton Creek runs into Tygarts. That’s a good day’s fishing and the best water that I know of around here.” Tygarts Creek certainly is no secret to muskie anglers. Long before Buckhorn, Green River and Cave Run lakes came into existence,

anglers counted Tygarts Creek, the Little Sandy River and Kinniconick Creek among Kentucky’s best places for muskie. “There are some holes of water on Tygarts that are absolutely beautiful – cliffbound with rhododendron and mountain laurel everywhere,” said Tom Timmermann, Northeast Fisheries District biologist with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “It’s one of the really cool fisheries in that part of the state.” As a member of the “Greatest Generation,” Baker is as much a treasure as the creek and its muskellunge. He was born in 1919. That year, Sir Barton won the Kentucky Derby and became the first horse to win the Triple Crown; the New York Yankees acquired Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox; and the Treaty of Versailles formally brought an end to World War I. Baker was working as a coal miner in West Virginia when he was drafted and sent overseas to fight in World War II. He learned too late that coal mining was considered essential to the war effort and he could have received an exemption. His military service carried him into some of the biggest battles of the European Theater. Today, Baker keeps his military portrait in a frame with three medals – the World War II Victory Medal, European-AfricanMiddle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the Army Good Conduct Medal – as well as his Army marksmanship badge. A small bronze arrowhead on the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal signifies his participation in the DDay invasion of Nazi-occupied France in June 1944. “It does something to you,” Baker said of the terrifying experience. “They strafed the boat we were on going over. I don’t remember crossing that beach. When I come to, I was on top of that cliff. “Don’t let nobody tell you you won’t be scared. I went in behind a tank, pushed the dead bodies out of the way that were floating in the water.” The small five-pointed silver service star pinned beside the arrowhead signifies participation in five campaigns. After the Normandy invasion, Baker said he was sent to Paris then east from there. “We were in this town, between Germany and Belgium, in a real small country,” he said. “They told us to move out, so we

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went back to Belgium that night. The next day we went right back where we left. That was when the Battle of the Bulge started. Right then.” He came home after the war – “I couldn’t get back quick enough,” he said – and returned to the coal mines before helping build bridges in his home state. Life hasn’t been without personal loss and tragedy. His only son died in a car crash in 1966. In 2001, a daughter, Greta, and wife, Dora, succumbed to cancer only three months apart. Such events could pound a man into submission, but Baker persevered through everything thrown at him. “He’s a good guy. He really is,” said his niece, Sally Everman, who lives in Frankfort. “He’s not real emotional. I think that’s just their upbringing and their age, just the way they were raised.” She also remembers a mischievous side to her uncle. “He’s mellowed,” Everman said. “He didn’t used to be. Oh, lord. And he drove

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Baker looks out over the boulder-strewn pool on Tygarts Creek where he caught his first muskellunge six decades earlier. He still fishes the spot to this day. like a maniac. That would tickle him to death…. If we went to visit, he’d take us somewhere. Have you been to Carter County? You know how those curves are? We’d be screaming in the backseat, crying. He just thought that was the funniest thing. So he was a little daredevil.” In the deep pool just upstream of the ford where he swam as a boy, there once was a diving board mounted on a rock overlooking the creek. The diving board is long gone and the days of Baker scaling the steep bank to fish from atop the rock are over. Time is catching up. He is now content casting from safer spots. “There’s a hole of water two or three miles below the bridge, it’s the deepest hole of water that I know of in Tygarts,” Baker said. “There’s a muskie in there, I had it hooked once from the bank, and it must bet-

ter than 50 inches long.” He knows there’s a good one in this hole above the ford, too, and invites his guests to try for it. “You’ve got some nice looking baits there,” Baker said. “You should get them dirty, though.” Eventually, he joined in. Baker attached his favorite 7-inch silver and black floating crankbait and started casting toward woody debris on the opposite bank. “I’ve caught more muskie on that bait than any other I fish,” he said. Sure enough, within minutes, a small muskellunge stalked the lure across the pool as Baker slowly retrieved it. It was almost as if the fish knew it was his lure and just wanted to show itself to entice Baker to come back another day. He will. Sometimes, a place just gets into your blood, becomes part of your identity. Tygarts Creek is that kind of place for Jack Baker. For proof, just look for the white pickup truck parked near the bridge. n Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 15

s photo Obie William

HE NATION’S LONGEST continuously running outdoor television show welcomed a new host earlier this year as Chad Miles took over as the face of “Kentucky Afield.” Already, Miles has taken viewers to some of Kentucky’s top destinations for trophy bass. He and his guests have caught largemouth and smallmouth bass on Dale Hollow Lake using jerkbaits and leadheads paired with small finesse worms, largemouth on Cedar Creek Lake using soft plastics made by a central Kentucky-based company, smallmouth on Lake Cumberland with swimbaits and post-spawn largemouth on drop shots fished along the ledges at Kentucky Lake. “The vast amount of water in Kentucky affords a lot of opportunities,” Miles said. “You may have to change lakes or techniques but bass are readily available and can be caught across the state.” Miles, an experienced tournament angler, has caught his share of bass over the years. Here, he reveals some general strategies and tactics that he employs to catch bass year-round in Kentucky. SPECIES Chad says: Largemouth bass fishing is really good in April and May. Everybody’s always said fish come off the nest really, really hungry. I’ve never experienced that, I’ll be honest with you. What happens at that time is the lake is inundated with food. Not only did the bass spawn but so did the shad. So you’ve got all this food. I’ve just found it

16 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

BASS G N I FISH TIPS from Chad Miles

Lee McClellan photo

harder to catch them this time of year. I also like fishing for largemouth in October, but I think October and November are the best months to catch spotted bass because they school up in the fall. When you find them, whatever technique you use, you can sit there and catch them one right after the next. If there’s a school of 10, you can potentially sit there and get

them all to strike. My favorite times to fish for smallmouth bass are November and December, and again in April, right before they go on the nest. I focus on smallmouth in the winter because they tend to be more active in colder water than largemouth. Spotted bass are also a little more active than largemouth in the winter.

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y By Kevin Kell

Obie Williams photo / Adrienne Yancy illustration

Host of ield” TV f A y k c u t n e “K xpertise e s i h s e r a h s

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Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 17

SUMMER BAITS

1 2

1 8- to 10-inch plastic worm (Texas rigged)

2 hair jig 3 buzzbait 4 popper 5 weedless frog 6 Jitterbug 7 spinnerbait (short-armed,

Colorado blade)

Adrienne Yancy and Obie Williams photos

5 7 6

7 spinnerbait 8 tube 9 tailspinner 10 lipless crankbait 11 blade bait

FALL BAITS

18 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

SUMMER BASSIN’ Chad says: In the middle of summer, if I’m out there at daylight, I almost always start off with a buzzbait or some type of topwater bait. If it’s really windy, I’ll go to a spinnerbait. That’s also when jigging spoons are really, really good. But in most Kentucky waters it’s still hard to beat an 8- to 10-inch worm Texas rigged. That’s when I’ll slowly move and snap up those worms while fishing rocks or offshore structure. I’m trying to beat the heat early and fish topwater and throw a big worm when the fish get pushed down. Night is my favorite time to fish in the summer. If you’re pond fishing at night, you can’t beat a spinnerbait or some form of a popper-style bait. If you’re hitting the lakes, I tend to go with a spinnerbait that has a short arm and a big Colorado blade. A lot of times in the dark of the night, the fish will miss. I want that blade spinning right beside the hook. I also like throwing hair jigs. Hair jigs and spinnerbaits are what I like to throw at night unless I’m going to fish topwater. Not to be forgotten, as the temperatures rise through the summer, stream fishing just gets better. I think the best stream fishing is in June, July and August. Get out there and get waist deep. Get in some moving water shaded by a canopy of trees. It’s my favorite time to do that. FALL BASSIN’ Chad says: The thermocline is important in summer and fall, before a lake turns over. It’s the depth where the oxygen level drops and fish are not going to go below it and stick around. The number one thing about the thermocline is knowing where it’s at and making sure you fish above it. This is the time of year fish know the cold is approaching and get really aggressive to feed up for winter. You can still use topwater baits but I throw a lot of chase baits. Lipless crankbaits, blade baits, tailspinners and, later in the year, spinnerbaits. This is the time of year when most of the things that I’m going to throw are going to be minnow or shad imitations. I’m going to get away from the frogs and the lizards and the craws. The spawn took place three or four months ago, there’s a bunch of bait in the lake, so I’m fishing something hard and fast, something they can chase. It’s also a good time to throw a tube. I do that a little bit. Once the thermocline disappears those fish can go wherever they want. If they want to sit in 80 feet of water, there’s enough oxygen down there to support them. In some of our bigger reservoirs, they do. You’ll see a ball of alewives down there 80 feet deep and the bass will be sitting there around them.

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WINTER BASSIN’ Chad says: Once winter arrives, slow down. If bass are biting, they’ll be toward the bottom. If they’re suspending, they’re harder to catch. I like dragging a pig-and-jig combination or creature style baits along the bottom. I tend to throw a lot of ½- and ⅜-ounce baits. You can go a little heavier if you’re fishing deeper areas from a boat to keep the bait in constant contact with the bottom. Tailspinners also can be really good. You want to move that tailspinner as slow as you can possibly move it and still get it to spin. Later in the winter, as the water starts to warm, that’s when the jerkbait bite gets good. Those fish start to move shallower and with a jerkbait you’re putting it right on top of them. I’ll also throw a grub in the winter. I tend to not throw it a whole lot because I throw small swimbaits instead.

WINTER BAITS

1 Jig-and-pig 2 soft plastic creature

(Texas rigged) 3 hair jig 4 tailspinner 5 grub 6 small swimbait 7 suspending jerkbait

4 SPRING BASSIN’ Chad says: Spring is my absolute favorite time to throw a jerkbait. I like those that suspend somewhere in the 4- to 8-foot range. Depending on the water clarity, I like the natural colors in clear water and something a little brighter and more vibrant in darker or dingy water. Fish are moving up and can get pretty aggressive on shallow-running crankbaits. Early in the season, I like the firetiger and green craw color. The number one thing that I like to throw in spring is a swimbait. Anything looking to eat a baitfish will hit a swimbait, and the good thing about a swimbait is you can adjust your depth and speed of retrieve, which you really can’t do with a crankbait. It is all about getting the right speed on the retrieve and adjusting it according to the aggressiveness of the fish. After spawning, the fish move out and I tend to start wanting to fish deeper. When I’m doing that, on windy days, I really like a spinnerbait with a willow leaf blade. That’s also when I start Texas rigging things like lizards and craws. I like using a lipless crankbait to cover a lot of water and use as a search bait. Two main factors that you’re dealing with in spring are water temperature and water color, but either can change dramatically throughout the year. n “Kentucky Afield” airs at 8:30 p.m. (Eastern) on Saturdays and 4:30 p.m. (Eastern) on Sundays on Kentucky Educational Television (KET). Miss a segment or an episode? View them online at ket.org or search “KYAfield” on YouTube.

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5 6 7

6 swimbait 7 suspending jerkbait 8 spinnerbait (willow leaf blade) 9 shallow-running crankbait 10 lipless crankbait 11 soft plastic craw/lizard

(Texas rigged)

9 10

SPRING BAITS Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 19

NATURE NOTEBOOK

The Grass Carp

Nature’s lawnmower in ponds and lakes Story by Jeff Crosby Illustrations by Rick Hill

The grass carp is an herbivorous, freshwater fish which is one the largest members of the minnow family. The grass carp, a native of the large river systems of northern China and southern Siberia, was first introduced into the United States in the 1960s to control aquatic plants and for the table. Commonly confused with a common carp, you can distinguish a grass carp by its cylindrical body shape, a mouth on the tip of the head, a lack of barbels and the lack of saw-toothed spines in its top and rear fins. Additionally, the grass carp has teeth in the back of its throat.

Grass Carp

Common Carp

20 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

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It is legal to stock grass carp obtained from licensed fish suppliers in private ponds and lakes as long as they are triploid. A triploid grass carp has been genetically altered to prevent it from reproducing. This rule is necessary to keep grass carp from overpopulating Kentucky’s waters. Grass carp in their native waters grow to 100 pounds and live more than 15 years. In Kentucky, grass carp generally grow to 20-30 pounds in ponds and lakes. Grass carp are hard for anglers to catch due to their feeding habits. Once hooked, however, they are powerful fighters. The largest grass carp caught on a fishing pole weighed 58 pounds, 8 ounces. The bowfishing record is 72 pounds.

The grass carp’s voracious appetite for aquatic plants makes it a popular species for weed control in ponds and lakes. Young carp prefer soft fleshy vegetation, such as filamentous algae. They graduate to plants with tougher stems and leaves as they grow larger, eating their favorites first before moving onto less tasty plants. Grass carp can eat two to three times their weight daily and initially may gain five to 10 pounds a year.

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Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 21

j the Bluewater Trails series Floating Floyds Fork New public access opens 9 more miles of creek Story by Lee McClellan • Photos by Obie Williams

hen Growing development licked at the last rural sections of southeastern Jefferson County, a group of visionaries formed the Future Fund to buy land along Floyds Fork Creek. They envisioned a park threading along the creek that would preserve its unique character while providing public access so everyone could enjoy this treasure. From this vision arose The Parklands of Floyds Fork, a nearly 4,000-acre linear park made reality through a partnership between the Future Fund, Louisville Metro Government and 21st Century Parks. The final downstream section of this new park system opened in April 2016. It added approximately 9 miles of paddling water; anglers now have some 20 miles to paddle from the upper to the lower access points. Paddlers and anglers will discover state-of-the-art facilities along this surprisingly pastoral edge of greater Louisville.

22 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

David Baker photo

“The strength of the park, its size, really starts to hit home now that it is complete,” said Scott Martin, park director for the Parklands of Floyds Fork. “Only 20 minutes from downtown, the park grants a great venue for relaxation and recreation in a natural setting. Nearly 1.2 million people live within a 20-minute drive of the park.” This tributary of the Salt River holds 40 species of fish, including a healthy population of smallmouth bass, rock bass, longear sunfish, along with a stable population of mussels and improving water quality. “The diversity of life in the creek surprises people,” Martin said. David Baker, Central Fisheries District biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, got a firsthand look while sampling fish populations in the creek over the past couple years. Markers provide trip mileage.

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“We saw a lot of quality smallmouth bass in Floyds Fork during population sampling this past spring, some of them up to 18 inches,” he said. “They are fat and in excellent body condition. We saw good numbers of all sizes which provides good fishing for the future.” Those fishing Floyds Fork within the park may keep no more than one largemouth and one smallmouth bass a day. There is a 15-inch minimum size limit on both species. The stream has catch-andrelease regulations for rainbow trout from Oct. 1 through March 31. Statewide limits apply for all other species of fish. Anglers targeting smallmouth bass should focus on the deeper flowing shoals and pot holes. “The bigger smallmouth bass seem to really prefer that habitat on Floyds Fork,” Baker said. “In the slower, deeper holes, you will see spotted and largemouth bass and big rock bass around root wads.” Three floats highlight this newly opened lower section of the park, which paddlers may combine to fit their time schedule. Before taking the trip, visit The Parklands’ website at www.theparklands.org for alerts and current water levels. Cane Run to Seaton Valley Float This 3-mile float holds textbook smallmouth bass habitat with many deep, boulder-strewn runs, pocket water, shoals and deep holes. Most of this float lies within the boundaries of The Strand, one of the five parks that make up The Parklands of Floyds Fork. The put-in for this float is the Cane Run Primitive Access at 6500 Echo Trail. After crossing the creek on Seatonville Road (KY 1819), turn onto Echo Trail. Look carefully for a green, blue and white sign denoting the site. The carry down is somewhat lengthy and a bit strenuous. This access is located on a ford of Cane Run, a tributary creek. During summer, paddlers may need to drag their boats to reach the main creek. Once on Floyds Fork, the creek opens into some excellent pocket water that holds smallmouth bass. Approximately 600 yards into the float, just below the new pedestrian/bicycle bridge for the Louisville Loop, is a good hole for smallmouths, rock bass and longear sunfish. Probe this area with an in-line spinner or small silver and black crankbait. These lures imitate the abundant striped shiners found

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in Floyds Fork. Downstream of the bridge, fish the long hole and the root wads on river left for smallmouth bass. If you’ve brought night crawlers, be sure to fish the flowing seam water from the midpoint to the tail of this hole. “You would not believe the channel catfish we saw in the lower part of that hole,” Baker said. “It is full of them.” A nice touch for paddlers on Floyds Fork is the number of blue, white and green

signs attached to trees along the route. These denote river miles, upcoming landings and access spots. The landing at the end of this long hole makes an excellent place to picnic or take a break from paddling. Past the landing, Floyds Fork bends left and drops. The deeper seam water just after the drop provides good smallmouth bass habitat. At the low water of summer, a 3-inch soft plastic jerkbait in the Albino Shad color hooked through the nose with a size 1/0 wide gap finesse hook works well. The whitish color of the bait emulates the shiner species that call Floyds Fork home. Fish this lure under root wads or along the seams where fast current and slow water meet. Simply jerk the lure, let it settle, then repeat. This presentation imitates a struggling shiner, a biological trigger for predators to attack. Continuing downstream, a bit more than a half mile from the bridge, Floyds Fork splits around an island and makes a long bend to the left. The hole just above the island is one of the best spots on this stretch for smallmouth bass. The main flow of the creek goes right at this spot and tumbles into Left: Smallmouth bass provide plenty of action. Below: This pedestrian bridge in The Strand is part of a walking path that parallels the creek.

Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 23

a small, boulder-lined gorge. Over time, the water carved a rockhouse from the cliff face; as you approach from upstream it appears the creek disappears into a cave. This stretch holds pocket holes ideal for plopping a cork popper cast on fly fishing equipment. The creek comes back together at the tail of the island to form a deep hole. The boulders on river right are good places to fish for smallmouth bass. Anglers, however, should work the entire hole with a black 4-inch finesse worm rigged on a 1/8-ounce lead-head jig. After a series of mid-depth pools, Floyds Fork flows under another pedestrian/bike bridge, bends right and deepens significantly. Bluffs appear on river left, the highest in this stretch of the stream. Locals call this area Blue Bluff; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remained a popular swimming hole for generations. The exposed rock in this stretch came from ancient sea beds laid down more than 400

24 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

Paddlers may encounter fallen trees that form strainers. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best to portage around these obstructions. million years ago. Maps produced by The Parklands of Floyds Fork denote this stretch as The Palisades. Floyds Fork then flows over a series of shallow and mid-depth holes. The creek also braids into flowing chutes above and below stream drops at normal summer flows. This area is called Mussel Bend for the numerous mussel beds found here. Some of the holes grow deeper as the creek begins a gentle turn to the right. These holes are perfect spots to work a shad-colored, 3-inch soft plastic jerkbait in the current. Be sure to slowly probe the undercut banks for smallmouth bass. Look for hand-laid limestone slabs along the stream bank in this stretch. Early residents installed these to prevent valuable

cropland from washing out during floods. Paddlers may see similar rock walls along streams in the Outer Bluegrass Region of Kentucky; some mark remnants of pioneer grist mills. The Seatonville Road Bridge soon comes into view. Look for the large, tancolored stone steps of the take-out just past the bridge on the left. These hefty stones are built to stay put during floods. Seaton Valley to Broad Run Valley Float This 3 1/2-mile section is excellent for a relaxed, all-day fishing float, or a half-day paddle for those who just want to enjoy the scenery. On the way to the access site, travelers will see low, ancient walls when they turn from Seatonville Road onto Turkey Run Parkway. These walls border the historic Seaton Cemetery, with graves dating to the early 1800s.

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Cutline HERE (Left: The Palisades)

Above: Park Director Scott Martin drifts past an ancient rock layer visible on the bank near Chenoweth Run. Left: Feisty longear sunfish are plentiful.

Above: The high rock bank of The Palisades. The first stretch of this float holds some deep water. In summer, it’s a good section to work a floating/diving minnow on the surface in the early morning or late evening. Paddlers soon see a tall, high dirt bank. This is the beginning of Mary’s Island, named in honor of donor Mary Bingham, and is formed by the convergence of Chenoweth Run and Floyds Fork. Paddlers may notice a layer of gravel near the bottom of the island’s bank. This was the course of the creek thousands of years ago. The confluence of Chenoweth Run and Floyds Fork was the site of Funk’s Mill, a major economic anchor for the long vanished community of Seatonville. The mill operated until 1876. Paddlers should veer left at Mary’s Island, being mindful that either side of the

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island holds the potential for strainers, or downed trees in the water. It’s nearly a milelong paddle around the island. Fishing here is marginal. It’s better to keep paddling until reaching the better water downstream of the island. Once past Mary’s Island, the stream flows into a hard left-hand bend where paddlers will notice more pioneer stone work. This stretch of Floyds Fork often flows with a bit more color, making a 4-inch skirted double-tailed grub, commonly called a hula grub, an excellent choice. Motor oil is a good color to use. Rig these on 1/16- to 3/16-ounce leadheads to imitate crayfish crawling along

the bottom. Floyds Fork next flows over long stretches of flat bedrock comprised of Grants Lake formation limestone. Small rapids dot this section; any pockets with flow and depth should be probed with shadcolored soft plastic jerkbait. The stream then begins a long, gentle bend to the right at Squire Boone Bottoms and tightens before flowing into a deep hole. This begins the best stretch of smallmouth bass water on this float. A Rapala X-Rap in the glass ghost or silver blue color is an excellent choice here for bass. The good water continues until past the mouth of Turkey Run, which enters Floyds Fork on river left. A yellow in-line spinner may draw strikes from smallmouth, but also attracts the chunky rock bass that live in this stretch. Anglers throwing this lure will also catch the colorful longear sunfish, one of the most gorgeous freshwater fish in North America. The next section features massive sycamores lining the creek. Early pioneers sometimes camped in the hollows of these trees, which can reach 15 feet in diameter. Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 25

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26 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

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TripTriT Avg. Paddlers soon arrive at a Avg. small N. Beckle community known as WOODS MunchBIGBIG BEECH WOODS I BEECH TH TRAILHEAD ND TH LE A Creekside kinville, a group of fish camp VIL S I W WELCOME CENTER LOU JOHN FLOYD EGG LAWN TO cabins built after World WarN. II.Beckle FIELDS TK TRAIL KIOSK TEMPORARY END OF LOOP Broad Run RoadPoint Bridge TEMPORARY END OF Access LOOP Access Point DURING CONSTRUCTION. DURING CONSTRUCTION. Fishervill PADDLING ACCESS comes into view next. Broad Run, a tributary, flows N. intoBeckleR MAJOR GATEWAY PARK ENTRY U Creeksid N.river Beckley to Creek Floyds Fork N. on Beckley left.toThe MINOR GATEWAY PARK ENTRY Cane Run HUMANA high dirt banks on rivertoright Creekside Fishervil GRAND ALLEE Creekside to Fisher FLOYDS FORK AND TRIBUTARIES show Broad Run’s impact onBeckle N. Avg. Trip Tim N. Beckley to Fishervil N. floods. Beckley to Fishe PARK ROAD Floyds Fork during BIG BEECH WOODS Seaton Va LOUISVILLE LOOP TRAIL Cane Ru Paddlers Fisherville should alsotonote AREA UNDER CONSTRUCTION. Fisherville to Cane LOOP SCHEDULED TO OPEN SPRING 2016. N N. Beckle N A e another layerN.ofBeckley ancient river A an Ru R M to N. Beckley to Cane R M Cane U U gravelENDdeposited at the bottom of Ru TEMPORARY OF Access LOOP Point DISTILLERY BEND CONSTRUCTION. Cane RunRun toBroad Seaton Cane to SeatoEVCH this high DURING bank. Park workers extracted two TK N.Seaton BeckleV wooden logs from this layer and had to them N. Beckley N. Beckley to Seato S. Beckley Creekside carbon dated. TestingN.showed onetolog was †Cliff EN Mile 27.4 G Seaton Valley to Cane LI Seaton Valley Broad to BrR SH 3,500 years old. AREA UNDER CONSTRUCTION. ST Creekside to Fisherville Paddli AREA UNDER CONSTRUCTION. AT n LOOP SCHEDULED TO OPEN 2016.The n IO Ru to LOOP SCHEDULED TO SPRING OPEN SPRING 2016. take-out is on N. theBeckley R 6500 Ech e approxiRu Broad N.left, Beckley to Broad N an ne R O N. Beckley to aFisherville AD mately a half mile downstream of the Broad L I Broad RunRun Valley RA Valley to AIL to C O T O TR Run Road Bridge. Look forBroad the Parklands Fisherville Run CH Cane H Eto EC N. Beckley to Cliffside signs in the trees just above N.the Beckley to Cliffs A Ntake-out. N. Beckley R M to Cane Run † creek U † A powerline also crosses the at this Cliffside is the Mile 27.4 Cliffside is t Fisherville Mile 27.4Cane Primitive Run Primitiv point. Cane Run Cane toRun Seaton Vall Paddling Access TK Y TA

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you won’t believe how much different and cooler it is in this section. It is surprisingly rural.” About 600 yards into the float, Floyds Fork takes a hard bend to the right, scouring out one of the deepest holes on this stretch. The flowing water in the head and tail of this bend should be worked by crawling the bottom with a double-tailed skirted grub. Use motor oil or green pumpkin grubs to catch smallmouth bass. Work a glass ghost color Rapala X-Rap near the abundant woody cover in the deeper part of this section for largemouth and spotted bass. The creek then flows through a section of mid-depth water before reaching two extensive braided areas. These braids, approximately 2/3 mile into the float, begin where the Big Run tributary meets Floyds Fork on the right. Run the first braided area on the right, but the second will likely require some dragging at normal summer flows. Floyds Fork now grows deeper and more riverine. Probe the fallen trees in this stretch with a soft plastic jerkbait for spotted and largemouth bass. Rock bass also hold in the root wads. The creek begins returning to the city in this section; paddlers will hear the rumble of traffic moving on nearby Bardstown Road. The stream then braids into channels with small riffles under a power line. The flowing water downstream of the riffle complex holds smallmouth bass. Soon, one of “Leaping Deer” bridges of the Parklands comes into view. The take-out at Cliffside is just downstream of this bridge on river left. The areas around the bridge and takeout are good spots to park the boat and wade fish for smallmouths. A black topwater chugger worked along current seams in this hole at dusk in summer will get crushed. The hills just south of the Creekside Paddling Access saw some intense skirmishing between Union and Confederate forces in early October 1862 in actions that would culminate in the Battle of Perryville on Oct. 7, 1862. “The Parklands puts Louisville and the state of Kentucky on the leading edge of urban conservation,” Martin said. “I’ve worked across the nation and this gives Louisville national recognition for something innovative the entire state should be proud of and enjoy.” n

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Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 27

Liberty Nature

BARRED OWL peers from behind the metal bars of its plastic carrier at the Liberty Nature Center in Somerset. “This one has a head injury. Most likely from a car accident,” explained the center’s executive director, Charlotte Simpson. The owl is just one of approximately 200 injured birds that come through the center’s doors each year in need of help. Liberty’s two full-time employees and mainly high school age volunteers care for the animals at a 28-acre site near Lake Cumberland. Their focus is the rehabilitation of large birds of prey while teaching others the importance of Kentucky’s native wildlife. “Sometimes I get a call at 2 a.m., and it’s a Fish and Wildlife conservation officer saying they’ve got an injured bird,” said Liberty Nature Center Founder and CEO Frances Carter. “All the game wardens in the area have our number.” Carter said most of the birds there were hit by a car or caught in a fence. The Liberty Nature Center belongs to the National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association and the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. These groups certify the nature center as a wildlife rehabilitator and provide for a network for acquiring injured birds. Birds of prey that can’t be released back to the wild are used for educational programs. Volunteers visit schools with the birds for presentations to students. A female bald eagle named Allegiant now stars in these presentations. It arrived from North Carolina, where a veterinarian at a raptor center performed surgery on its fractured wing. The eagle did not make a full recovery, however, as it could no longer fly extended distances. The Liberty Nature Center accepted Allegiant and trained it to perform short flights at educational programs across the state. 28 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

Center

A place for injured birds to call home Story and photos by Lyndsey Williams

The center didn’t always have the room and resources it does now for birds like Allegiant. The Liberty Nature Center has its roots in a Casey County classroom, where Carter taught high school biology. It all started in 1987, when Carter’s nephew found a great horned owl hung in a fence. Carter called local Conservation Officer Randy Wilson about the bird and asked if the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources could take care of it. “He said the department didn’t have the facilities,” Carter recalled. “There really weren’t many rehabbers at the time, so Randy asked me if I could take care of it.”

Carter only declined because she didn’t have the necessary federal permit to care for the injured bird. Wilson took the owl and vowed to help Carter get her permit. A few months later, she received a call from Somerset veterinarian Bruce Jasper. “I’ve got your permit – come and get it,” he said. Although the owl that her nephew found did not survive, Jasper had another bird in need of a home. “Come get this great horned owl in my lobby that’s scaring all the animals,” he told Carter. “It’s driving the dogs and cats crazy.” Carter enlisted her high school students to help care for the owl and to build cages for new arrivals. In 1993, Pulaski County opened Southwestern High School. Carter took a job as a biology teacher at the new school and moved her raptor rehabilitation program to the adjoining county. At Southwestern, they were known as the nation’s only raptor program on a high school campus. High school students served exclusively as volunteers for the program. Eager to grow the program, the staff embarked on a fundraising campaign to move the facility. In 2013, the group raised more than $300,000 to purchase land and The outdoor enclosure is a space where birds can exercise. It features a double door system so they cannot escape.

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Ann Jacobs, 15, stands with vulture Cody’s wing over her head.

build a 3,000-square-foot wildlife care center capable of housing 15 birds inside. Outside are an additional 10 enclosures, along with a picnic shelter and stage for presentations. Although the program is no longer on campus, nature center staff still rely heavily on high school volunteers. The program is open to area students in seventh through twelfth grades. Openings also exist for college interns and adult mentors.

“We really depend on our volunteers,” Carter said. Volunteers assist with daily work at the facility, including weighing all the birds, monitoring their food intake, cleaning their enclosures and caring for the animals. Volunteers usually work up to 3½ hours a day, and sometimes longer on weekends. While the high school students don’t get class credit, they do earn volunteer hours. Sometimes these hours count toward academic clubs. The work also bolsters college applications. But for most, the experience is more than just counting hours. “It’s all of our passions. I’d like to become a veterinarian, so volunteering here gives me experience with animals as well as an opportunity to give back to the community,” said 15-year-old Ann Jacobs, a volunteer for the past four years. Second-year volunteer Kinley Spencer said the work is hard, especially in winter. “You’ll be using the water hose to clean the enclosures and the water just freezes on the ground,” she said. Kinley Spencer, 14, weighs a red-shouldered hawk. Frozen water can’t be igfw.ky.gov

nored. Spencer noted ice is dangerous for birds because the shards can cut them. “We have to use a heat lamp to keep the ice away,” explained the 14-year-old volunteer. Staff at the Liberty Nature Center have plans for growth beyond just helping raptors. Current projects include a mammal rehabilitation enclosure for deer, foxes, bobcats, raccoons, squirrels and other native wildlife. Besides the mammal enclosure, the center’s staff also has plans for an interactive nature trail, where guests can get a handson approach to learning about the environment and native wildlife. The Liberty Center is closed to visitation during the winter. It generally reopens for public tours by late May. Tour times are 3:30-6 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon6 p.m. Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Each visitor older than 2 is encouraged to make a small donation of $5 to help the center pay its expenses. The center also offers five-day camps in spring for kids in first through fifth grades. For more information, visit the center’s website at www.libertynaturecenter.org or follow them on Facebook. Visitors may also call (606) 679-WILD (9453) for more information. n Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 29

Fish & Wildlife

OUt-

DOOR NEWS Biologists discover new darter species in Pulaski County

Rick Hill illustration

ICHTHYOLOGISTS MATT THOMAS and Stephanie Brandt of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife

The green darner is one of Kentucky’s largest dragonflies, measuring 3 inches long with a wingspan of 4½ inches. In fall, they migrate south in swarms; their offspring migrate north in spring. Compiled by Dave Baker, Kevin Kelly and Lee McClellan

Resources (below) have discovered a new species of darter. The discovery dates to 2010, when the two biologists found an unusual looking darter in the Buck Creek drainage of Pulaski County. They initially thought it was striped darter, a species found only in Kentucky’s upper Cumberland River drainage. Yale University researcher Thomas Near, a colleague of KDFWR photo

30 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

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outdoor news Buck Darter breeding male (A) and female (B).

Work continues on new boat ramp and facilities for Kinman Lake A NEW CONCRETE boat ramp and enhanced facilities at Benjy Kinman Lake in Henry County is closer to completion. “They still have a lot of work to do, but it looks great,” said David Baker, Central Fisheries District biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “Until it’s finished, anglers should continue to use the old gravel ramp at the end of the access road.” Baker said the lake remains 15 to 18 inches down to take pressure off the dam. “They will

Matt Thomas photo

Thomas, evaluated the find and later determined the fish was a distinct species. Thomas and Brandt named this species the buck darter, after the creek. An examination of fish collected from 1955 to 1981 revealed this species once lived throughout the Buck Creek system. Today, the buck darter only exists in the Flat Creek drainage, a tributary of Buck Creek. A species conservation plan is under development by a partnership of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, Eastern Kentucky University, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Conservation Fisheries, Inc. Researchers also want to determine the life history, population size and the ecology of the buck darter.

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draw down the lake 6 feet this fall to repair the dam,” he said. “This will be a good scouting opportunity to find a stump or brush pile you didn’t know was there.” When completed, the new ramp complex will have a courtesy dock for boaters, a mobility-accessible fishing pier, with a concrete sidewalk and parking

area to accommodate wheelchairs. “That way everybody can use it if they want,” Baker said. A new gravel parking area will serve the ramp and fishing pier as well. Baker said the lake holds a good population David Baker photo of largemouth bass along with many bluegill and redear sunfish, commonly called shellcrackers. “There are still big largemouth bass to be caught and decent opportunity for bluegill and redears up to 8 inches.” The lake is located on the Boone Tract of the Kentucky River Wildlife Management Area.

Deer hunting changes at Land Between The Lakes THIS SUMMER, BIOLOGISTS with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources will assist Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area with a deer herd health assessment on the more than 170,000-acre federal property that separates Kentucky and Barkley lakes. Officials there say the number of whitetailed deer on the peninsula has been trending downward, especially on the Kentucky portion in Trigg and Lyon counties, and that it is time to adjust some

deer hunting regulations. Therefore, area officials plan to implement the following changes this fall: • Eliminating bonus deer, except during youth quota hunts. Under the new policy, deer taken on Land Between The Lakes will count toward a hunter’s statewide limit. Kentucky’s statewide season limit for antlered deer is one per hunter. • The archery season bag limit on Land Between The Lakes will be one deer and the

length of that season on the Kentucky portion adjusted so it runs from the fourth Saturday in September through the first full weekend in January. Those wishing to comment on the changes may send an email to comments-southernland-between-lakes@fs.fed.us or write to Land Between The Lakes, Attn: Hunt Program, 238 Visitor Center Drive, Golden Pond, KY 42211. Comments made by the public will be considered for a long-term plan.

T USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database photo

he itch of stinging nettles (left), a streamside plant that leaves a painful rash on contact with bare skin, can be relieved by rubbing the juice of a jewelweed stalk onto the affected area. Jewelweed often grows alongside stinging nettle. USFWS photo

Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 31

Man-made trout stream opens to anglers

Dave Baker photos

Two-year-old Adalyn Bullock admires the brook trout caught by her father, Adam, in Hatchery Creek. Bullock, who attended the opening ceremony with this wife, Alecia, caught the first fish from the newly opened creek.

HATCHERY CREEK, KENTUCKY’S first man-made trout stream, officially opened to anglers April 29 in Russell County. Taking advantage of the cool water flows coming from the Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery below Lake Cumberland, Hatchery Creek winds more than 6,000 feet through forested areas before joining the Cumberland River down a series of step pools designed to allow fish to migrate into the creek from the river. The $1.85 million project, funded through the Kentucky Wetland and Stream Mitigation Program, took 18 months A group of anxious anglers wait for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Greg Johnson to officially open Hatchery Creek to fishing.

to build. No license dollars were used for the project. Created with trout in mind, the creek features submerged stumps, logs, deep holes and graveled areas. Biologists carefully designed the stream to create the ideal conditions for trout to spawn. Some of the gravel beds even have embedded pipes to keep water flowing through the rocks. The new, lower section of Hatchery Creek has regulations designed to provide anglers a good fishing experience in the face of heavy fishing pressure. Anglers may only use artificial baits (dough baits are not permitted), and must release all trout immediately. In the upper section, which is designated with signs, anglers may use bait and keep up to five trout. Anglers who are 16 or older must have a trout permit.

Take precautions against mosquito bites this summer OFFICIALS WITH THE Kentucky Department for Public Health are advising outdoors enthusiasts to take precautions against disease transmitted by mosquitos this season. With the spread of the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease that can cause birth defects, the best preventive measure is not to get bitten in the first place. Suggested precautions include: • Wear lightweight, loose-fitting long pants and long sleeved shirts to cover exposed skin. Wear socks that cover the ankles and lower legs. • Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regis-

32 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

tered insect repellents such as DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535. When used as directed these are safe and effective, even for pregnant and breast-feeding women. Always follow directions, and reapply as directed. Apply sunscreen prior to insect repellent if using both. • Do not use insect repellents on babies younger than 2 months of age. Instead, dress your baby in clothing that covers the arms and legs, or cover crib, stroller or carrier with mosquito netting. • Treat clothing and gear with permethrin. Do not use permethrin directly on your skin.

For more information about the Zika virus, go online to www.cdc.gov/zika. This is the website of the Centers for Disease Control; it contains the

most current information. On Twitter, go to @KYhealthalerts for the latest information from the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

Obie Williams photo

fw.ky.gov

outdoor news

Amphibian populations focus of new department study THE KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT of Fish and Wildlife Resources this spring started a statewide study to monitor amphibian populations for disease. Plans call for visiting a total of 50 sites across seven ecological regions this year and next. “What we’re focused on with this study is identifying disease, which is the first step in preventing its spread,” said Iga Stasiak, wildlife veterinarian with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. The chytrid fungus is threatening amphibian populations worldwide, and a close relative of it now is taking aim on salamander populations in Europe. This new fungus – known generally as the salamander chytrid fungus – could have serious effects if it turns up in the U.S. Chytrid fungus causes an infectious, often fatal, skin disease in amphibians. “It would be potentially devastating if we had an introduced pathogen such as the salamander chytrid fungus,” Stasiak said. “Some experimental studies have shown that a number of salamander species found in Kentucky and North America are susceptible, including the Eastern newt.” Kentucky is home to 35 types of salamanders. The Eastern newt is most common in the forested areas of eastern and southern Kentucky but can be found across the state, said John MacGregor, state herpetologist with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. Biologists conducting the study collect newts and tadpoles at each monitoring site. Once collected, each specimen

Iga Stasiak photo

is swabbed and returned to the water. The samples are sent to the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center for testing. Newt samples will be tested for chytrid fungus and salamander chytrid fungus, and tadpole samples will be tested for chytrid fungus and ranaviruses. The public can help prevent the transmission of diseases to amphibian populations by following some simple guidelines,

including not releasing captive exotic or native species of amphibians into the wild. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife offers additional information about how to prevent the spread of chytrid fungi on its website at fw.ky.gov. “If we can detect a disease early on 1-6V.indd in the 1 population we’re more likely to be able to potentially implement management actions to prevent its spread,” Stasiak said.

6/7/2016 1:00:52 PM

Woods and Water Law Quiz Test your knowledge of Kentucky’s fishing and boating laws. Do you know the answers to the following questions? 1. Can you and a friend share a stringer or fish basket while you’re fishing together? 2. Can you use a loud whistle as a legal signaling device on a boat? 3. Does a child need to wear their life jacket at all times while in a boat? (answers on page 34) Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 33

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5/31/2016 1:17:52 PM

Biologists draft long range grouse plan THE KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT of Fish and Wildlife Resources recently embarked on a long range plan to improve populations of ruffed grouse in the state. The Ruffed Grouse and Young Forest Strategic Plan is a comprehensive 10-year plan to conduct intensive habitat improvement for ruffed grouse. A

draft of the plan was put out for public comment in June. Zak Danks, ruffed grouse and wild turkey coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, said ruffed grouse populations peaked in the 1970s and 1980s because of a surge in young forest habitat critical to this species. Danks noted intensive log-

Woods and Water Law Quiz Answers 1. Anglers should carry their own stringer or fish basket. This is because it is difficult, if not impossible, for a conservation officer to tell who caught what fish if they are all mixed together. This becomes an issue if the number of fish on a stringer or in a basket exceeds the creel limit. 2. Yes, but only if the boat is less than 26 feet in length. You must be able to hear the whistle from a half-mile away. 3. Children under 12 years of age must wear a life jacket while in the open part of a boat that is underway. Wearing a life jacket while a boat is underway is a good idea for everyone in the boat, regardless of age.

ging that accompanied the post-World War II demand for housing created a lot of young forests. The abandonment of farms for jobs in urban areas took a lot of marginal farm lands out of production and allowed them to go fallow. Surface mine reclamation also produced bountiful amounts of young forest habitat. Over time, however, the trees matured and red maples began to dominate the understory of these forests. “Grouse need mature oak stands near young forest habitat,” Danks said. “Acorns are the main food source for grouse in winter.” The plan calls for improving mature oak stands to provide this important food source along with closely managed timber harvest to provide the plant growth young grouse broods need to survive into adulthood. Danks said the habi-

Joe Lacefield photo

tat management that benefits ruffed grouse also benefits other wildlife, even the increasingly rare Cerulean warbler. The department plans to partner with the Daniel Boone National Forest, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, corporate owners and other groups to bolster this initiative. “This is a wide scale effort to improve ruffed grouse populations,” Danks said.

NATURE HILL-USTRATED • By Rick Hill It's not polite to gobble your food!

34 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

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outdoor news

Danks leading department’s grouse restoration efforts ZAK DANKS DOVE into a new role as a wildlife program coordinator with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources by drafting an ambitious 10-year plan aimed at restoring ruffed grouse in Kentucky. The “Ruffed Grouse and Young Forest Initiative” was available on the department’s website for public review and comment through July 8. It trumpets a strategic approach to improving grouse habitat across the state by increasing the amount of young forests that are critical for their populations.

1-2Pg.indd 1

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between the department and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) promoting land conservation and habitat improvement on private lands through federal Farm Bill programs. He previously served as Farm Bill biologist and private lands biologist after earning his master’s degree in 2007 in wildlife management from the State University of Photo courtesy Zak Danks New York (S.U.N.Y.) Danks, whose work will College of Environmental Scifocus on ruffed grouse and wild ence and Forestry at Syracuse. “Most pertinent to this job turkeys, spent the past five years as the eastern Kentucky liaison is that for the last five years I’ve

worked in east Kentucky, which is the ruffed grouse’s range in the state,” said Danks, who earned his bachelor’s degree in natural resource conservation and management from the University of Kentucky. “Working with private landowners will be very important to any successful grouse effort. Same goes for turkey. That’s where most of the habitat is. “Working with private landowners as an NRCS liaison, Farm Bill biologist and private lands biologist has helped me understand how best to work with landowners and how they think about managing their land, both of which impacts how grouse and turkey habitat is managed across the state.”

6/20/2016 2:34:42 PM

Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 35

Outdoor writer Soc Clay pens new fishing book VENERABLE KENTUCKY FISHING author Soc Clay has a new book filled with engaging stories about fishing in the Bluegrass and the angling history of the state. “Bassin’ Around Kentucky” includes fascinating tales of angling in Kentucky when “cat gut” monofilament lines and spinning reels first hit the market, opening up light tackle fishing to a generation of Kentuckians. Clay writes in depth about the development of the Kentucky reel that changed angling

deals a lot with Clay’s biggest passion, stream fishing for smallmouth bass. These chapters detail techniques and contain an excellent foundation for anyone who wants to get into stream smallmouth fishing. The folksy, conversational tone of “Bassin’ Around Kentucky” goes down smoothly, like fine, long-aged Kentucky bourbon. The book costs $20 with a $3 shipping charge. Autographed copies of “Bassin’ Around Ken-

forever. Modern baitcasting reels are based on these designs. Readers will learn about Art Shultice, the inventor of the A.C. Shiner line of balsa wood lures, and Buddy Banks, who changed reservoir smallmouth fishing in the upper South with his invention of the Silver Buddy. The book also features Delbert Grizzle, who caught two state record largemouth bass from diminutive Greenbo Lake in northeastern Kentucky. The last third of the book

tucky” are available by contacting Soc Clay at Fern Valley Publishing, 350 Fern Hollow, South Shore, KY 41174 or email at csocclay@windstream.net.

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 2016

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SOUTHWESTERN DISTRICT @kyfisheriessw • Green River Lake • Barren River Lake

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CENTRAL DISTRICT @kyfisheriesc • Elkhorn Creek • Taylorsville Lake • Herrington Lake

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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

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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

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Wayne McCreary

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cooking

A different kind of fish sandwich • By Dave Baker

Catfish Quesadillas Ah, summer. It’s a great time to set up the lanterns, park a folding chair on the bank and cast chicken livers into the darkness in hopes of catching a tasty channel catfish. If you’ve had your fair share of fried catfish, why not try something different this time? This quesadilla recipe is savory and simple to make. Chop up some tomatoes from the garden and cook up some black beans on the side and you have a meal fit for summer. This recipe also works well for bluegill and crappie. Have a kid who’s a picky eater? Cook up a couple of quesadillas with just cheese for the filling. They won’t be able to resist. n

Dave Baker photo

RECIPE 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 teaspoons garlic powder 2 teaspoons onion powder 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder 1½ pounds catfish filets 4 tablespoons butter, divided 1 small yellow onion, chopped 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced 1 small can of chopped green chiles, drained 8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1 package flour tortillas Canola or corn oil

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Heat oven to 250 degrees. Heat skillet over medium heat. Mix dry spices together; sprinkle over both sides of filets. Add 2 tablespoons butter to pan and cook fish approximately three minutes per side, or until meat is flaky. Remove cooked fish to plate. Add 2 tablespoons butter to pan, incorporating bits from cooking the fish. Sautee onion and mushrooms until softened. Break up fish; add to pan along with drained chiles. Reduce heat to low while you assemble the quesadillas. Heat a separate nonstick pan to medium. Prepare tortillas: Top one side

of tortilla with no more than ½ inch of filling and cheese, then fold into a half circle. Continue making quesadillas until filling is used up. Lightly brush pan with oil, then cook quesadillas until browned, approximately 1½ minutes each side. Keep finished quesadillas in oven covered with aluminum foil until all are done. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to slice each half circle into three triangular wedges. Serve with guacamole and sour cream. Optional: top with diced tomatoes from your garden.

Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 37

habitat

Controlled burn will help wildlife habitat • By Lee McClellan

Fire Erupts at Perryville Battlefield Little rain fell in central Kentucky as summer turned into fall in 1862. Creeks and rivers dried up; some were reduced to stagnant pools of water, interspersed with dry bedrock. In Boyle County, near the crossroads community of Perryville, a spring-fed trickle kept a small amount of water in Doctor’s Fork of the Chaplin River. The Confederate Army invaded Kentucky in the midst of this drought, a threat met by the arrival of the Union’s Army of the Ohio. On the morning of Oct. 8, 1862, elements of the Union’s 10th Indiana Infantry Regiment saw some pools of algae-covered water in Doctor’s Fork and decided to protect this vital resource. They encountered the forwardly placed 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, the Confederate unit protecting Perryville. The opening shots of the Battle of Perryville rang out, the largest Civil War engagement in Kentucky. Smoke again covered the Perryville Battlefield in March 2016, but it didn’t come from black powder. Its source was drip torches carried by biologists setting the fields on fire. “Prescribed fire is a valuable tool for controlling invasive plants,” said Terri Brunjes, wildlife biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “We did the prescribed fire at Perryville mainly for quail habitat, but fire also benefits sparrow species, dickcissels and meadowlarks A cannon overlooks a burn being conducted to improve habitat at the Perryville battlefield.

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along with deer, turkey and rabbits.” The Perryville Battlefield State Park is the seventh and latest Quail Focus Area as part of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s northern bobwhite quail restoration plan. The park will eventually host quail quota hunts. Without regular fires, native grasses grow too thick for wildlife to use. Quail need space between plants, and cover underneath grass mats, to survive winter and

hide from predators. Fescue grass also grows too thick, presenting the same problem for quail. “We burn to eliminate fescue and prepare the ground for native grass and wildlife plantings that we will do,” Brunjes said. “We plan to burn a portion of the battlefield every year on a rotational basis. We have a lot of work to do at Perryville.” Burning also exposes areas of bare dirt that attract weeds. The weed seeds provide food for songbirds and the weeds themselves attract insects that sustain quail chicks. “We are expecting big increases in quail numbers,” Brunjes said. “They already have 22 acres in native grasses with several quail coveys using it. If we put down the habitat, the quail will do the rest.” Historic authenticity is another benefit of the prescribed burning. The Kentucky 31 variety of fescue now dominating the state’s pastureland was not released as a cultivar until 1943. Returning the battlefield landscape to native grasses makes it more closely resemble the panorama the soldiers saw. Workers also planted a 5-acre plot of Wisconsin Red Dent corn, a variety popular in central Kentucky in the 1860s. “By making the landscape more authentic, it will help increase visitation,” said Brunjes. “There is no longer much quail hunting in central Kentucky. This will make another wildlife viewing and hunting opportunity in the region.” n John Brunjes photo fw.ky.gov

destinations

Hunting Access Areas It’s not unusual to see people from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii applying for a Kentucky elk hunt. Since Kentucky released its first elk into the wild in 1997 and followed with the first hunting season in 2001, approximately 100,000 people have entered the drawing for an elk hunt. Elk have done more than provide a new hunting opportunity, however. They’ve also opened the door for more places to hunt. In Eastern Kentucky, the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has lease agreements with several landowners to provide public access. For every 5,000 acres

fw.ky.gov

Leases open more than 86,000 acres • By Dave Baker

leased, the landowner receives an elk permit good for a bull or cow. These hunting access areas – which differ from the department’s wildlife management areas – encompass more than 86,000 acres in Bell, Breathitt, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Leslie, Martin, Perry and Pike counties. “These areas are open for any type of hunting, and it’s a direct result of elk hunting and the elk program,” said Gabe Jenkins, the department’s deer and elk program coordinator. “It provides additional hunting opportunities for all our constituents, even those who aren’t interested in hunting elk.” Hunting access areas typically feature reclaimed strip mine areas on top with forested valleys below. “Some of the areas are freshly reclaimed and have open grasslands,” Jenkins said. “A lot of them were mined 10, 20 and even 30 years ago. Those are getting thick and wooly.” Hunting access areas generally consist of several properties scattered across one or more counties. To locate each tract, go online to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife web-

site at fw.ky.gov and search under the keyword, “map.” Here you’ll find detailed maps of each area and how to get there. Because leased areas are subject to change due to mining and timbering activities, it’s always a good idea to check the website before heading out to scout or hunt. Hunters can start their scouting from the comfort of home using the department’s interactive maps. These allow hunters to see satellite images Dave Baker photo of each property, and zoom in for a more detailed view. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife also offers a mobile app that allows smartphone users in the field to determine their location within an access area and the boundaries of each property. The app works for all the department’s wildlife management areas as well. Hunters should still carry a map and compass in case the cell signal is blocked by the mountains. Some properties fall within the at-large areas for elk. Others are located within elk limited entry areas. The department website details the rules for each property. “All of the hunting areas will hold elk,” Jenkins said. “The biggest tracts will hold them year round. The smaller tracts are not big enough to hold elk all the time, however.” Jenkins advises hunters not to overlook these smaller tracts. “While our elk don’t move as much as they do out west, they still move some,” he said. “Our elk seasons are long, and elk may move into an area where they weren’t at the start of the season. So don’t forget about these small, outlying areas.” n Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 39

ask the experts

This dirt-covered armadillo in western Kentucky has been rooting for grubs, a favorite food.

Q A

Does Kentucky have armadillos?

Armadillos first appeared in the state around 30 years ago. Kentucky has the nine-banded armadillo, the same species found across much of the southern and western U.S. While the department has no estimate of their numbers, armadillos are becoming common in the Jackson Purchase Region and Land Between the Lakes. They are moving eastward and have been reported as far east as Rowan and Knott counties. Armadillos arrived here from Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Missouri; they have invaded southern Illinois and southwest Indiana in recent years. As the climate has gradually become milder, more armadillos are surviving the winter and the species continues to expand its range. There are second-hand accounts of armadillos hitchhiking to Kentucky on barges loaded with sand, gravel and mulch. However, since there were few early reports of armadillos being spotted along the banks of

40 Kentucky Afield Summer 2016

fairly common as far east as Land Between the Lakes in western Kentucky. If you encounter an armadillo, just leave it alone. They really don’t bite – they only have eight tiny peg teeth – but they can seriously scratch a Ray Stainfield photo person with their long major rivers, it is more likely that they ar- digging claws. The nine-banded armadillo rived on foot. can carry leprosy and may, in rare cases, The first verified appearance of an ar- transit the disease to humans that handle or madillo in Kentucky occurred in November eat them. 1987, when a newspaper reported the disA startled armadillo will jump straight covery of a dead armadillo in Carlisle Coun- up in the air. This is why a car trying to ty. Two years later, members of the depart- straddle an armadillo on the highway will ment’s Western Fishery District recovered kill it. Although these animals may damage the partial skeletal remains of an armadillo turtle nests, they are not a particular threat from the sandy bank of the Tennessee River to wildlife or domestic animals. They mostly on the McCracken/Livingston County line. eat insects, beetles, grubs and worms. In the mid-1980s, the department had only received occasional reports of armaDavid Yancy and John MacGregor, dillos; by the early 2000s they had become wildlife biologists Since 1945

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Nature k • Liberty d’s Fork Cree k Vet • Floy • Tygart’s Cree

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your story

Whippoorwill calls patch cut home • By Jason Scott

Habitat Improvement Works It had been a long time since I had actually laid eyes on a whippoorwill. I used to hear them often, but it seemed like it had been a while, like maybe there weren’t as many of them as there used to be. So it was a treat when we flushed a hen on a recent farm visit in Livingston County. I was with a forestry consultant checking on a patch clearcut project that was in progress. The hen initially fooled us with a fluttery, broken wing-type of display. After following it at first, we started to scan the ground around us to see if the bird might be trying to draw us away from a nest. We were rewarded when we found two fuzzballs, the whippoorwill chicks, just a few steps away. This was one of our first patch clearcutting projects – it had only been added as a wildlife practice through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program a few years ago. In western Kentucky, we’re using this practice to open up some large, aging pine plantings to promote more diverse cover and benefit a larger group of wildlife spe-

cies. Ideally, we’d like to let these areas grow up and get pretty wooly for a couple years. Bobwhite quail, rabbits, woodcock, whippoorwills and other songbirds benefit from these types of openings. Whippoorwills are declining in Kentucky, but not as steeply as in many of our neighboring states. However, they still face some of the same problems as other places, including lack of forest management leading to thick, closed-canopy stands, and development and conversion of forestland to cropland or pasture. If you’re not hearing whippoorwills like you used to, as is often said, contact your local Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources biologist to see what kinds of management you can do to improve habitat. In this case, we knew we were creating the type of habitat that whippoorwills need, but it’s not that often that you get that kind of instant feedback, like stumbling onto a nest just a few months after the areas

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.

had been cleared. As a side note, whippoorwills are said to time their nests so that eggs hatch about 10 days before a full moon, so that parents have well-lit nights in which to catch insects for their young. I was a little skeptical when I read that. As it turned out, we discovered our chicks on a Wednesday. The full moon appeared the next Tuesday. So if the chicks were already a day or two old, then I guess our nest was on time! n

Author Jason Scott is a Natural Resources ConThese whippoorwill chicks were a day or servation Service (NRCS) wildlife biologist two old when Jason Scott discovered them. based in Murray.

Jason Scott photo

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Summer 2016 Kentucky Afield 41

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