Special stockings of largemouth bass

The fisheries division of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources recently stocked largemouth bass in three sites on the upper Salt River and five sites on North Elkhorn Creek. Each site received 800 largemouth bass roughly 3 inches long.

“These areas are pooled up sections of these streams, more conducive to largemouth bass,” said David Baker, stream fisheries biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “Although largemouth bass are not typically a stream fish, we wanted to give these areas a onetime shot in the arm in areas of the stream that have decent largemouth bass fisheries currently present.”

Stocking locations in the Salt River included a site off Dry Branch Road upstream of an obsolete mill dam, at the Salt River City Park Ramp in Harrodsburg and upstream of the dam at Four Roses Distillery on KY 513.

In the Elkhorn, fisheries crews placed largemouth bass at Oser Landing Park in Georgetown, at the Cardome Ramp off U.S. 25 in Georgetown, at Great Crossing Ramp on KY 227 in Scott County, above Robinson Dam off U.S. 460 in Scott County and above historic Switzer Covered Bridge in Franklin County.

Biologists chose stocking sites with good public access so fish will be utilized by anglers.

“Those areas above dams, they are not riverine and they are not a lake or impoundment,” Baker said. “They are stuck in the middle. Largemouth bass can do well in these situations. With hope, these fish grow, mature and begin reproduction themselves.”

The minimum size limit to keep largemouth bass in the stocking areas is 12 inches.

Ive fished elkhorn for 17 years why on earth would they stock largemoith seriously..... the spots that are mentioned are over abundance of lm above the dam in the late fall early winter a 2.3/4 inch green pumpkin bitsy tube will slay the bass smh why not stock something usefull like crappie or a better population of small mouth cause good smallies are generally hard to find