Authors: Kathryn A. Emme and Gerard L. Buynak
Demographic studies have indicated that since 1990 Kentucky’s urban population has increased by nearly 25% while its rural population has declined by about 5%. This demographic change along with a decline in fishing licenses sales has focused the need to develop and increase fishing opportunities in and around urban areas. In 2005, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources initiated a pilot urban fishing program aimed at providing urban residents with high quality fishing opportunities close to home. Five pilot lakes located within four of Kentucky’s most populated counties were selected to receive regular stockings of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, and hybrid bluegill Lepomis macrochirus x L. cyanellus. Creel and angler attitude surveys were conducted from April-August 2006 to determine harvest and attitudes of anglers fishing at these urban lakes. Preliminary angler attitude survey results indicated that the typical individual encountered at these lakes was a white male between the ages of 30-39 who lives between 3-5 miles from the pilot urban lakes. More in-depth angler attitude and creel survey results collected during the initial year of this pilot program will be discussed.