Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

In 1950 Kentucky held its first legalized open season for the gigging and snagging of rough fishes. The legalization of this type of fishing was the result of an experimental study made in the spring of 1949 on Stoner Creek, Bourbon County, Kentucky. This study showed that rough fish made up 95.9 percent of the total harvest in pounds. During the open seasons of 1951, 1952, and 1953 a general statewide creel census has been taken. This census has substantiated the experimental study. A total of 9,278 fishermen were contacted. These fishermen took a total of 29,203.6 pounds of fish, the average weight of which was 1.09 pounds. Of this total poundage the average percent of total weight of the rough fish for the three years of census was 98.9. At no time did the game and pan fishes combined have a total weight of more than 4.1 percent of the total harvest. It has been found necessary to close some streams in the State to gigging and snagging.

The upper 46 miles of the North Fork of Licking River in Mason County, Kentucky, were treated in July, 1952, with 5-percent powdered rotenone to eradicate the entire fish population. This experimental section was then left open at all times to rough fish movement and recruitment. North Fork was selected as being typical of the many warm-water streams in the state having a high rough fish population which once offered better than average game fish angling. Five random population samples totaling 2.88 acres in area were taken prior to the eradication operation. They yielded 2,662 fish weighing 466.49 pounds. Game fish species occupied only 4.51 percent by number and 6.54 percent by weight of the total population. These samples revealed the stream was supporting an average of 161.98 pounds of fish per acre. Restocking of game and pan fishes was begun one week after eradication.

During a series of netting studies conducted on Kentucky Lake, scale samples were collected from the white crappie that were harvested. Age and growth data was computed for 925 individuals of this species. These data showed that the white crappie in this impoundment reached a length of 4.63 inches at the end of the first year, 7.87 inches at the end of the second, 10.44 inches at the completion of the third year's growth, and 11.86 inche as at the end of the fourth. The oldest fishes examined during the study were in their sixth year, and had attained an average length of 12.76 inches at the completion of their fifth year's growth. The relationship of length to weight is expressed by the formula: W = CLn, or in this instance: Log W = 3.7664 + 3.4566 Log L. This formula was used in determining each of the calculated weights.