The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission recommended to lower daily creel limits on some sport fish species. The statewide daily creel limit on walleye, sauger and their hybrids will be 6 fish per day, reduced from the present limit of 10 fish per day. This new limit for walleye and sauger is an aggregate limit meaning the daily creel limit includes sauger or walleye singly or combined for both species. The 15-inch minimum size limit on walleye and their hybrids remains. This regulation excludes the Ohio River until bordering states agree with a common limit for these species. The current regulation on the Ohio River is an aggregate 10-fish daily limit on sauger and walleye singly or combined for both species. There is no size limit for either species in the Ohio River.

"Walleye are a top predator fish and are supported by supplemental stockings," said Benjy Kinman, director of fisheries for the KDFWR. "The current limit of 10 is excessive for a stocked fish."

The Commission also recommended to reduce the daily creel limit on white bass, yellow bass and hybrid striped bass to 15 white bass, yellow bass and hybrid striped bass or a combination of the three with no more than five fish may be more than 15-inches long. Few white bass and no yellow bass exceed 15-inches in length and this stipulation limits the daily harvest of larger hybrid striped bass. Many anglers have a difficult time differentiating between hybrid striped bass and white bass. This regulation eases the confusion and also eliminates special regulations on six lakes that contain both white bass and hybrid striped bass. This regulation also excludes the Ohio River until bordering states agree. The current regulation combines white bass, yellow bass, striped bass and their hybrids under a 30-fish daily creel limit of which only 4 fish may be 15 inches or longer.

In other fisheries related business, the Commission placed a statewide 20 fish daily creel limit on redear sunfish, commonly known as a shellcracker. The Commission elevated the redear sunfish to sport fish status on March 1, 2005.

"We had angler demands to put more restrictive regulations on redear sunfish," Kinman said. "We were seeing excessive harvest before this regulation and by default they were open to commercial fishing, bow fishing, gigging and snagging. Now, it will be a traditional hook and line fishery."

The daily creel limit on muskellunge is now 1 fish per day with a 30-inch minimum size limit. "We consider muskellunge to be a trophy fish and people are asking us to manage them as a trophy fishery," Kinman said.

The Commission also placed two more trout streams under the catch and release season harvest restrictions and modified trout regulations a stream in the Red River Gorge starting March 1, 2006. Rainbow trout will be stocked in October and anglers fishing Clear Creek in Bell County and Big Bone Creek in Boone County must release all trout caught and use only artificial lures from October 1 through March 31. Beginning on April 1, any remaining trout will be available for harvest under the statewide regulations of 8 rainbow trout per day. On Chimney Top Creek in the Red River Gorge National Geological Area in Wolfe County, there will be a 16-inch minimum size limit and a 1 fish daily creel limit on brown trout.

The Commission also modified black bass regulations on two lakes in eastern Kentucky. Bass anglers on Pikeville City Lake must now release all of the largemouth bass caught and there will be an 18-inch minimum size limit on smallmouth bass on Paintsville Lake.

The next Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting will be held at 8 a.m. on Friday, June 3, 2005 at the Game Farm off U.S. 60 in Frankfort. Persons interested in addressing the Commission must notify the KDFWR Commissioner’s office in writing at least 30 days in advance to be considered for placement on the meeting agenda. People who are hearing impaired and plan to attend the meeting should contact the KDFWR at least 10 days in advance and the agency will provide a translator. To request to address the commission, write to KDFWR, Commissioner Tom Bennett, #1 Game Farm Road, Frankfort, Kentucky, 40601.