STAFF REPORT

Tuesday, March 2, 9 p.m. -- The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has partnered with the city of Bloomfield to provide a great fishing opportunity at Bloomfield Park Lake.

The 2.5-acre lake is now enrolled in the Fishing in Neighborhoods (FINs) program. The FINs program began in 2006 with five lakes, but this year expanded to include 30 lakes statewide. The goal of the program is to provide high quality fishing opportunities near cities of all sizes throughout the Commonwealth. These lakes are great places to make a quick getaway to relax and catch a mess of fish or to take the family on a fishing outing without traveling far from home.

The lake will receive two high-density stockings of channel catfish and two rainbow trout stockings from March through November of each year. The first stocking of 1,000 rainbow trout will occur during the second week of March. Rainbow trout will average 8-12 inches long. The first stocking of 500 channel catfish is scheduled for mid-April. The stocked channel catfish will be 13-16 inches long and average 1 pound each.

FINs lakes also contain sunfish and bass populations that will be managed and stocked as necessary. Check the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website for the exact stocking dates, license requirements, directions to the lake and fishing events. The site also has a place for you to submit pictures of your catch. Just go to fw.ky.gov on the Internet and type in the keyword, “FINs.”

Daily limits for each angler fishing a FINs lake includes five rainbow trout, four catfish, one largemouth bass over 15 inches and 15 bluegill or other sunfish. A statewide fishing license is required for anglers who are 16 and older. Licensed anglers who want to keep their trout must have an additional trout permit. The trout permit is included in the $5 senior license for those anglers age 65 and older.