Robert Marsh of Erlanger caught this 9-pound, 3-ounce largemouth bass from a farm pond in Boone County in April, 2009. Marsh enjoyed a great year of fishing in 2009. He currently holds the grass carp state record with a 58-pound, 8-ounce fish taken last June. Farm ponds accounted for 10 out of 25 entries for largemouth in the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources' Trophy Fish program. Marsh's fish was one of biggest largemouth bass submitted to the program last year.

Anglers often wonder where to catch the biggest fish in the state. The Trophy Fish and Master Angler program sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources can shed some light on this question.

Anglers whose fish meet certain minimum size limits can submit their catch to the department’s program. A side benefit of the program is that it can provide all anglers a glimpse of the state’s hottest fishing lakes.

            For example, anglers usually think of Dale Hollow Lake as the place to go for the state’s biggest smallmouth bass. Dale Hollow, after all, is home to the world record smallmouth bass – an 11-pound, 15-ounce fish caught by Leitchfield resident David L. Hayes in 1955. The second and third largest smallmouth bass caught in the world – both exceeding 10 pounds – also came from Dale Hollow Lake. The last of these top three fish was caught more than two decades ago, in 1986.

The Trophy Fish program reveals an up and coming lake for the state’s biggest smallmouth: Laurel River Lake. Last year, Ron Watson’s 25-inch long, 7-pound, 7-ounce brute from Laurel River Lake was the biggest smallmouth bass submitted to the program. This lake also bequeathed the second largest smallmouth bass submitted to the program last year, a 6-pound, 7-ounce fish caught by Brian Frederick.

            When anglers in Kentucky and throughout the Midwest think of big crappie, they often imagine Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake – not farm ponds or southeastern Kentucky. But last year, Thomas Jones fooled a 4-pound, 3-ounce monster crappie out of a farm pond in Laurel County. The fish, the state’s biggest crappie reported last year, weighed 11 ounces shy of the state record. Farm ponds produced nine out of the 29 trophy crappie recognized by the department in 2009.

            The heaviest largemouth bass submitted last year also came out of a farm pond. Robert Marsh caught a 24½-inch, 9-pound largemouth bass from a farm pond in Boone County. Ten of the 24 largemouth bass submitted came from farm ponds.

            In another twist, anglers fishing Laurel River Lake submitted three times as many trophy largemouth bass to the program than anglers fishing Kentucky Lake.

            Cave Run Lake surrendered Montgomery County High School student Sarah Terry’s state record 47-pound muskellunge in 2008. David Nutter of Morehead did his part to keep Cave Run’s reputation intact last year by catching a 38-pound muskie, the largest Trophy Fish Award for muskellunge last year. However, Green River Lake and the Green River below the lake produced more overall entries for trophy muskellunge in 2009 than any other waters in Kentucky.

            Lake Cumberland yielded the state’s best walleye last year, an 11-pound, 13-ounce fish caught by Brandon Hargis of London. That fish measured 31 inches. Paintsville Lake also holds some huge walleye in its waters, as evidenced by the second-heaviest entry in the program, a 30½-inch fish that weighed 11 pounds.

            Catches like these make anglers wake up at 3 a.m. in their quest for their own trophy. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Fishing Forecast for 2010 is now available on the Internet at fw.ky.gov. The Fishing Forecast predicts the expected fishing in 2010 based on population sampling the previous year for different species in Kentucky’s lakes and rivers. It is one of the best tools you can use to select a fishing destination for your favorite species.

            For more information about the Trophy Fish and Master Angler program, consult the 2010 Kentucky Fishing and Boating Guide, available soon wherever licenses are sold.

            Anglers who catch a trophy fish of three different species qualify for a Master Angler plaque. Make 2010 the year you catch a fish large enough to submit to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Trophy Fish and Master Angler, or better yet, become a Master Angler yourself.

Author Lee McClellan is an award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources manages, regulates, enforces and promotes responsible use of all fish and wildlife species, their habitats, public wildlife areas and waterways for the benefit of those resources and for public enjoyment. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is an agency of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet. For more information on the department, visit our web site at fw.ky.gov.