KDFWR working to restore alligator gar

By JOEL WILSON For the Daily Times

GLASGOW — Competitive bass fishermen are reminded of the 35th annual Barren BassMasters Big Bass Classic coming up this weekend at Barren.

The tournament will begin with registration at 4 p.m. Saturday with fishing from 6 p.m. Saturday until 2 a.m. Sunday. Entry fee is $30 per fisherman. First place big bass pays $500 and there will be a $100 cash prize for the biggest bass each hour for eight hours.

 

The BassMasters had their regular club tournament last weekend at Barren and found some bass biting. John Combs was the top winner taking the big bass prize with a 5.30 pound largemouth. Ricky Adams was second at 4.02. Combs and partner Terry Taylor were tops in pounds at 14.81 and J.W. Coomer and Terry Pickett were second at 13.70. In case you’re wondering about these weights, all fish are weighed on digital scales for exact weight. All told, there were eight teams participating and they caught a total of 60 pounds. The BassMasters shared the water last weekend with another tournament that drew 100 boats. I’m told there were several big fish caught but I’ve haven’t received a report on the other tournament.

 

Striper fishing continues to be primo on both Lake Cumberland and the Cumberland River. Had a report from Capt. Johnny Rush of Burkesville who had a party of the Webb family from Louisville and they landed five nice stripers in the river ranging from 33 to 15 pounds. Johnny said the river was in fine shape so if you want to tie into a really big fish, you should contact Johnny.

On Monday, two boat loads of locals visited Lake Cumberland where they absolutely had a ball with strippers. Our fishing reporters Bill and Todd Logsdon were among the group that included Todd’s kids. I’m told they caught over 30 strippers, most all released back into the lake for some other fisherman to enjoy.

Also back on the river, had an email from oldtimer fishing buddy Lewis Carter who took some time off from his duties as Monroe County Schools superintendent to fish for walleye. You can see some results in the accompanying photo.

 At Barren, crappie, bluegill and catfish are still being caught. Crappie are coming in both at night under the lights and during the day in submerged cover. Bluegill are feeding on crickets and worms and catfish are being caught jugging and on rod and reel with live or cut bait. Have not heard a report on hybrids but last week they were biting at night on craws.

 

For the past two weeks on Kentucky Afield TV, catfish stories have been featured. We saw cats being caught under the lights in front of the Cincinnati skyline and a feature the week before on noodling. This weekend’s show has a segment with fisheries biologists talking about the growing popularity of cat fishing and how KDFWR is changing strategy on managing the species. There will also be a segment on planting for wildlife in urban settings. The show airs on KET Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and repeats Sunday at 3 p.m.

 

A report this week from KDFWR talks about restoration efforts for some endangered fish species. One of those is the alligator gar which has been seen very rarely in Kentucky over the past few decades.

Alligator gar restoration efforts began last year in the western part of the state.

Fisheries Biologist Paul Rister said it’s not clear how the fish will react to their new home. “Because they have been absent from our rivers for so long, we’re unsure if we have the habitat that alligator gar prefer,” he explained. “Only time will tell if they become established in western Kentucky.”

Western Kentucky has longnose, shortnose and spotted gar, all three of which are common species. While local residents may call all of these alligator gar, the truth is that no one has seen an alligator gar in Kentucky waters since the late 1970s.

Alligator gar were once native to the backwaters, sloughs and bayous of the Mississippi, lower Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. However, this species disappeared from the state for a variety of reasons, including habitat loss for spawning fish and juvenile gar.

Due to the alligator gar’s rarity, the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission added this fish to its list of endangered species. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources also identified the alligator gar as a species of greatest conservation need in the agency’s Wildlife Action Plan. Alligator gar restoration efforts are now eligible for federal funding through the State Wildlife Grants program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife employees have developed a restoration plan to bring this amazing fish back to its native range in western Kentucky. Similar restoration efforts are also underway by state and federal agencies in Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee and other southeastern states.

In 2009, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife employees reintroduced approximately 4,700 juvenile alligator gar back into select rivers and creeks along the Mississippi and lower Ohio rivers. More of these fish are being stocked this year.

With the goal of this project as a restoration effort, fish will only be stocked where they once occurred naturally. Because alligator gar grow slowly, it will take many years before these fish begin reaching large sizes. Female alligator gar do not become mature until age 11, while males reach maturity at age 6.     

This restoration effort provides fisheries biologists a unique opportunity to learn about the alligator gar’s biology, movements and habitat preferences in Kentucky. Surgically implanted transmitters in some of the fish will allow researchers to track them.

Alligator gar stocked last year are approximately two feet long today. Anglers should release these fish if caught, and avoid shooting these gar while bow fishing. Alligator gar have a shorter, wider snout than the other species of gar. Anglers can see an image of an alligator gar in the current edition of the Kentucky Fishing and Boating Guide.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s ultimate goal is to develop a self-sustaining, natural population of alligator gar in western Kentucky that can provide the opportunity for a recreational sport fishery.

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