Editor’s note: This is the second article in a two-part series on the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Central Office in Frankfort.
Looking for a good place to take young children fishing?
Visit the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Central Office, one mile west of Frankfort, off U.S. 60.
The upper and lower lakes, now known as Sportsman’s Lakes, are part of the Fishing in the Neighborhoods (FINS) program.
The lakes were built in 1951 and opened to public fishing in 1952.
The Upper Lake is 6.2 surface acres, with a maximum depth of 17 feet, and an average depth of 6 feet. The lower lake is 2.7 surface acres, with a maximum depth of 10 feet and an average depth of 5 feet.
Special regulations and fish species
Both lakes are intensely managed, and regularly stocked with catchable-size catfish.
In the spring and fall, the lakes are stocked with rainbow trout. Largemouth bass and sunfish are regularly sampled and supplemental stockings are made if necessary.
The lakes are open to fishing during daylight hours only. No boating is allowed.
Possession or use of live shad for bait is prohibited, and if a grass carp is caught, it must be immediately released. Grass carp are stocked to control nuisance aquatic vegetation.
Fish species include:
Largemouth Bass: The minimum size limit is 15 inches and there’s a 1-fish daily creel limit per angler.
Rainbow Trout: There’s a daily creel limit of 5 fish per angler.
Sunfish: There’s a daily creel limit of 15 per angler, for Bluegill and Redear Sunfish in combination.
Catfish: There’s a daily creel limit of 4 per angler, for Blue Catfish and Channel Catfish in combination.
There’s good bank access on both lakes, and a fishing pier on the Upper Sportsman’s Lake.
Take a hike
There is a network of four day-hiking trails in the woodlands behind the Salato Wildlife Education Center.
Here are a few details:
• The HabiTrek Trail is an easy hike well suited to children, but not accessible by strollers or wheelchairs.
The HabiTrek Trail itself is 0.5 miles and connects with the Prairie Trail (0.21 miles) to form an easy 0.71-mile loop.
The trail may be accessed from the Salato Wildlife Education Center during normal operating hours or from the picnic areas. The access point from inside the Salato Center is a one-way gate.
The trail winds through a wooded area with several varieties of trees. Some are marked for identification.
• The Pea Ridge Loop Trail is a 2.41-mile hike off the HabiTrek Trail.
If you start your hike at the Picnic Shelter Access, it is a 3.17-mile hike.
The Pea Ridge Loop Trail begins with an easy walk through a successional cedar forest, crosses a ridgetop, then descends among mature oak-maple-hickory forest to a small pond.
At this point, you may choose to go left or right on the “loop.”
You may shorten your hike by cutting across the Warbler Ridge Trail (0.32 miles) and returning to the Salato Wildlife Education Center.
The Warbler Ridge Trail is a short, easy hike that follows an old rock wall past a few remaining old-growth oaks, a small mineral lick, and an old chimney estimated to pre-date the Civil War.
For more details and the regulations for the use of the trail system, visit fw.ky.gov/Hiking-Trails.
Target Archery
Sharpen you shooting skills with a recurve, compound bow or crossbow at the Headquarters Archery Range.
There are 11 shooting lanes and a raised platform, to resemble the shooting angle from a treestand.
Target distances are 10 to 50 yards. KDFWR supplies the targets and only field points are allowed, no broadheads.
The range is open daily dawn to dusk.
For more details and the range regulations, visit fw.ky.gov/KDFWR-Headquarters-Archery-Range
The KDFWR Headquarters Campus is a prime destination for outdoors fun and learning for families, school and church groups, or get-togethers with friends.
The lakes, woodlands, wildlife and green space are a relaxing outdoors experience.
