Editor’s Note: The first in a three-part series on Fishing in Neighborhoods lakes in Kentucky’s major metropolitan areas stocked with rainbow trout.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) created the Fishing in Neighborhoods (FINs) program in 2006 to provide anglers with quality fishing opportunities close to cities of all sizes throughout the state.
The program currently includes 45 lakes statewide, most of which are stocked with rainbow trout during cool water months. At all FINs lakes the rainbow trout daily creel limit is 5 per day, with no culling allowed.
These small lakes are intensely managed, regularly stocked with channel catfish and rainbow trout. Sunfish (bluegill and/or redear sunfish) and largemouth bass populations are regularly sampled to ensure natural reproduction is meeting the needs of anglers. The lakes receive supplemental stockings if needed.
In FINs lakes the use of shad for bait is prohibited and any grass caught must be released.
The FINs program is a cooperative agreement between KDFWR and city/county municipalities. All 45 lakes in the FINs program have a standard set of regulations that are a more restrictive than the statewide regulations to help spread the fish harvest out over a longer period of time.
Five Northern Kentucky lakes stocked with rainbow trout:
• Camp Ernst Lake is a 25-acre lake in Boone County, near Burlington. Take Ky. 18 west of Florence, turn left on Ky. 237, and right on Camp Ernst Road.
In 2024 1,500 rainbow trout were stocked in December, February and March.
Facilities include a fishing pier and paved boat launching ramp. The use of gasoline powered motors is prohibited and the lake is open during daylight hours only.
• Alexandria Community Park Lake is a 7.2-acre lake in Campbell County. Take Ky. 10 east Alexandria, turn left on Grandview Road, then left on Alexandria Lane.
In 2024 1,500 rainbow trout were stocked in November, December, February and March.
No boats are allowed, fishing is from the bank only.
The lake is open year-round 24 hours a day.
• The Robert J Barth Lake is a 3.7-acre lake in Campbell County, near Cold Spring, located off US-27, about two miles south of the Interstate-275 interchange.
In 2024 750 rainbow trout were stocked in November, February and March.
No boats are allowed, fishing is from the bank only.
The lake is open year-round with limited hours.
• Middletown-Mills Park Long Pond is a 1.2-acre lake in Kenton County.
From Taylor Mill, drive south on Ky-16, then left on Mills Road. Long Pond is just past the soccer fields.
In 2024 500 rainbow trout were stocked in October, February and March.
Fishing hours from the bank are 9:00 am to dark. No boating allowed.
• Prisoner’s Lake is a 3.8-acre lake in Kenton County. The lake is south of West Covington, in Devou Park, reached via Ky. 8, and Western Avenue.
In 2024 750 rainbow trout were stocked in October, February and March.
The lake is open during daylight hours for fishing from the banks. No boating is allowed.
For information on the FINs lake program KDFWR’s Fishing in Neighborhoods information webpage.
