Hello and welcome to Kentucky Afield.

I'm your host, Chad Miles.

Join us as we journey the Commonwealth in search of outdoor adventure.

This week we're going to grab our spotlights and head out at night in search of bullfrogs.

Then we're going to meet up with our engineering division as we head to Greenup County to look at a new courtesy dock that accesses the Ohio River.

But first, we're headed out the meldahl dam to look for some striped bass or some hybrids with a new technique fishing from the bank.

Well, here on this beautiful spring day.

I'm up here in Bracken County at Meldahl Dam with Michael Waters.

A lot of times you come to these type of dam locations.

You got a lot of people trying to fish a small area, and the fish tend to be schooled in where the currents are taking the bait.

And you're going to show me a technique on how to get out there and catch those fish.

When they created this dam, this hydro dam, for one, they restricted the access to the waterway via boat and also limited access to the shore fishermen.

We would have to sit on the shore and look out past where we could cast and see feeding frenzys of hybrid striped bass, and it would drive us nuts.

So someone developed this unique way of using a float rig and using currents seams to deliver the bait out to them.

It's an amazing technique and it's very effective.

It looks like there's a gentleman down here that's doing the exact same thing right now, that you're talking about.

Matter of fact, it looks like he's got a fish.

Yep.

Hey, let's get it rigged up.

I want you to teach me more about this technique, the gear that you're using, and, hopefully show me how effective it is.

Absolutely.

And you're in for it today.

Let's do it.

Ha ha.

All right, so we're going to get hooked up and we're going to get out there.

It looks like a 5/0 hook?

5/0 half ounce with a seven inch magnum fluke.

We've got a 4 to 5ft fluorocarbon leader anywhere from 40 to 90 pounds, three inch float popping cork glued to it with a one ounce egg sinker on the bottom.

Wow.

All right.

Got a three way swivel on 40 to 80 pound braid.

And then you're throwing a literally what is a surf rod.

You got a 12ft Shimano Terra Alejo surf rod with a 14,000 ultegra.

Plenty of line to get out there because that's what you need.

So he just ripped that thing and he's feeding it line.

And you see it's now being pulled that way.

Well the beautiful thing about that is guess what else is being pulled down through there.

All the other bait fish that are out here, and he's just allowing his bait.

It's already shot.

It's out there.

It's already almost to the end of the wall.

It's probably over 100 yards out right now.

Oh.

He's on.

He's on Chad.

Go ahead, reel.

He is on.

Oh my gosh.

Look at that.

Here he comes.

Current's working for me now instead of against.

There you go.

That's it Chad.

Is it a hybrid?Yeah, it sure looks like it.

Oh my gosh.

Oh, my gosh, look at that.

Look at that giant.

That fish hit so fast.

You were like, it's already on.

Okay, now that might be one of the crazier techniques that I have seen because it worked so incredibly effectively.

Look at that big, beautiful hybrid.

What do you think that is, a six pounder?

Easy seven.

Seven, Eight.

Look at the belly on it.

I love this as a trophy sized fish to come down and go after.

Well, that took a whole two minutes.

It probably took 40s when the bait got out there.

Let's get it back in the water, what do you think.

Awesome fish.

Get her back in Chad.

Get it back in the water.

Oh.

He's ready.

Well, that got me excited.

I've been here for a minute now, and I've already hooked a fish, fought a fish, caught my breath and I'm ready to do it again.

That was awesome.

Let's get it back out there.

Here we go.

Away way it goes.

You want to catch this one?

No.

You are.

I'd like to see you reel one in.

I'll get plenty popping every now and then.

And then just hold it there.

Try and keep it in that zone as much as possible.

You're going to get hooked up.

Just hold it there.

Oh, oh, here we go.

Oh my gosh.

Oh, Chad fell down.

I went to try to give him the.

I went to try to give him the hookset.

I realize I'm going down.

There was no mistaking that strike.

Even though we're out there that far.

You would think that, it would be hard to tell you got bit.

Well, it was not hard.

Doesn█t that feel good.

Oh, man.

Go ahead and stand up, Chad.

This is where you lose fish.

I'm telling you right now, this getting up and down this bank and fighting these fish in this current.

This is nothing short of a good workout.

That's it Chad.

Keep it coming.

It's a nice one.

It feels like a good one.

He's a big one.

Oh, my gosh, look at that tank.

I mean, that is a tank of a fish.

Look how fat he is.

And thick.

Oh my gosh.

Now we're pushing 9 pounds on this one.

Oh yeah.

I mean that is a trophy hybrid.

I don't care where you're fishing.

That's a trophy size hybrid bass right there.

He's found the feed line out there.

Obviously, they're eating good.

Wow.

He's probably pushing nine.

Look at that.

I'll tell you one thing.

Chad doesn't want to put it back.

That is worth the trip up and down the hill right there, just to catch one fish like that.

Let's get it.

Let's get it back in.

We put in probably a whole ten minutes.

Ten minutes.

That's insane.

All right, Michael, I got to see you hook one up now.

Your turn to reel one in.

You're letting me have all the fun.

Look at that fish.

And I will tell you, man, these are taking off and are right back out there.

That fish is probably already back in the feed line.

Man, I█d like to know what those fish, how many of them are down there taking advantage of the bait fish in that oxygenated water.

You know, they're just down there like crazy.

Here.

Get ready.

Oh, I think I see.

Yeah, you got him.

Oh, man.

Is it a good one?

Oh.

I want to walk down there to the water, let you fight him in.

I see him back here thrashing around.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

This is a nice one.

This is a big one, Chad.

Oh, good.

Here we go.

Oh!

All right, we're coming in hot.

Oh, yeah, that's a good one.

That's a good one.

So incredibly strong.

Michael, you wasn't kidding.

That's a good one.

Oh, yeah.

He felt every ounce of that, didn't he?

Yeah.

It's hard to put it in perspective when they're out there that far and they█re in that current, how much effort and energy it takes to get them in from 125 yards away.

It's incredible.

That's a beautiful fish right there.

Wears you out.

Nice job buddy.

All right.

That's a good one.

So, Harry, this gentleman that was doing the exact same technique we were.

He's been alternating cast with us.

But now he said every day you come down here, he brings a garbage bag and fills it up before he leaves.

That's.

That's extremely commendable.

Yeah.

That is.

Oh, that's a good one.

Oh.

That is such a workout.

There he goes.

There he is.

There you go.

My goodness.

You got it.

It's a good one.

There he is.

You hooked up?

Oh, look at that.

What a crazy technique for catching hybrids.

And never in my entire life did I think I'd be catching hybrids that far away unless I was trolling.

You got one?

Here, I'll help you.

I█ll get this one back.

There it goes.

That's a good one there now.

That's a good fish.

Let me help you out real quick.

Put him up here.

Thak you Chad.

You're welcome.

You got it?

Don't get hooked.

That's a beautiful fish.

Nice job.

Thank you.

Same bait, same technique.

Simple.

Something that looks like a fish.

Catches really big fish.

There they go.

Back where they belong.

I got to grab my license real quick because I'm sure he's going to come, I ask.

What do you know?

Sitting here fishing.

One of our.

One of our game warden who's actually been on our call-in show before.

Yeah.

Shows up to check a check our fishing license.

So he's got a good one on.

There you go.

Thank you, sir.

Hey, good seeing you.

I appreciate you being out here, sir.

This is such an incredible resource.

This is a very popular spot.

In the fall the sauger bite gets real good.

A lot of boats will put it in up at the Fossil ramp and come out.

Now, they're not allowed to be in there though, right?

Not inside the dam walls.

Yeah.

Gotcha.

But they'll all be out there right at the end of the lock.

Well, I appreciate your time.

My buddy Michael's hooked up.

I'm gonna go help him out.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

I think has got a little size to him.

Just grab the fluero.

Oh, that's a good one.

Michael, I tell you what.

You know, what I love about it is that, there's a will, there's a way to make it happen.

And someone, you said you got the idea of someone else.

Someone knew there was fish out there.

Probably could see them from the parking lot like we did busting bait and said, I'm getting a lure out there.

This technique, I'm sure, could work in a lot of other locations throughout the state of Kentucky, but there are probably other locations where you'd like to fish, and you got to figure out new ways.

Be innovative.

Find new ways to get to the fish because it could all pay off.

It's the most exciting thing about fishing, it's not the cranking the fish in.

It's about trying to figure them out, trying to figure out how you can make it happen.

And today we made it happen.

Yeah.

Thanks so much.

Oh, absolutely I appreciate.

I'm a little slimy.

Thank you so much.

It was a blast.

You want to know a fun summertime activity?

Well, that's frog gigging.

And it comes in this year in Kentucky on Saturday, May the 16th.

So it's time to start getting ready.

We're down here in western Kentucky tonight in Trigg County.

And I'm with my old buddy, Eli Doom.

How are you doing, buddy?

Good how are you?

I'm doing good.

I tell you what, I know you're excited because what are we going to be doing tonight?

Frog gigging.

Frog gigging.

Man, I started frog gigging when I was about your age.

Mm hmm.

And it's still something that brings a huge smile to my face.

I absolutely love to go frog gigging.

Who else we bring here today?

Granddad.

Your granddad.

We got two pond behind the house, and he's chasing frogs, catching fish or something all the time.

You know, and the funny thing is, is I called you about a week ago and said, you know what would be fun?

I said, has Eli ever been frog gigging?

And you just kind of giggled, and you said Eli█s birthday's coming up.

And I was like, Okay.

Like we were taking frog gigging for his birthday.

I didn't understand how it fit.

But you're eight years old now, right as of last week?

Mm hmm.

All right.

What did you ask for for your birthday?

A frog gig.

A frog gig.

I don█t know too many people.

Eight year old boys would say, You know what I need for my birthday is a frog gig.

Now, I haven't heard any frogs yet, but we're getting close.

It's getting dark.

Do you bring the spotlight?

Yep.

Yeah.

Have you eaten frog legs before?

Yeah.

What do you think?

Delicious.

Ellie spends a lot of time with you guys in the boat.

She's such a good dog.

So we're gonna let her tag along with us tonight.

You got your boots on?

Yep.

You got a light somewhere, don't you?

Yeah.

You got your frog gig?

Yeah.

I'll tell you what.

Let's go get loaded up and let's go sneak up to the first pond and start taking a look.

What you think?

Yeah.

All right, let's do it.

Got a frog right here.

It looks like maybe even two.

It went under theres another one to your right.

That thing was huge.

All right.

Eli's got a frog right here.

We're going to practice, but we're not going to gig him.

He's right here.

Try to get that gig down close.

Right there.

Right there.

Okay, now let's find a bigger one.

What you think?

Yeah.

Let's go get a big one.

We saw a big one, didn't we?

Yeah.

Got spooked.

Got a little spooked, that█s alr That's a leopard frog.

I'm going to try to catch it with my hands.

You got him.

Leopard frog.

What do you think about that, buddy?

First catch, kinda.

Ellie didn't know what to think about that.

Does she?

There he goes.

Nice job, buddy.

While sitting here searching for frogs, we come across something like, What is that?

We happen to notice it looks like a turtle.

And if it is, it's a snapper.

So Jim said he's going to get it.

Crazy man.

Hey you never know, you get yourself outdoors.

You never know what you're going to see.

Sometimes you go out looking for frogs and you end up finding turtles.

You ever handled a snapping turtle before?

Yeah.

Oh, you have.

Okay.

Don█t let him turn around and get you.

I tell you what, Jim, you raise them different down here.

Like a Cottonmouth, that mouth wide open.

There it goes.

He's like, Im not going to that part of the pond any more.

Get him, Eli.

Oh, man, you missed that one.

That's all right.

Aim better next time.

Oh, I believe you got that one, buddy.

There you go.

Hey, what do you think about that?

You got him good.

Got him pegged.

Way to go.

I think we█ll get more.

What you think?

Yeah.

Look at that one right there Eli.

That's a big one.

You want to go after that one or look around... lets make our way over there and kind of hunt while we go.

What do you think?

Yeah.

Oh, here's a big one.

Okay, we got a big one.

Oh, got him.

I think you got it.

You did get him.

That█s a great job.

That was a good shot, Eli.

It'll be some good eating.

Here's one, good one.

You missed him that time.

But I bet he'll circle back around, come back up on the bank.

Maybe you get another shot at him.

We got a bullfrog here, and immediately on the right, we got another bullfrog.

They're just a little bit small.

Looks like a big one there Eli, be easy.

I believe you got him.

Yes, sir.

Frog on the end of the stick.

You got him.

Thats a big old bullfrog there.

You█re getting pretty good at this.

Hold this light for me.

Take a look at what you got.

There you go.

You know what people ask me?

City slickers that don't know any difference.

They'll say, You eat frogs?

Is it green?

What color is their meat?

White.

Very white and very tasty, isn't it?

Yeah.

Here's one right here.

It█s under this limb.

You want to shoot at him?

Yeah, I'll shoot at him.

Awesome.

He'll be on the end of the arrow here in a second.

I think I got him.

I believe you smoked him.

That's a good one.

Look at those meaty frog legs.

And you actually I still get excited shooting a frog.

It doesn't matter what the game is.

You know, if you have a passion for shooting archery it doesn't matter whats your target.

It's just a lot of fun.

It is.

Well Eli frog gigging is fun isn█t it buddy?

Yep.

We'll have to do it again.

What do you think?

Yeah.

Jim, I always have a blast coming down in West Kentucky hanging out with you.

Either we're fishing or hunting or doing a combination of both.

Kind of like tonight, a little bit of fishing and hunting.

Sure.

A lot of fun.

Thank you so much for bringing Eli out with us tonight.

And we'll have to start planning our next adventure.

What do you think?

Yeah.

All right, let's do it.

Fishing piers and boat ramps can be found throughout the state of Kentucky, and usually they're started by local partnerships like this one in Greenup County.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has boat ramps and boat docks all over the state that we take care of and build and maintenance.

Today, we are at Little Sandy Boat Ramp in Greenup County, where we are installing a courtesy dock.

The local county government came to us through the application process, asking if we could put a courtesy dock in because they already have a nice three lane ramp and a very large parking lot.

So we came up, inspected and decided it was a good spot for a courtesy dock.

There's an application process for any county government or state government to apply to put in a boat ramp, courtesy dock, fishing pier, or all of it if they want it.

We look at the applications.

We go to the sites that they would like them and we we just look at them to see if it's feasible or not.

Sometimes it may look like a good spot, but we go out and do water data and it may be too shallow or we don't think it's a good spot.

So we have to be selective of where we go and what we do.

So we're not spending money on something that will not be used.

This dock, it will get lots of usage.

They hold lots of fishing tournaments here.

It helps out with the safety of the anglers getting in and out of their boat, and speeds up the process on these large ramps, with lots of boats coming in and out.

The river is right behind me.

This is like a little cove area right off the Little Sandy, and it dumps right into the Ohio not probably a half mile from here.

This dock is made from all aluminum.

We've had wooden docks we've built in the past that do not last near as long.

So we're trying to go to all aluminum just for the low maintenance and the longevity that they last.

There is some wooden boards on the outside to protect the boats from hitting the aluminum.

And we'll put rub rail on those as well.

And that should be the only thing that we should ever have to replace on these docks, as opposed to a wooden dock.

They hardly last ten years.

And so this has an aluminum frame with an aluminum floor aluminum gangway.

So it should last forever.

The time of year does not matter too much on when we install.

The main factor that could keep us from installing or working is high water.

If like rainy season, if we have a lot of rain and the water comes up, it just floods out our work site so we can't work under water.

And so we are back and forth a lot.

We bounce from projects.

If one of them is underwater, we'll go work on something else for a day or two that may need some maintenance, and then we'll come back as soon as we can when the water's down and get back to it.

So we came in, dug our footers, put our sidewalk and headwall in, did some dirt work, and today we're going to install the dock.

And it comes in a bunch of pieces.

So it's almost like a puzzle to put together.

We have to put everything that's on the land completely done, and then we have to mount our hinge on the sidewalk.

Then we will bring the dock in and piece by piece, put it into the water.

And bolt it together.

And then we'll take ropes or a boat, whichever we need for each circumstance.

Float it around into position.

And then we'll take our backhoe or a tellahandler and lift up the gangway and set it on our hinge that we mounted on the sidewalk.

Hammer.

Up.

There.

It█s through.

We█re good.

We hope this dock last a long time.

We hope that the anglers get to use this.

They can have more fishing tournaments, or if anybody wants to come out with their families and use the dock to help launch their boats safely and not fall, getting on and off their boat, trying to get onto land, they can just get right on to the dock and tie their boat up and park their truck.

If you don't have a flowing system, it could take hours to launch lots of boats, but if you have a courtesy dock, you can launch park your boat, go park your car while someone else could be launching.

Instead of having your boat on the ramp, taking up room.

Here we have Manuel Breedlove with a nice Tom Turkey that he took in Greenup County.

This was his second bird of the season.

Nice job.

Six year old Easton Van Meter caught this nice largemouth bass while fishing in Lake Peewee in Madisonville.

He told his Papaw, you cook them, I'll keep catching them.

Here we have Chelsea Holt.

This was her first Turkey season.

She got this long beard while hunting.

And Rockcastle County.

Nice job.

Check out this nice muskie that was caught in green River Lake by Darian Morrison.

What a fish.

Here we have Shelby McQueary with her first tom turkey that she took in Casey County.

She said it flew right off the roost, right in her lap.

Nice job.

Stephen Walters caught this nice flathead catfish while fishing on the Kentucky River using live bait.

This fish weighed over 40 pounds.

Nice job.

Here we have Ryder Young of Grant County with his first turkey.

He said he called three gobblers in and was able to roll this turkey at 40 yards with his Winchester 20 gauge shotgun.

Nice job.

Here we have Chandler Barnes, setter with his newborn son in Greene County with a nice turkey.

Hopefully this is the first of many hunts.

Congratulations.

The school year for many of our Kentucky students is now coming to an end.

Hopefully, you and your family are making plans to get outdoors and remember hunting and fishing on private property is a privilege.

Always ask permission and thank the landowner.

Until next week, I'm your host, Chad Miles, and I Hope to see you in the woods or on the water.