"We decided hybrids would be a good choice to reduce the otherwise underutilized big shad -- and within just a couple of years after stocking, develop another fishing opportunity for a really exciting fish to catch."

Hybrids are an open-water strain that can attain weights of over 20 pounds. Fish of that size have a voracious appetite, and also have the potential to trim big shad numbers down a bit. At the same time, hybrids don't compete much for space and food with other fish like bass and crappie. After all, bass and crappie relate to structure, often in shallow water, while hybrids prefer open-water environments.

Of the waters currently being stocked with hybrids, only one has struggled with getting off the ground: Guist Creek. Biologists are studying the reason why. Most of the other larger lakes and rivers -- including Barren River, Herrington and Fishtrap lakes, Rough River Lake and the Ohio River -- have generally done quite well as homes for hybrids. Perhaps Guist Creek at 300 acres is a tad too small.

The jury remains out for now.

"I've had more positive comments in recent months about the hybrid fishery we started in Rough River than any other fishery going out there -- and we have some really excellent fisheries available," said Kinman.

"I think hybrids have given anglers a quality mid-to-late summer fishing opportunity that otherwise wouldn't have been there. And the people out there giving it a try are cashing in. They're catching bigger fish. They can do it without having specialized equipment and extensive expertise to be successful during a time when some species aren't as easy to connect with," he said.

"Hybrid fishing isn't like fishing for stripers. You don't have to have downriggers and planer boards and that kind of tackle. You can catch them on bass-fishing gear, which most people already have. They can get them in the jumps, during spring runs, off points and channels at times, and while trolling out in open water," Kinman explained.

You might be wondering . . . if hybrids are so versatile and such great fighters, why doesn't the KDFWR stock those fish everywhere?

Not all lakes are suitable for every type of fish. The introduction of any species into any waterway always impacts on what's already there.

Biologists are extremely careful to minimize the chances of any stocking causing something negative to happen to other fisheries already present. Also, the characteristics of a species dictate whether it can thrive in a given type of aquatic environment. Therefore, you can't just put every fish in every waterway just because they all live in water.

Sounds logical? Sort of, but it's not that elementary by a long shot.