HATCHERY CREEK
For a hands-down, best place to catch trout quickly and easily, look no farther than Hatchery Creek in Russell County below the Wolf Creek Dam on Lake Cumberland. It has everything going for it, especially volume.

Hatchery Creek is a stream that offers easy access, parking and fishing from the bank for a good distance right behind the federal fish-rearing facility. It gets quite a bit of fishing pressure, but that doesn't really affect people's ability to catch fish. Why not? Because 24,000 rainbows are pumped into the creek every month. This tremendous number of fish keeps the narrow creek teeming with opportunity, and it is a great place for those who want to experience catching trout but may not have a lot of time to spend at it.

"It's also a good place to introduce kids to trout fishing," Dreves said, "and anglers can expect to catch several without aid of too much sophisticated equipment or extensive know-how other waters might require."

In the last few years, the creek has been extended and improved to give anglers a little more space to spread out, and anywhere along its meanderings is equally as good. Lightweight spinners or organic baits work well in this setting, and the terrain is not terribly difficult to navigate along this stretch of water. It lies next door to the tailwaters of the Cumberland, which is also pretty well suited to bank-fishing and some limited wading for smaller-sized rainbows, too.

GOOSE CREEK
Right on the Casey-Russell county line, Goose Creek receives 4,500 total rainbow trout during April, May and June. There's only a mile of fishable trout water there, which is good in that fish are relatively concentrated for anglers.

This is one of many creeks considered strictly put-and-take, and anglers are told upon request, or by checking the Web site each month, when the truck will be there to off-load trout. On those days, expect to have some company. On days other than the stocking day, things are less crowded.

Goose Creek feeds the Green River about five miles downstream, but the best fishing is near the head of the creek rather than the mouth. It's not far off U.S. Route 127 to get you oriented, near Happy Acre and Decatur along state Route (SR) 80.

"It's a place people can catch several fish pretty quickly," Dreves said.

"Trout are voracious eaters when first released, and on a monthly basis with 1,500 or so going in, that translates into a whole bunch of eight-fish limits over the next several days," the biologist said.

Like most of these situations, fishing will slow down as time passes, but trout remain catchable even after they disperse if you make the effort to get away from the stocking spot itself.

OTTER CREEK
Dreves also suggested for the angler looking for dinner and some better fish to tug on the line, that Otter Creek just outside and feeding into Ft. Knox is a good bet. Located in Meade County, Otter Creek is a nice stretch of water that is very accessible from Otter Creek Park, and it is stocked with 1,700 fish from the KDFWR.