Most all of the stream and tailwater locations offer some great trouting at certain times of the year. Some provide excellent fishing opportunities nearly all year long, while others offer only spring success. Some of these locations are extremely accessible, while others are quite remote. There are a wide variety of fishing opportunities available, including bank-fishing, wading, and floating.

For those who like to float, Russell Fork in Pike County offers an excellent fishing opportunity in a very scenic area. A three-mile section of river offers float-fishing as well as bank- and wade-fishing opportunities. This section begins at the upper stocking site at Ratliff Hole near the Virginia border and extends downstream to the mouth of Elkhorn Creek in the lower end of Elkhorn City.

The KDFWR stocks 9,000 rainbow trout there each year. The trout are stocked in April and May and then again in October. Around 3,000 trout are stocked each of those months, with half of the fish being released at the Ratliff Hole and the other half being released near the state Route 80 Bridge at the upper end in Elkhorn City.

Floating this river can be quite rewarding, but also comes with a warning: Several areas of the river can --and sometimes do -- develop Class III rapids, depending on water level and flow. It may be necessary to portage around hazardous areas of the river. To float the river, you should put in at Ratliff Hole and take out in Elkhorn City just above the lower state Route 80 Bridge.

While most people probably think of trout fishing as a stream activity, we do have a number of lakes that are stocked with trout as well. One of the better ones to target is Laurel River Lake in Whitley and Laurel counties. This 5,600-acre reservoir receives an annual February stocking of some 112,000 rainbow trout.

Trout fishing can be quite good at this impoundment. The KDFWR reports numerous fish in the 10- to 14-inch range. Anglers at Laurel will occasionally hook into some really nice-sized holdover rainbows. Some may weigh as much as 4 to 6 pounds.

With this being such a large lake, the best success is usually found by trolling during the cooler months of the year. But this lake is a very popular nighttime destination for trout anglers at other times of the year.

The best months for night-fishing are from May through September. During the daytime, the trout often hold in very deep water, but come up to feed as night approaches. Most times, they can be found in depths between 12 and 30 feet.

Anglers will have success with a variety of artificial and live baits, with the latter being preferred by most anglers. Night crawlers are favorite baits, as are minnows. Other folks will use commercial trout baits.