House adopts changes to private-lake fishing rules and curbs releases of Florida bass

The House of Representatives on March 26 passed Senate Bill 39 as amended, changing state rules for hunting and fishing on privately owned land and for private lakes and ponds.

The gentleman from Lincoln, explaining the House Committee Substitute, said the measure would make clear that Kentucky residents who own land anywhere in the state may be license-exempt when hunting or fishing on their property, rather than requiring residence on the property. He told colleagues the substitute also exempts private landowners from certain possession, size and creel limits for privately owned lakes and ponds, allows stocking of Florida bass or F1 bass in private waters and permits the department to authorize stocking in department-owned lakes.

Supporters said the changes respond to practical problems when private ponds become overstocked and owners have no clear option to humanely remove fish. "If a pond gets overstocked ... they are not allowed to remove those fish," the gentleman from Lincoln said, arguing the bill lets owners harvest or move fish rather than leave them to die.

Lawmakers also adopted House Floor Amendment 1 to ensure the language explicitly references "private" lakes and ponds and House Floor Amendment 4 to prohibit stocking F1 or Florida bass in ponds located in a 100-year floodplain, a change proponents said prevents escape into public waterways during floods.

The Speaker's amendment (House Floor Amendment 2) was described as providing more time for a considered approach to wake-boat regulations; the gentleman from Jefferson 33 said the amendment "allows us the time to have a more considered approach on wake boats."

The House adopted the committee substitute and the floor amendments and then passed S.B.39 by recorded vote, with 90 members voting aye and none opposed. The bill creates civil penalties of up to $10,000 for intentional release of restricted bass into public waterways, with judges retaining discretion on penalty severity based on circumstances.

What happens next: The bill will be enrolled and sent for the governor's signature as required by the enrollment committee process.

Provenance: Topic introduced and debated beginning with the clerk's report and explanation (SEG 173–SEG 266) and the passage vote was recorded later on the floor (SEG 385–SEG 395).