Hope Carleton, who claimed to feel insecure in front of the camera, was host of “Kentucky Afield” for 23 years – the longest-serving host for the television program.
Carleton passed away Feb. 26, at the age of 89, in his western Kentucky home. This episode of “Kentucky Afield” pays tribute to the longtime outdoor enthusiast, including an interview current host Tim Farmer conducted with Carleton in 2008.
Carleton started his career with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources as a conservation officer in Fayette County in 1947. His broadcasting career began when the president of a local radio station asked him to do a half hour show about hunting and fishing in the area.
In 1957, Carleton left law enforcement to replace Ron Rhody as the host of “Kentucky Afield.” Carleton served as host from 1957 until his retirement in 1980. “I had a ball – I enjoyed it,” he said during the 2008 interview.
Carleton was among a group of department employees who helped establish the striped bass fishery in Kentucky. In the 1950s, officials in South Carolina allowed this group to keep all the stripers they could catch on fishing poles – as long as they bought non-resident licenses first. “In a 24-hour period, we caught 1,005,” Carleton said in the 2008 interview. “We sent both (hatchery) trucks back to Kentucky loaded.”
Kentucky began its striped bass stocking program in 1957. This episode of “Kentucky Afield” also visits Lake Cumberland to check out the waterway’s striped bass fishing.
