Is it worth fishing Kentucky Lake today?

6 out of 10 — biting. Worth a cast. The strongest stretch is 2:41 AM–4:41 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level.

What time should you fish Kentucky Lake?

Today's major windows run 2:41 AM–4:41 AM and 3:10 PM–5:10 PM, with minor windows at 10:50 AM–11:50 AM and 8:26 PM–9:26 PM. Sunrise is 6:47 AM and sunset 6:37 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.

What is the water temperature at Kentucky Lake?

No gauge on Kentucky Lake measures it, so this is an estimate: roughly 66.2°F, worked out from the 7-day mean of air temperature at NOAA weather station KPAH (Paducah, Barkley Regional Airport). Checked against the lakes that do have a thermometer, that method lands within about 4.5°F of the real reading and was off by 8.3°F at worst. Treat it as a ballpark, not a measurement — and note the bite index above ignores it entirely, because an error that size would move the verdict as often as it would fix it.

What is the water level at Kentucky Lake right now?

355.24 ft, read at 8:00 AM from NOAA NWPS station KYDK2. Over 24 hours it is up 0.06 ft.

Are water levels rising or falling at Kentucky Lake?

Falling. The lake is up 0.06 ft in 24 hours and down 0.06 ft over the week. Over the last 8 days it has held between 354.95 and 355.4 ft. Every figure here is a difference between two gauge readings, not a forecast — what the level does next depends on rain and on what the dam releases.

Can you eat the fish you catch in Kentucky Lake?

That is a health question and it belongs with the state, not with us. KY publishes fish consumption advisories through its health or environmental agency, and those are the ones that count. We give no eating advice.

Do you need a licence to fish Kentucky Lake?

Yes. A Kentucky fishing license covers this water, required from age 16. KDFWR sets the rules and is the one that counts.

Waters · Lakes · KY · Wed, Sep 30

Kentucky Lake water level today 355.24 ft, rising

Bite index 6/10 — Biting — save your energy for the evening.

Worth a cast.

Built from solunar, pressure, level, wind. This water has no live gauge for every reading — see the sources below.

6/10

Biting

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM

10Peak 9 8Strong 7 6Good 5 4Slow 3 2 1Dead

Major

2:41 AM–4:41 AM

Moon overhead

Minor

10:50 AM–11:50 AM

Moonset

Major

3:10 PM–5:10 PM

Moon underfoot

Minor

8:26 PM–9:26 PM

Moonrise

Sunrise 6:47 AM · sunset 6:37 PM · tomorrow's first major 3:41 AM–5:41 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 9:29 AM

Conditions right now

Water temp estimated

≈66.2°F

7-day mean of air temperature, ±4.5°F typical

computed from NOAA KPAH updated 9:15 AM

Water level

355.24ft

+0.06 ft in 24h

NOAA NWPS KYDK2 updated 8:00 AM

Pressure

30inHg

rising · +1.02 hPa/12h

NOAA KPAH updated 9:15 AM

Wind

5mph SSW

NOAA KPAH updated 9:15 AM

Moon

81% waning

Solunar · computed updated 9:29 AM

What this means

Largemouth bass, Crappie, Catfish

This gauge reports level but no water temperature, so depth calls stay open. Read the windows and the pressure trend instead.

Kentucky Lake level over the last 8 days

355.24 ft up 0.06 ft in 24 hours

That sits 64% of the way up the band it has held over the last 8 days, between 354.95 and 355.4 ft. Over the week it is down0.06ft.

09-22 354.95–355.40 ft 09-30

NOAA NWPS KYDK2 updated 8:00 AM

The week ahead

Thu	6	Biting
Fri	7	Biting
Sat	7	Biting
Sun	6	Biting
Mon	6	Biting
Tue	5	Picky
Wed	6	Biting

Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.

Kentucky Lake boat ramps and public fishing access

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources lists 45 public access points on Kentucky Lake. These are the 8 closest to our gauge — the farthest one the agency lists sits 37 mi away.

KY Dam Marina and State Park 1.3 mi

Any Boat

Ramp surface: PavedLaunch lanes: MultipleParking: PavedParking capacity: 51 plusCourtesy dock: YesRestrooms: Year-Round All-HoursCamping: Seasonal All-HoursMarina: Year-Round Limited-HoursFee: No
Lighthouse Marina 1.7 mi

Any Boat

Ramp surface: PavedLaunch lanes: SingleParking: PavedParking capacity: 25 or LessCourtesy dock: YesRestrooms: Year-Round All-HoursCamping: Year-Round All-HoursMarina: Year-Round Limited-HoursFee: No
Sledd Creek - TVA 3.5 mi

Carrydown Only

Parking: UnpavedParking capacity: 25 or LessCamping: Seasonal All-HoursFee: No
Little Bear Public Use Area 4.2 mi

Small Boat Only

Ramp surface: PavedLaunch lanes: SingleParking: UnpavedParking capacity: 25 or LessCourtesy dock: YesRestrooms: Year-Round All-HoursFee: No
Twin Lakes Ramp 5.1 mi

Small Boat Only

Ramp surface: PavedLaunch lanes: SingleParking: UnpavedParking capacity: 25 or LessRestrooms: Year-Round All-HoursCamping: Year-Round All-HoursFee: No
Hillman's Ferry - LBL 6.3 mi

Small Boat Only

Ramp surface: PavedLaunch lanes: SingleParking: PavedParking capacity: 25 or LessCourtesy dock: YesRestrooms: Seasonal All-HoursCamping: Seasonal All-HoursAccessible ramp: Seasonal All-HoursFee: No
Moor's Resort 7.1 mi

Any Boat

Ramp surface: PavedLaunch lanes: MultipleParking: PavedParking capacity: 51 plusCourtesy dock: YesRestrooms: Year-Round All-HoursMarina: Year-Round Limited-HoursFee: No
Pisgah Bay Campground lake access - LBL 7.7 mi

Small Boat Only

Ramp surface: PavedLaunch lanes: MultipleParking: UnpavedParking capacity: 25 or LessRestrooms: Year-Round All-HoursCamping: Year-Round All-HoursFee: No

Access data from Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Distances are straight-line from our gauge, not driving distance.

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources · public access inventory

Before you go

A Kentucky fishing license covers this water — $24.31 a year for residents. KDFWR sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What it costs, and who is exempt →

Nearby waters today

5 Picky Rough River Lake KY · 170 km
5 Picky Nolin Lake KY · 182 km
6 Biting Barren River Lake KY · 191 km
5 Picky Lake Guntersville AL · 334 km
6 Biting Lake Conroe TX · 1001 km

Questions people ask about Kentucky Lake

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Kentucky Lake.

Is it worth fishing Kentucky Lake today?: 6 out of 10 — biting. Worth a cast. The strongest stretch is 2:41 AM–4:41 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level.
What time should you fish Kentucky Lake?: Today's major windows run 2:41 AM–4:41 AM and 3:10 PM–5:10 PM, with minor windows at 10:50 AM–11:50 AM and 8:26 PM–9:26 PM. Sunrise is 6:47 AM and sunset 6:37 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
What is the water temperature at Kentucky Lake?: No gauge on Kentucky Lake measures it, so this is an estimate: roughly 66.2°F, worked out from the 7-day mean of air temperature at NOAA weather station KPAH (Paducah, Barkley Regional Airport). Checked against the lakes that do have a thermometer, that method lands within about 4.5°F of the real reading and was off by 8.3°F at worst. Treat it as a ballpark, not a measurement — and note the bite index above ignores it entirely, because an error that size would move the verdict as often as it would fix it.
What is the water level at Kentucky Lake right now?: 355.24 ft, read at 8:00 AM from NOAA NWPS station KYDK2. Over 24 hours it is up 0.06 ft.
Are water levels rising or falling at Kentucky Lake?: Falling. The lake is up 0.06 ft in 24 hours and down 0.06 ft over the week. Over the last 8 days it has held between 354.95 and 355.4 ft. Every figure here is a difference between two gauge readings, not a forecast — what the level does next depends on rain and on what the dam releases.
Can you eat the fish you catch in Kentucky Lake?: That is a health question and it belongs with the state, not with us. KY publishes fish consumption advisories through its health or environmental agency, and those are the ones that count. We give no eating advice.
Do you need a licence to fish Kentucky Lake?: Yes. A Kentucky fishing license covers this water, required from age 16. KDFWR sets the rules and is the one that counts.
What a Kentucky license costs, and who is exempt

Where these numbers come from

Solunar computed 9:29 AM
NOAA KPAH Paducah, Barkley Regional Airport 9:15 AM
NOAA PAH gridded forecast 8:46 AM
NOAA NWPS KYDK2 Tennessee River at Kentucky Lake Pool · data from Tennessee Valley Authority 8:00 AM

The Tennessee Valley Authority reads this pool at Kentucky Dam, and NOAA republishes it hourly — USGS has no gauge anywhere on the lake. Summer pool is 359 ft and winter pool 354 ft, so a reading in the high 350s is a full lake. There is no temperature sensor, so the depth calls stay open.

No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.