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Best crappie lakes in Kentucky

46 Kentucky waters hold crappie, 25 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Schooling panfish that suspends around timber, brush and creek channels.

1. Lake Barkley — 54 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie, Bluegill
2. Kentucky Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
3. Lake Cumberland — 200 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
4. Cave Run Lake — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
5. Nolin River Lake — 85 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
6. Dale Hollow Lake — 130 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
7. Green River Lake — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
8. Rough River Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
9. Barren River Lake — 75 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
10. Buckhorn Lake — 62 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
11. Ohio River — McAlpine Pool — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
12. Ohio River — Cannelton Pool — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
13. Ohio River — Markland Pool — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
14. Ohio River — Meldahl Pool — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
15. Laurel River Lake — 280 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
16. Grayson Lake — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
17. Taylorsville Lake — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, Bluegill
18. Paintsville Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
19. Ohio River — Greenup Pool — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
20. Carr Creek Lake — 57 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
21. Yatesville Lake — 50 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
22. Ohio River — Newburgh Pool — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie, Channel Catfish
23. Lake Beshear — 28 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
24. Ohio River — J.T. Myers Pool — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie, Channel Catfish
25. Cedar Creek Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

…plus 21 more Kentucky waters holding crappie.

When to fish crappie in Kentucky

• Spring 2–8 ft — The famous spring bite: brush, timber and docks in protected shallow pockets.
• Summer 10–25 ft — Find suspended schools over channel-edge brush piles and deep timber.
• Fall 8–20 ft — Schools follow shad into creeks; fish channel bends with cover.
• Winter 15–35 ft — Tight schools in deep holes and channel bends; slow presentations.

Also in Kentucky: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best sauger lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best rock bass lakes

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