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Fishing Herrington Lake: what the data says
2,335-acre deep gorge reservoir near Danville. Kentucky's oldest and deepest-gorge reservoir. The lake tops out around 249 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Herrington Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Herrington Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Back-bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Herrington Lake
Spring crappie on Herrington Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. Back-bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring crappie. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Herrington Lake
Spring bluegill on Herrington Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. Back-bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Herrington Lake
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Dix River inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Herrington Lake
In spring, white bass & hybrids run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. Dix River inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring white bass & hybrids. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 212 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 125 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 112 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 62 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 62 ft
- Dix River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- McKecknie Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Herrington Lake?
Herrington Lake is about 249 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Herrington Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids on Herrington Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Herrington Lake?
Back-bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Herrington Lake?
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Kentucky River (Palisades) · Cedar Creek Lake · Beaver Lake · Elkhorn Creek · Taylorsville Lake · Marion County
See how Herrington Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Kentucky · best crappie lakes in Kentucky · best bluegill lakes in Kentucky · best channel catfish lakes in Kentucky
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