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160,000-acre Tennessee River impoundment; legendary crappie ledges and summer bass fishing. The lake tops out around 75 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
On the chart, Kentucky Lake draws 125,994 acres inside 829 miles of shoreline — 73 islands included. With a shoreline index of 16.7, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 77% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 99.5 mi of water from one end to the other, 18.1 mi at the beam. The water lies in Benton County. For a second option, Lake Barkley lies 34 mi north.
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Stake beds / brush (bay), a standing timber / brush in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Grass flat (upper bay) (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Stake beds / brush (bay) (14 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Stake beds / brush (bay) (14 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | River channel ledge (25 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Grass flat (upper bay), a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Grass flat (upper bay) (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake ledge drop (20 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Gravel main-lake point (15 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Main-lake ledge drop (20 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Rock reef, a rock pile in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (6 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Shell bed bar (10 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Gravel main-lake point (15 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Main-lake ledge drop (20 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: channel catfish in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 25 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Blood River mouth, an inflow / creek mouth in the 8 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Blood River mouth (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | River channel ledge (25 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | River channel ledge (25 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | River channel ledge (25 ft) |
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. Grass flat (upper bay) is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Grass flat (upper bay) (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Grass flat (upper bay) (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Grass flat (upper bay) (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Main-lake ledge drop (20 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Start shallow in spring: white bass & hybrids sit in 3 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Blood River mouth, an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for white bass & hybrids in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Blood River mouth (8 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Shell bed bar (10 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Gravel main-lake point (15 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | River channel ledge (25 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Kentucky Lake also holds blue catfish (10 to 40 ft in summer), flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer), freshwater drum (8 to 30 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 12 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), sauger (10 to 30 ft in summer), spotted bass (15 to 40 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Count 61 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Dam-side basin, sits near 60 ft.
Access data: Kentucky Fish & Wildlife — Fishing Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Kentucky waters are set by the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Kentucky Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Kentucky fishing regulations →
Kentucky Lake is about 75 ft (23 m) deep 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.
Anglers target crappie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill, white bass & hybrids, blue catfish, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, longnose gar, common carp, sauger, spotted bass on Kentucky Lake.
Stake beds / brush (bay) is the top-rated area: a standing timber / brush in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in summer. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For crappie, 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.
Fishing on Kentucky Lake is regulated by the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife. Check the official Kentucky regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Lake Barkley 34 mi · Buffalo River 44 mi, TN · Gibson County Lake 49 mi, TN · Harpeth River 60 mi, TN · Lake Beshear 61 mi, KY · Whippoorwill Lake 64 mi, TN · Blue Cat Lake 64 mi, TN · Shellcracker Lake 64 mi, TN · Marrowbone Lake 65 mi, TN · Nolen Blue Hole 69 mi, MO · Seven Island Conservation Area 70 mi, MO · Reelfoot Lake 71 mi, TN
See how Kentucky Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Kentucky · best smallmouth bass lakes in Kentucky · best sauger lakes in Kentucky · best crappie lakes in Kentucky
Browse all Kentucky fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.