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Boonesborough to Frankfort through the limestone Palisades. Bass, hybrids and big flatheads in the old lock pools. The river tops out around 25 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Kentucky River (Palisades) maps at 6,062 acres behind 216.5 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 19.8, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 93% of this chart, as modeled. Figure 39.9 mi of water from one end to the other, 20.9 mi at the beam. Jessamine County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Jacobson Park Lake, is 7 mi to the east.
When the water first warms, smallmouth bass slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Boonesborough lock tailwater: a rock pile around 10 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Boonesborough lock tailwater (10 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Boonesborough lock tailwater (10 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Channel bar / point (mile 67.8) (10 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Palisades bluff holes (22 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 25 ft. Start at Channel bar / point (mile 67.8). It's a point holding about 10 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel bar / point (mile 67.8) (10 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel bar / point (mile 67.8) (10 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Channel bar / point (mile 67.8) (10 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Palisades bluff holes (22 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 25 ft. Start at Outside-bend hole (mile 5.6). It's a creek channel holding about 19 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 36.1) (14 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 5.6) (19 ft) | |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 5.6) (19 ft) | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 5.6) (19 ft) |
When the water first warms, flathead catfish slide up into 5 to 20 ft. Summer is a 7 to 25 ft game here, winter an 8 to 25 ft one. Start at Tailout eddy (mile 36.1). It's an eddy pocket holding about 14 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 36.1) (14 ft) | |
| Summer | 7 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 36.1) (14 ft) | |
| Fall | 7 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 36.1) (14 ft) | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 36.1) (14 ft) |
When the water first warms, white bass & hybrids slide up into 3 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Lock 8 tailrace: a dam tailrace around 21 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Current seam (mile 3.7) (14 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Lock 8 tailrace (21 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Lock 8 tailrace (21 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Lock 8 tailrace (21 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Spring common carp on Kentucky River (Palisades) hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 3 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. Put Tailout eddy (mile 36.1) first on the milk run — an eddy pocket near 14 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | open water | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 36.1) (14 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 5.6) (19 ft) | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 36.1) (14 ft) |
Kentucky River (Palisades) also holds longnose gar (1 to 12 ft in summer), freshwater drum (7 to 25 ft in summer), sauger (8 to 25 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 51 structure features on Kentucky River (Palisades); the deepest is Palisades bluff holes at about 22 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 River (Palisades) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Kentucky fishing regulations →
Kentucky River (Palisades) is about 25 ft (8 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 smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, white bass & hybrids, common carp, longnose gar, freshwater drum, sauger, rock bass on Kentucky River (Palisades).
Boonesborough lock tailwater is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For smallmouth 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.
Fishing on Kentucky River (Palisades) 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.
Jacobson Park Lake 7 mi · Herrington Lake 17 mi · Beaver Lake 25 mi · Elkhorn Creek 25 mi · Cedar Creek Lake 34 mi · Taylorsville Lake 35 mi · Guist Creek Lake 35 mi · Corinth Lake 37 mi · Elmer Davis Lake 40 mi · Benjy Kinman Lake 44 mi · Marion County 48 mi · Williamstown Lake 48 mi
See how Kentucky River (Palisades) stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Kentucky · best smallmouth bass lakes in Kentucky · best sauger lakes in Kentucky · best channel catfish 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.