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Fishing Licking River (Lower): what the data says
Kentucky's Licking River from the Blue Licks country to its Ohio River mouth at Newport; smallmouth, sauger and catfish. The river tops out around 25 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.
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Licking River (Lower)
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. Channel bar / point (mile 7.5) is the standout, a point at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Channel Catfish fishing at Licking River (Lower)
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. Main-channel hole (mile 0.6) is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for summer channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Licking River (Lower)
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. Channel bar / point (mile 7.5) is the standout, a point at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for fall largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| 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 | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Licking River (Lower)
In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Laydown banks: a standing timber / brush around 7 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 7 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 7 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday |
Freshwater Drum fishing at Licking River (Lower)
Start shallow in spring: freshwater drum sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 7 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. Main-channel hole (mile 0.6) is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for summer freshwater drum. Best bite is the evening. Summer baits: a jig + crawler combo or a small crankbait (slow) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dawn | Jig + curly tail (bounced), Small blade bait |
| Summer | 7 to 25 ft | dusk | Jig + crawler combo, Small crankbait (slow) |
| Fall | 7 to 25 ft | midday | Blade bait (vertical), Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (slow) |
Common Carp fishing at Licking River (Lower)
Start shallow in spring: common carp sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep bend pool: a deep basin around 16 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday |
Licking River (Lower) also holds 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.
Notable structure
- Ryland Lakes Dam Number 2 tailrace: dam tailrace, around 21 ft
- Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 21 ft
- Main-channel hole (mile 0.6): creek channel, around 20 ft
- Main-channel hole (mile 10.0): creek channel, around 20 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 3.7): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 12.1): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 14.6): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 21.2): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 23.3): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 37.7): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 43.3): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 47.9): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 50.1): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 52.3): creek channel, around 19 ft
Common questions
How deep is Licking River (Lower)?
Licking River (Lower) is about 25 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 Licking River (Lower)?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, sauger, channel catfish, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, common carp, rock bass on Licking River (Lower).
Where is the best fishing spot on Licking River (Lower)?
Channel bar / point (mile 7.5) is the top-rated area: a point in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Licking River (Lower)?
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.
Nearby waters
Kincaid Lake · A.J. Jolly Lake · Williamstown Lake · Boltz Lake · Ohio River - Markland Pool · Bullock Pen Lake
See how Licking River (Lower) 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 every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.