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1,139-acre reservoir near Paintsville. The lake tops out around 100 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. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
The drawn water covers 1,084 acres wrapped in 52.6 miles of bank. The 11.4 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. About 79% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. The basin spans about 9.6 mi end to end and 3.3 mi across at its widest. Johnson County claims this one. If the bite dies, Dewey Lake is 17 mi to the southeast.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (45 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (85 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (85 ft) | Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Mine Fork inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Mine Fork inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Mine Fork inflow (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (50 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (85 ft) |
Early season rainbow trout use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Summer is an 8 to 30 ft game here, winter an 8 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Mine Fork inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 8 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Mine Fork inflow (8 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Mine Fork inflow (8 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (25 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Break off the point (45 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Spring puts walleye in skinny water — 4 to 15 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 15 to 35 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Spring walleye concentrate at Mine Fork inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Mine Fork inflow (8 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (25 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Main-lake point (25 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (25 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
The chart marks 12 structure features on Paintsville Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 85 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 Paintsville Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Kentucky fishing regulations →
Paintsville Lake is about 100 ft (30 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 largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, rainbow trout, walleye on Paintsville Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
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.
Fishing on Paintsville 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.
Dewey Lake 17 mi · Yatesville Lake 18 mi · Grayson Lake 21 mi · Cave Run Lake 30 mi · East Lynn Lake 36 mi, WV · Beech Fork Lake 42 mi, WV · Greenbo Lake 42 mi · Carr Creek Lake 45 mi · Fishtrap Lake 45 mi · Buckhorn Lake 49 mi · Ohio River - Greenup Pool 51 mi, OH/KY/WV · Upper Mud River Lake 52 mi, WV
See how Paintsville Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Kentucky · best walleye lakes in Kentucky · best crappie lakes in Kentucky · best bluegill 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.