Welcome to our Lake Barkley Fishing Home Page
Lake Barkley was impounded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1966. The dam impounds the Cumberland River near Grand Rivers, Kentucky, approximately 38 miles up stream from where the Cumberland empties into the Ohio River. One mile above the dam is a canal connecting Lake Barkley with Kentucky Lake, forming one of the greatest freshwater recreational areas in the country.
Primary Species of Fish
Largemouth Bass & Crappie
Lake Barkley is home to some very good fishing. You can catch so many different species of fish, but most anglers come here to target largemouth bass and crappie. There are good numbers and trophy fish of both species spread throughout this lake.
Secondary Species of Fish
Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, Catfish, White Bass, Bluegill & Perch
If you want to target smallmouth bass, white bass, catfish or bluegill, there are good numbers of them in the lake if you know how to target them. They are secondary for most anglers, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do well fishing for these species of fish here.
Lake Barkley is a lot Shallower than Kentucky Lake
Compared to nearby Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley is a lot shallower. It’s still a good-sized lake with lots of fishing opportunities, however, the main river channel is pretty narrow compared to Kentucky Lake and there is a lot less deep water here. For the shallow water anglers, Lake Barkley is shown as a good shallow water lake. Many of the pro bass anglers will make the run over to Barkley to flip the bushes. You can still target fish deeper here, but most anglers prefer to spend more time on Kentucky Lake when fishing the ledges because there is so much more water to fish. The bigger schools of quality largemouth bass are found on Kentucky Lake once summer rolls around.
Fish the Shoreline Cover
Anglers love fishing the shoreline cover on Lake Barkley. While the bushes get most of the hype on Barkley, you can catch plenty of fish around rocky shorelines, around brush piles and around laydowns. Because Lake Barkley has a lot of shallow water, it is very important to be targeting cover because that cover is going to hold a lot more fish than shorelines without cover. While on Kentucky Lake, a shoreline with a nice drop-off may hold some nice fish, there are a lot of shallower shorelines on Barkley, so instead of a quick drop, it may be a log, bush, rock or brush pile that is attracting the fish.
Catch Big Bass
Kentucky Lake may get most of the attention when it comes to big bass, but there are a lot of quality bass caught on Lake Barkley too. Many pro anglers will put some nice limits from Lake Barkley. For some anglers, they prefer to spend time on Barkley instead of Kentucky Lake so they can target less-pressured fish. Once the bass move into the shallows to spawn, both lakes will get a lot of attention, but Kentucky Lake gets a lot more angler pressure, so it may be a little easier to get that big bass to bite shallow when it hasn’t seen a couple dozen different lures already. Bass in the 4 to 7 pound range are caught on Barkley, but the spring is usually your best chance at consistently getting bigger bass here.
Good Multi-Species Fishery
Just like Kentucky Lake, anglers can catch a lot of different types of fish on a trip to Lake Barkley. Choose a lure that mimics a smaller baitfish and you may end up catching largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, white bass, yellow bass and crappie. If you go with bigger lures, you won’t catch as many different species of fish, so if you just want to catch a bunch of fish, be smart about your lure selection.
Current Plays a Major Factor Here
Current plays a role in how well the fish feed on Lake Barkley, especially as you get closer to the dam. The current may not be a factor in some of the creek arms, however, out on the main lake, the bite can be much better when the dam is releasing water. The current will help position baitfish, which will make it easier to find schooling fish that are willing to bite.
Check out the Tennessee Valley Authority for Lake Barkley flow conditions on its website.
Fish the Creeks
The creek arms provide excellent fishing for a variety of fish. Spring and fall are the best times to fish these areas. Shoreline cover and brush piles will hold a lot of the fish in the spring. In the fall, a variety of fish will move back into the creeks to chase bait fish.
Fish the Main Lake
The main lake ledge fishing is not as popular on Lake Barkley as it is on Kentucky Lake, however, the main river channel does have good enough depth for bass and other fish to be comfortable during the hot, summer months. If you look at a map of both lakes, you will see how there is so much more deep water on Kentucky Lake. The main lake points and creek arms that are closer to the main river channel can be great spots for holding a variety of fish from spring through fall.
Fish the Points
There are plenty of points on Lake Barkley. The points with access to deeper water as well as with a variety of cover will usually be better spots to fish. For example, if one spot doesn’t have deep water close by, but there is some wood, rocks and / or bushes there, it still might be a great spot to fish even if it’s only a few feet deep. With the murky water, these spots are good spots to fish in the spring and fall. Some of those secondary points back in the creeks can be great spots to fish in the spring and fall.
Fish the Rocks
You will find some rocks through Lake Barkley. While the smallmouth bass love to hang out around the rocks, you have a lot of shallow water in this lake, so plan on finding plenty of largemouth bass, crappie and other fish to go along with some smallmouth bass mixed in. The deeper rocks tend to hold some of the better smallmouth bass, especially once the water warms up in the summer.
Fish the Shorelines
You have a lot of shorelines to fish here. Whether you are targeting bushes, laydowns, rocks, brush piles or docks, there is a lot of shallow water cover to fish along the shorelines. The shoreline bite is usually very good in the spring along the shorelines in the creek arms.
Fish the Wood
Whether you are fishing the bushes, brush piles or laydowns, there is plenty of wood in the lake to fish. Most anglers will be fishing for largemouth bass or crappie around the wood, but you will find some smallmouth bass, bluegill, catfish and more that will be using this cover.
