Kentucky has some very good fishing vacation destinations. Largemouth bass, crappie and striped bass get most of the attention in this state, however, there is some good fishing for catfish, smallmouth bass and a variety of panfish.
Featured Destinations – Quick Links
| Barren River Lake | Lake Barkley |
| Cave Run Lake | Lake Cumberland |
| Dale Hollow Lake | Laurel River Lake |
| Ohio River | Mississippi River |
| Kentucky Lake | Nolin River Lake |
Learn more about our featured fishing destinations below.
Barren River Lake
Barren River Lake is a good-sized lake that is located about 40 minutes outside of Bowling Green, Kentucky. It covers more than 10,000 acres and is popular for fishing and boating. Anglers target largemouth bass, spotted bass, striped bass, crappie, white bass, catfish and bluegill.
Cave Run Lake
Cave Run Lake is a beautiful lake that covers 8,270 acres at full summer pool. It is located in the beautiful mountains of eastern Kentucky just south of Morehead and about 60 miles east of Lexington. Most people hear of Cave Run Lake for the muskie fishing, which is rare for the state of Kentucky. However, there is some very good crappie fishing here too to go along with largemouth bass and many other species of fish.
Dale Hollow Lake
Dale Hollow Lake is a beautiful lake located on the Kentucky / Tennessee border. The lake is surrounded by beautiful scenery and miles of shoreline. It is a wonderful tourism area with plenty of accommodations, houseboats, warm weather, tons of water and some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in the country.
Dale Hollow Lake is home of the world record smallmouth bass that weighed 11 pounds and 15 ounces. Largemouth bass, crappie, muskellunge, walleye, catfish, gar, and trout are also available. The majority of the fishermen come here for the world class smallmouth bass fishery.
Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake is one of the world’s largest man-made lakes. The lake covers 2,380 miles of shoreline and 160,000 acres of water. Kentucky Lake is a very popular vacation destination. Whether you’re coming here for a fishing getaway or a family vacation, there is something to do for everyone.
Kentucky Lake is one of the better lakes for largemouth bass and crappie fishing. You can find both species of fish here in big numbers and big trophy fish are here too. Crappie up to and above 15 inches long are caught here and largemouth bass up to and above 7 pounds are in these waters.
Lake Barkley
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.
Lake Cumberland
Lake Cumberland is a large reservoir with a shoreline that measures over 1,200 miles and is found in Clinton, Pulaski, Russell, Wayne, and Laurel counties of Kentucky. Because of its temperate climate, Lake Cumberland has a very long recreational season that thousands of visitors take advantage of every year. This lake has become a major tourism destination for people that enjoy boating, swimming, fishing and just relaxing by the lake.
Fishing is very popular for a variety of species, however, most people come here for the tremendous striped bass fishery. If you know what you’re doing or you decide to fish with a guide, you have a good chance to catch good numbers of striped bass with some big fish mixed in too.
Laurel River Lake
Laurel River Lake covers more than 5,800 surface acres and it is known for its clear, cool and deep waters. It’s like used to be stocked with trout, however they do not stock trout here anymore. The cool waters in this lake are known for producing some nice smallmouth bass and walleye to go along with some good fishing for largemouth bass and spotted bass.
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River starts at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota and ends in the Gulf of Mexico about 100 miles south of New Orleans, Louisiana. It covers more than 2,300 miles and flows through 10 states including 5 major cities. The fishery can be very good depending on what part of the river you are fishing. It will fish much differently up in Minnesota than it does down near New Orleans. There are several featured fishing destinations that we cover that include the Mississippi River as a good body of water to be fishing in that specific area.
Nolin River Lake
Nolin River Lake covers almost 5,800 surface acres and is located about an hour and a half from Louisville. This lake is a popular fishing lake for largemouth bass and white bass. The fishing is also good for catfish and crappie. Walleye are here in low numbers, but a fishable population exists.
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a large river that begins at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet. The river flows for almost 1,000 miles through or borders 6 states which are Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. There are some very good fishing opportunities on this river for many species of fish. Depending on what part of the river you are fishing will dictate what species are around in better numbers. However, some of the fish species you can catch in the Ohio River are white bass, hybrid striped bass, striped bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, sauger, walleye, sunfish and a variety of catfish.
