Kentucky Lake

Welcome to beautiful Kentucky Lake, one of the world's largest man-made lakes with 2,380 miles of shoreline and 160,000 acres of water.

Just imagine an area where the people are friendly, life is easy, and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. You have just pictured Kentucky Lake! You can choose peace and quiet or be in the center of the action. Stay on the water's edge or venture inland to a unique bed and breakfast. Anchor in a bay to yourself or head for the golf courses. Whatever your choices may be, you will have the vacation you'll always remember on the lake you'll never forget.

Be sure to sample some of the best fishing there is on Kentucky Lake. This huge impoundment is consistently one of the richest angler's meccas in America. Dedicated fisherman make pilgrimages from afar to sample the wealth of the lake, and countless occasional anglers have been hooked by their taste of the reservoir's bounty.

Traditional headliner species on Kentucky Lake has been crappie, fish for which the impoundment has held deserved acclaim. The lake's crappie grow large - individual fish of 2 pounds are common and limit stringers of fish averaging 1.5 pounds are routine. Most famed on Kentucky Lake is the spring spawn. During this time, fisherman across the country plan their trips to take advantage of the great action just waiting to be had.

Bass fishing run neck and neck with crappie as the hottest commodity on the water. Kentucky Lake has an exceptional population of largemouth bass, with a remarkable number of them in the 4-7 pound range and a good sprinkling of trophy fish all the way up to double digit weights. That's combined with a companion population of rod-wrenching smallmouth bass, which also produce an enviable number of fish to 5 pounds and larger.

A hot ticket item on the lake from mid-spring through the summer is the white bass - "stripes" to the locals. Fish of up to 2 pounds and larger are caught in limit batches. White bass often are caught on the surface as they feed on shad "in the jumps," and the frenzied action can be hair-raising.

Of increasing importance on Kentucky Lake is its sunfish faction. Always abundant, bluegill and the related red-ear sunfish or "shellcrackers" in recent seasons have grown stouter in size. The sunfishes are easily caught by the sackful and are a hot item spring through fall.

There are other worthy fishing options, too. Catfish - blues, channel cats and flatheads - grow to sizes as long as your leg, and larger even, in Kentucky Lake. Sauger, relatives of the walleyes, are often a bonus for white bass anglers and present a significant fishery of their own. A special fishery for sauger exists during the winter months where they congregate during the spawning run in the tail waters of Kentucky Dam.

Pick your fish and your style of fishing. Kentucky Lake has the resources to keep your lines tight. For the variety of species that offer fast fishing and hefty catches, these waters are as good as they are big. If it is your first time to Kentucky Lake, be sure to secure a guide for a half or full day. They can give you great tips on fishing this expansive body of water along with showing you a great time on the lake.

Kentucky Lake begins in Western Kentucky, about 25 miles east of the city of Paducah at Kentucky Dam. From here, Kentucky Lake continues south, into the state of Tennessee. Marshall County borders the northernmost section of Kentucky Lake and is home to the famous Kentucky Dam.

Several major highways and interstates enter our region, including the I-24, Hwy. 68, the Purchase Parkway and the Western Kentucky Parkway.

Kentucky Lake is large enough to accommodate a variety of water activities including fishing, boating, skiing, and wildlife viewing. In addition to water and wildlife, the area has golfing, shopping, dining, antiques & crafts, hiking & biking, hunting, camping, attractions and much more. With so much to see and do, the Kentucky Lake area is a natural choice for your next vacation. Whatever season, whatever reason, the Marshall County/Kentucky Lake area is the right choice for your next vacation.

Drop-offs, creek channels, points, coves, timbered shore, brush, rocky banks,dam tailwaters, mud shallows.

Crappie move up tributary creeks to bedding areas in shallow coves during the spring. Loads of fish then can be caught in thigh-deep water. Often over-looked, however, is that crappie can be caught year-round. A variety of tactics used throughout the year can produce slab size crappie.