TVA reservoir

Kentucky Lake

Marshall, Calloway, Lyon, Trigg & Livingston Counties (shared with TN), Kentucky

Kentucky Lake is a huge TVA lake on the Tennessee River, held back by Kentucky Dam in western Kentucky and running south into Tennessee. It is known for crappie, bass, redear sunfish and bluegill.

Air temp in Springville, TN Loading current temperature…

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Current air temperature at Kentucky Lake (National Weather Service) ↗

Surface area160,300 acres

Max depth—

Shoreline2064 mi

Boat motorsUnlimited horsepower

Species

Fishery rating out of 5.

Crappie●●●●●

Fish shallow buttonball bushes, brush piles and stake beds in early to mid April.

Largemouth Bass●●●●●

Work buttonball bushes for spawning bass in spring.

Smallmouth Bass●●●●○

Fish rocky banks, bluffs and creek channels at the mouths of bays.

Redear Sunfish●●●●○

Look for spawning fish over gravel in late April and May.

Bluegill●●●●○

Use crickets or worms under a cork on spawning beds in May.

When they bite

Month-by-month activity for each target species.

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Crappie
Largemouth Bass
Smallmouth Bass
Redear Sunfish

SlowFairGoodHot

Boat launches

6 launch sites. Fees and hours change, so confirm before you go.

Kenlake State Resort Park RampsPublic
Two public ramps at the state park in AuroraDirections ↗
Jonathan Creek Public Boat RampPublic
Public ramp on the Jonathan Creek embayment; quieter optionDirections ↗
Fenton Boat RampFree
Land Between the Lakes launch at Fenton; freeDirections ↗
Birmingham Ferry Boat RampFree
Land Between the Lakes launch at Birmingham Ferry campground; freeDirections ↗
Sugar Bay Boat RampFree
Land Between the Lakes launch at Sugar Bay; freeDirections ↗
More public accessPublic
See Kentucky Fish & Wildlife or the lake manager's website for all ramps and feesDirections ↗

Size & creel limits

Special rules for this lake, confirmed from official state regulations. Minimum size and daily limit.

Species	Min size	Daily limit
Largemouth Bass	15 in	Statewide limit
Smallmouth Bass	15 in	Statewide limit
Black Crappie Black or white combined	10 in	20 / day
White Crappie Black or white combined	10 in	20 / day
Sauger	14 in	6 / day

Other species in this lake: look up the limits at Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources ↗

Verified October 2026. Rules change, so confirm current limits with the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources before you fish.

Bait & tackle nearby

Closest shops to the lake and its boat launches. Call ahead for live bait and hours.

Fast Eddie's Bait & TackleNearby
8492 US Highway 68 E, Benton, KY(270) 354-6317 Directions ↗
Aurora General StoreNearby
16842 US Highway 68 E, Hardin, KY(270) 474-3015 Directions ↗
Sportsman's Bait & TackleNearby
2305 Hwy 62 W, Gilbertsville, KY(270) 362-4454 Directions ↗

Search more bait shops near Kentucky Lake ↗

Local tips

Crappie must be 10 inches, with a combined limit of 20 per angler on the Kentucky side.
White bass school in the main lake near secondary channels in summer.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife posts GPS points for its fish attractors on this lake.

Angler reports

Water temp, what's biting, and anything else other anglers should know about Kentucky Lake.

Loading reports...

View on interactive map

Zoom and pan on a street, satellite or terrain map. Red pins are boat launches.