Kentucky Fishing

Kentucky contains more fresh water than any other of the lower 48 states, only behind Alaska for the overall title. With 90,000 miles of fresh water streams, Kentucky waterways are one of the most expansive and complex systems in the nation. This includes the obvious streams you see along the surface, but it also hosts the likes of Lost River Cave which takes the title for the deepest river in the world, which happens to be subterranean. Kentucky lays claims to the largest lake east of the Mississippi River, both in terms of water volume (Lake Cumberland) and surface area (Kentucky Lake). All of this water equates to one thing for certain, a proper fishing hole is always close by!

Cave Run Lake, which is in the Daniel Boone National Forest near Morehead and Frenchburg, has 8,300 acres of surface area. This Kentucky lake is known as the “Muskie Fishing Capitol of the South.”

Dale Hollow, which is on the southern border, is one of the best locations in the country for smallmouth bass fishing, currently holding the world record, and 3 out of the top 10 smallmouths ever taken! The record for the largest smallmouth bass currently sits at 11 lb., 15 oz.

Kentucky is the only state in the U.S. that is bordered on three sides by rivers. The Ohio River covers the north, while the Mississippi River covers the western border, and on the eastern border the Big Sandy River and Tug Fork are present. All of that water present on the border contributes or is fed by a network of major internal rivers. Those areas include the Kentucky River, Tennessee River, Cumberland River, Green River, and Licking River,  which are all prime locations for various types of fishing!