Share your catch
US

Cave Run Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Muskie water in the Daniel Boone National Forest: Cave Run Lake carries a 40-inch muskellunge minimum and 22 listed access sites.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
729.97 ft
Air / High
61 / 68 F
Wind
E 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03249498, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Cave Run Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The gauge reads 29.97 ft, up 0.06 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind E around 4 mph, steady pressure near 1025 hPa and a high of 68. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:09 AM-12:09 PM and 10:38 PM-12:38 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

Main open-water season: cast or troll large bucktails, spoons and plugs along weed edges and other cover where muskies wait in ambush.

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Smallmouth bassGood

Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

CrappieFair

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bassFair

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 71 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Kentucky requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $23.00 for residents. What a Kentucky licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with KDFWR before you keep anything. The season dates for Kentucky, read off the agency, are on the Kentucky seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from CAVE RUN LAKE NEAR FARMERS, KY.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03249498.

29.5629.8030.0429.97 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp61 F
High / Low68 / 44 F
WindE 4-9 mph
Pressure1025.3 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:50 / 18:45
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Cave Run Lake this week

The best day on Cave Run Lake this week looks like Thursday Oct 29, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Thursday, Oct 29 — excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:09 AM-12:09 PM and 10:38 PM-12:38 AM
Minor period
4:31 AM-5:31 AM
Sun
07:50 to 18:45
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 7 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Cave Run Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. Main open-water season: cast or troll large bucktails, spoons and plugs along weed edges and other cover where muskies wait in ambush.

When to come: the Cave Run Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
White bass
Smallmouth bass
Muskellunge
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Cave Run Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 4 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

Before you go

License

Kentucky requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Kentucky fishing license. KDFWR special regulations for Cave Run: muskellunge 40-inch minimum; largemouth 12–15-inch protected slot with a 6 black bass daily limit; smallmouth 18-inch minimum; no gigging or snagging in the main lake and tributaries up to the first riffle.

Access

22 KDFWR-listed access sites, including paved ramps at Scotts Creek, Twin Knobs, Longbow, Zilpo, Alfrey and Stoney Cove; marinas at Scott Creek and Longbow; Twin Knobs campground.

About this water

A Daniel Boone National Forest lake in Rowan, Bath, Menifee and Morgan counties, Kentucky: 8,270 acres according to the Forest Service.

Fishing Cave Run Lake: the full guide

A Forest Service lake

Cave Run Lake lies in the hills of northeastern Kentucky on the Cumberland Ranger District of the Daniel Boone National Forest. The Forest Service administers the lake and its shoreline, and the Corps of Engineers operates the dam and nearby recreation facilities. The Forest Service gives the lake as 8,270 acres; KDFWR’s waterbody page lists 7,880.

Muskellunge

KDFWR manages Cave Run’s muskellunge under a 40-inch minimum length with statewide creel limits. The department also publishes fish attractor locations for the lake that load into Google Maps.

Lake-specific bass rules

Largemouth bass fall under a 12- to 15-inch protective slot, so every fish in that range goes back, within a 6-fish black bass limit; smallmouth must be at least 18 inches. Crappie, spotted bass and white bass follow statewide rules, and gigging and snagging are banned in the main lake and in tributaries up to the first riffle.

Ramps, marinas and campgrounds

KDFWR lists 22 access sites, with paved ramps at Alfrey, Bangor, Beaver Creek, Blackwater, Clay Lick, Leatherwood, Longbow, Poppin Rock, Ramp 26, Scotts Creek, Stoney Cove, Twin Knobs, Warix Run and Zilpo, and bank access at sites such as Boat Gunnel, High Bank and Musky Bend. Marinas operate at Scott Creek and Longbow, and Twin Knobs, a 700-acre recreation area off KY 801 on the north shore, has a 200-site campground.

Common questions

What is the muskie size limit at Cave Run?

Forty inches. KDFWR’s special regulation sets a 40-inch minimum, with statewide creel limits.

Are there special bass rules?

Yes: a 12- to 15-inch protective slot on largemouth with a 6-fish black bass limit, and an 18-inch minimum on smallmouth.

Where can I launch?

KDFWR lists paved ramps around the lake, including Scotts Creek, Twin Knobs, Longbow, Zilpo, Alfrey and Stoney Cove; Scott Creek and Longbow also have marinas.

Is fishing good at Cave Run Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Grayson Lake26 miLicking River61 miHerrington Lake69 miElkhorn Creek71 miLaurel River Lake86 miTaylorsville Lake94 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 03249498 — CAVE RUN LAKE NEAR FARMERS, KY
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 16:05 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 38.0700, -83.5300 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.