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Elkhorn Creek Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Sep 14, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Kentucky’s smallmouth creek: the Elkhorn runs bass and rock bass through Bluegrass horse country.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
240 cfs
Air / High
75 / 82 F
Wind
NE 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03289500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Monday
14
September 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Elkhorn Creek offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The river is running 240 cfs, on the rise. Today brings cloud cover, wind NE around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1022 hPa and a high of 82. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing crescent, the solunar majors run 1:11 AM-3:11 AM and 1:11 PM-3:11 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 94 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Sep 15, 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 smallmouth 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 ELKHORN CREEK NEAR FRANKFORT, KY.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03289500.

5621,4402,317240 cfs08/1508/2509/0409/14

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp75 F
High / Low82 / 60 F
WindNE 6-8 mph
Pressure1021.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:20 / 19:48
MoonWaxing Crescent, 8%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Mon Sep 14 · Overcast, 82/60 F, wind 7 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

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

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

When to come: the Elkhorn Creek 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
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Elkhorn Creek today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Sep 13

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 89 F, wind to 11 mph.

Sat, Sep 12

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 84 F, wind to 8 mph.

Fri, Sep 11

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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 license. Smallmouth bass size and creel limits apply on the creek: check current KDFWR stream regulations.

Access

Public access points including Peaks Mill, bridge crossings and outfitter launches near Frankfort and Georgetown.

About this water

A 20-mile limestone creek to the Kentucky River near Frankfort, Franklin and Scott counties, Kentucky.

Fishing Elkhorn Creek: the full guide

A creek through the Bluegrass

Elkhorn Creek forms where its North and South forks meet near Georgetown and runs about 20 miles to the Kentucky River near Frankfort, cutting a limestone gorge through the horse farms and pastures of the Bluegrass. It is one of Kentucky’s best smallmouth streams, with rock bass, longear sunfish, catfish and the occasional walleye alongside.

Smallmouth on limestone

The creek runs over limestone ledges, through riffles and into deep pools, and smallmouth hold the current seams, the rock and the wood. Tubes, small crankbaits, hair jigs and topwater all produce through the warm months. Fish average creek size with genuine larger fish in the deeper pools, particularly near the Kentucky River.

Floating and wading

The main Elkhorn is a popular canoe and kayak float, with outfitters serving the run from Peaks Mill toward the Kentucky River, and the forks offer good wading. Spring flows carry boats; late summer often drops the creek low enough that wading is the better approach. Private land borders much of it: use public accesses.

Franklin and Scott county logistics

Access is via public points including the Peaks Mill area, bridge crossings and outfitter launches, with Frankfort and Georgetown the base towns and Lexington twenty minutes away. Respect the private property that lines much of the corridor, and check the Frankfort gauge before planning a float.

Common questions

Is it good smallmouth water?

Yes: one of Kentucky’s best smallmouth creeks, with fish on the limestone ledges, seams and pools.

Can I float it?

Yes in adequate flow, with outfitters serving the run toward the Kentucky River. Late summer often gets too low.

Is the land private?

Much of the corridor is: use the public access points and respect posted boundaries.

Is fishing good at Elkhorn Creek right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Taylorsville Lake29 miHerrington Lake38 miLicking River38 miCave Run Lake71 miGreen River Lake75 miBlue River79 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 03289500 — ELKHORN CREEK NEAR FRANKFORT, KY
Read from waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/iv. Latest value timestamped 2026-09-14 at 12:15 station time.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 38.2687, -84.8147 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.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Written and reviewed by a person against the sources above. Errors are published in the verification log, not quietly corrected.

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.

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