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Herrington Lake Fishing Report

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

Herrington Lake: Kentucky Utilities' 1925 hydro lake on the Dix River, 249 feet deep at the dam, with stocked hybrid striped bass, white bass, largemouth and crappie.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
732.96 ft
Air / High
71 / 71 F
Wind
ENE 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03286000, 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.

Herrington Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The gauge reads 732.96 ft, easing 0.88 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind ENE around 7 mph, steady pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 71. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:14 AM-12:14 PM and 10:42 PM-12:42 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

The top of this band is already stressful. In rivers fish mornings and evenings; in lakes WDFW notes rainbows turn sluggish and go deeper, so troll or suspend bait near the bottom.

Brown troutExcellent

Upper end of the range: fish dawn, dusk, night or cloudy days, with terrestrial flies along the banks and streamers through the deeper runs.

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.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Hybrid striped bassFair

Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

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 73 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

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 β†’

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 HERRINGTON LAKE NEAR BURGIN, KY.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03286000.

733.65734.94736.23732.96 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp71 F
High / Low71 / 37 F
WindENE 7-9 mph
Pressure1023.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:55 / 18:50
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 Herrington Lake this week

The best day on Herrington Lake this week looks like Tuesday Oct 27, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Tuesday, Oct 27 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:14 AM-12:14 PM and 10:42 PM-12:42 AM
Minor period
4:36 AM-5:36 AM
Sun
07:55 to 18:50
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 7 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Herrington 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.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: the spring shad spawn and fall; summer at dawn and dusk

A hatchery cross of striped bass and white bass, also called wiper or palmetto bass, stocked by state agencies into reservoirs and rivers as a sport fish that also eats gizzard shad. Schools roam open water after shad. Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

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.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. The top of this band is already stressful. In rivers fish mornings and evenings; in lakes WDFW notes rainbows turn sluggish and go deeper, so troll or suspend bait near the bottom.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Upper end of the range: fish dawn, dusk, night or cloudy days, with terrestrial flies along the banks and streamers through the deeper runs.

When to come: the Herrington 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
Hybrid striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
White bass
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
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 Herrington Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

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 72 F, wind to 8 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 5 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 73 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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 lists no special regulations for Herrington Lake: statewide rules apply to hybrid striped bass, white bass and other species. See the current Kentucky Fishing and Boating Guide.

Access

KDFWR lists paved ramps (fees apply) at Cane Run, Chimney Rock, Pandora and Royalty's Camp (Mercer County), Camp Kennedy, Bryants Camp and Herrington Marina (Garrard), and Gwinn Island and Keys Landing / Coffey's Cove (Boyle), plus Mid Lake Marina & Campground. Hours vary; Camp Kennedy is listed as open 24 hours year-round.

About this water

Kentucky Utilities' hydroelectric reservoir on the Dix River, completed 1925, 249 ft deep at Dix Dam; 2,500 acres per KDFWR, in Mercer, Boyle and Garrard counties, Kentucky.

Fishing Herrington Lake: the full guide

Dix Dam and the deepest lake in Kentucky

Kentucky Utilities completed Dix Dam in 1925, and the dam impounded the Dix River into Herrington Lake. KU calls it the deepest lake in Kentucky, 249 feet at the dam; the hydro plant still runs three units, upgraded to 33 megawatts. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife lists the lake at 2,500 acres in Mercer, Boyle and Garrard counties.

Hybrids and white bass

KDFWR stocks hybrid striped bass every year. Its 2026 forecast says numbers are increasing slightly, with 2- to 5-pound fish present and fish over 25 inches possible. White bass are in good numbers at 12 to 16 inches, and the forecast includes Herrington among the reservoirs with excellent early-spring white bass fishing in their upper sections.

Bass, crappie and catfish

The forecast reports good numbers of largemouth over 12 inches and many over 15. KDFWR has stocked black crappie every year since 2021; numbers are improving, most fish run 8 to 10 inches, and crappie of 12 to 15 inches are present. Flathead catfish of all sizes feed at night on sunfish and shad, and bluegill reach 8 inches.

Below the dam

The Dix River below the lake is a stocked trout tailwater: KDFWR's 2026 forecast lists 4,500 rainbow trout and 300 brown trout stocked each year, but expects few holdover fish because of poor water conditions. USGS gauge 03286000, Herrington Lake near Burgin, reports the lake's surface elevation.

Common questions

How deep is it?

249 feet at the dam, according to Kentucky Utilities, which calls Herrington the deepest lake in Kentucky.

Are hybrid striped bass stocked?

Yes, every year. KDFWR's 2026 forecast reports 2- to 5-pound hybrids, slightly increasing numbers and the chance of fish over 25 inches.

Is there trout fishing below the dam?

KDFWR stocks the Dix River below Herrington Lake with 4,500 rainbow and 300 brown trout a year, but expects low holdover because of poor water conditions.

Is fishing good at Herrington 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

Taylorsville Lake36 miElkhorn Creek38 miGreen River Lake45 miLake Cumberland52 miLaurel River Lake60 miCave Run Lake69 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 03286000 β€” HERRINGTON LAKE NEAR BURGIN, KY
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 20:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 37.7240, -84.7205 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 6, 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 6, 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.