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Herrington Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Kentucky’s deepest lake: Herrington drops 249 feet into limestone gorges, holding hybrids, crappie and bass.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Flow
191 cfs
Air / High
98 / 98 F
Wind
NNW 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03286200, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
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.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Herrington Lake locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The river is running 191 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind NNW around 4 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 98. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Hybrid striped bassFair

Schooling at first light over main-lake humps and channel edges. Slabs, tail spinners and live shad once you mark bait. It is usually over by mid-morning.

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassSlow

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 97 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Dix River at Dix Dam.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03286200.

5101,1051,700191 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low98 / 71 F
WindNNW 4-9 mph
Pressure1013.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain4% cloud, 5%
Sunrise / Sunset07:11 / 20:03
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Clear, 98/71 F, wind 5 mph, rain 5%

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

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: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: Jun-Sep

Stocked white bass x striper cross. Open-water shad chasers; birds and busting bait give them away. Schooling at first light over main-lake humps and channel edges. Slabs, tail spinners and live shad once you mark bait. It is usually over by mid-morning.

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. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

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
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 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, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Hybrid striped bass led the card at good. High of 94 F, wind to 8 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Hybrid striped bass led the card at good. High of 94 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Hybrid striped bass led the card at good. High of 93 F, wind to 5 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 license. Hybrid striped bass, bass and crappie limits per current KDFWR regulations.

Access

Marinas and public ramps including Chimney Rock, Kennedy and Gwinn Island areas.

About this water

A 2,335-acre reservoir on the Dix River, 249 feet deep, in Mercer, Boyle and Garrard counties, Kentucky, impounded 1925.

Fishing Herrington Lake: the full guide

A narrow, deep gorge

Herrington Lake fills 35 miles of the Dix River gorge in central Kentucky, the state’s deepest lake at 249 feet and one of its oldest, impounded in 1925. Steep limestone walls, deep water and clear conditions define it. The fishery is varied: hybrid striped bass and white bass in the open water, largemouth and smallmouth on the rock, crappie in the brush and catfish in the depths.

Hybrids and whites

Hybrid striped bass are the signature fishery: they chase shad through the open water and along the channel, best located by watching for surface activity at dawn in summer and fall. Down-lined live shad, slabs and swimbaits produce. White bass school in bigger numbers and smaller sizes, and both push into the upper river arm in spring.

Bass and crappie

Largemouth hold the docks, brush and rock in the coves; smallmouth work the steeper rock and points, unusual for central Kentucky. Clear water rewards finesse. Crappie stack around docks and brush at 10-25 feet, with strong spring and winter bites. The steep terrain means fish relate to specific depths on the walls rather than spreading over flats.

Danville-area logistics

Marinas and ramps serve the lake at several points including Chimney Rock, Kennedy and Gwinn Island, with the surrounding area rural and quiet. Water levels vary with generation at Dix Dam. Danville and Harrodsburg provide services, and central Kentucky’s horse country makes the drive pleasant. Summer weekends bring recreational traffic to the wider sections.

Common questions

How deep is it?

Up to 249 feet: the deepest lake in Kentucky, with steep limestone walls dropping fast from the shoreline.

What is the main fishery?

Hybrid striped bass chasing shad in open water, backed by crappie in the brush and bass on the rock.

Are there smallmouth?

Yes: the steep rock and clear water support them, unusual for a central Kentucky reservoir.

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: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Taylorsville Lake36 miGreen River Lake45 miLake Cumberland52 miCave Run Lake69 miLicking River69 miNolin River Lake88 mi
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