LIMESTONE DRIFT KENTUCKY WATER, TOLD STRAIGHT
FIELD CARD Access & Rules · No. 19-1
River · Dix River below Dix Dam · Mercer / Garrard · ramp in Jessamine

Herrington Lake Tailwater

No road in; the closest ramp is High Bridge. Two miles of artificial-bait water below a Kentucky Utilities dam with no published release schedule we found.

THE HIGH BRIDGE CORRIDOR KY 29 · Lock 7 Rd · KDFWR coordinates · Dix Dam off map
KY 29 · High Bridge Rd · Wilmore 4.8 mi NLock 7 Rd · 0.8 mi to the rampDam / tailraceDam No. 7 · Lock 7locks closed · drawn at USGS 03286500Boat rampHigh Bridge RampKDFWR VPA fee ramp · $4 canoe/kayak · $5 boatWalk-in accessHerrington Lake Tailwater Accessasid 1211 · bank access · by boat onlyUSGS 03286500Dix Dam · USGS 03286200 · off map, up the Dix (south-east)"about three or four miles" of paddling from the ramp (Kentucky Tourism)N0½ miSchematic · Dam No. 7 drawn at the Lock 7 gauge · Dix mouth not placedHollow disc: Shaker Landing (placed from chart mile 117.6 L)
Three things to get right
What you hearWhat the primary sources actually say
“You can drive to the tailwater.”You cannot. KDFWR: “Herrington Lake Tailwater is only accessible by boat from the Kentucky River. The closest ramp is located at High Bridge.” Paddle upstream into the Dix — Kentucky Tourism: “about three or four miles” to the dam.
“Statewide rules apply.”Statewide limits, plus one rule. 301 KAR 1:201 §3(23): “Dix River for two (2) miles downstream from Herrington Lake Dam. A person shall only fish with artificial bait.” No culling of trout statewide.
“Check the Corps’ release schedule.”None published that we found. Dix Dam is KU’s, not the Corps’. No schedule, recorded line or warning appears on any KU page we read (details below). Read USGS 03286200 yourself.
What this road actually gets you
KDFWR, verbatim: “From Wilmore, take KY-29 / High Bridge Rd. south 4.8 miles. Take sharp right turn onto Lock 7 Road and go 0.8 miles to site on left.” Paved, single lane; “There is a launch fee of $4 for canoes/kayaks and a $5 fee for boats.” Facilities: see back.

A closed pool, and a dam half a mile downstream

Locks 5–14 are closed: a boat launched here cannot leave Pool 7 by water. Dam No. 7 (mile 117.0) is half a mile DOWNSTREAM of the High Bridge ramp (mile 117.5); the Dix is upstream. KU announces spill-gate releases to officials, not the public; no siren is described. Gauges are on the back.

LIMESTONE DRIFT
HERRINGTON LAKE TAILWATER Access, limits and gauges
Access sites — one KDFWR record, two launches
SiteFeeNotes
High Bridge Ramp
asid 276 · Jessamine Co. · Kentucky River		YesKDFWR: “There is a launch fee of $4 for canoes/kayaks and a $5 fee for boats.” Paved, single lane, unpaved parking ≤25, no dock; ramp “Year Round - 24 Hours”; every other facility “None.” KDFWR VPA site. Check KDFWR alerts: weekday river closures at High Bridge for railroad work (undated).
Herrington Lake Tailwater Access
asid 1211 · Mercer Co. · the destination		NoKDFWR, verbatim: “Herrington Lake Tailwater is only accessible by boat from the Kentucky River. The closest ramp is located at High Bridge.” “Bank Access”; no ramp, no facilities; shoreline “Year Round - 24 Hours.” Bank ownership and wading: status pending.
Shaker Landing
Shaker Village · Mercer Co. · no KDFWR record		$10Shaker Village: “$10 per vessel. Non-motorized vessels only.” Fee and waiver “in advance at the Welcome Center”; keys to drive down, or the 1.5-mile River Road Trail. “only permitted when pool 7 of the Kentucky River is at 12 feet or lower” — 859.734.5411. Placed from KRA chart mile 117.6 L, not a coordinate.
The one rule that is not statewide. 301 KAR 1:201 §3(23), current version, verbatim: “Dix River for two (2) miles downstream from Herrington Lake Dam. A person shall only fish with artificial bait.” 301 KAR 1:001 §1(8): “‘Artificial bait’ means a lure, bare hook, or fly made of wood, metal, plastic, feathers, preserved pork rind, or a similar inert material.” It begins at the Dix mouth; Pool 7 itself is statewide.
Statewide limits — everything else on this reach
SpeciesSizeDaily limit
Rainbow troutnone8
Brown trout16 in1
Brook trout—Catch and release
Largemouth & smallmouth bass12 in6*
Spotted (Kentucky) bassnone6*
Crappienone20*
“No culling statewide” for trout (301 KAR 1:201 §2(1)(i)1). Possession twice the daily limit; * = the Guide’s combined-limit footnote. No trotlines, jug lines or set lines “within 200 yards below any dam” (Guide). Trout permit required; price status pending.
Gauges, not a schedule: Dix Dam is KU’s — no release calendar, recorded line or public warning on any page read. USGS 03286200 Dix River at Dix Dam: discharge 00060 + stage 00065. USGS 03286500 Lock 7: Pool 7 stage (Shaker’s 12-ft rule). Trout: 5,300 in six KDFWR archive lines, Nov 2025–Aug 2026 (one marked brown, 300); Class IV, put-and-take. Eastern time.
Sources: KDFWR wid=135, asid 1211 and 276, wid=344, Pool 7 page, High Bridge closure alert, 2026 Fishing Forecast, 2026 trout-stream classification, Yearly Trout Stocking Archive, Fishing & Boating Guide 2026–27; 301 KAR 1:201 and 1:001 (current); USGS 03286200 and 03286500; Kentucky River Authority; LG&E and KU (Dix Dam page, Nov 2025 release, Apr 2025 update); Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill; Kentucky Tourism (2023).
Conditions change. Verify access, the gauges and the regulations before you travel. Revised September 2026.
QR code: https://limestonedrift.com/waterways/herrington-lake-tailwater/#ld-alertslimestonedrift.comAlerts and the water page
Water alerts. We email when the rules, the access or the gauges on this reach actually change — not on a schedule. limestonedrift.com/alerts/?w=herrington-lake-tailwater