LIMESTONE DRIFT KENTUCKY WATER, TOLD STRAIGHT
FIELD CARD Pool & Access · No. 08-4
TVA lake · The Trace corridor · KY 453 through LBL · Lyon & Trigg County

Kentucky Lake

One road down the spine of Land Between the Lakes, Forest Service roads 104 to 172 dropping west to the water. Eight launches, every one of them free: Hillman Ferry for campers, four self-service campgrounds, Pisgah Bay, the Twin Lakes carry-down, and Jones Creek — closed, as of September 2026.

THE TRACE · KY 453 Launches at KDFWR coordinates · schematic
US 62 / US 641 · over the damKY 453 · The TraceKY 408 / US 68 · Benton–AuroraWalk-in accessTwin LakesCarry-down · backcountryCampsiteHillman's FerryLBL campers onlyCampsitePisgah BayNo fee · backcountryCampsiteBirmingham FerryNo fee · self-service campCampsiteSmith BayNo fee · self-service campCampsiteSugar BayNo fee · self-service campCampsiteRedd HollowNo fee · self-service campBoat rampJones CreekClosed (LBL, Sep 2026)N02 miSchematic · launches at KDFWR coordinates · hollow discs are other corridors · a dot with a leader is the published position
Three numbers to get right
What you hearWhat the primary sources actually say
"Just read the USGS gauge."There isn't one. USGS 03609000 served "0 data types" on 10 Sep 2026. The pool is TVA's: its lake-levels page, or NWS gauge KYDK2. A link, never a level.
"Winter pool is way down."Five feet. TVA: "typical summer target level is 359 feet"; "minimum winter elevation of 354 feet". No fill or drawdown date on any readable page; no KDFWR launch on this lake carries a winter-pool warning.
"A Kentucky licence covers the lake."North of the US 68 / KY 80 bridge, yes. South of it to the US 79 bridge a Kentucky licence covers a boat angler under Kentucky rules; a bank angler follows the state they stand in; Blood River is Kentucky-only. Not Lake Barkley.
What the pool does on this road
Six of the eight are paved single-lane Forest Service ramps with no courtesy dock; Pisgah Bay is multi-lane; Twin Lakes is carry-down. None carries a KDFWR pool note. "No dock" at 354 means backing to the water and wading the winch line — the record says no dock, the rest is what such a ramp is like. Six sit on bays, which go shallow before the channel does — reasoning, not a survey.
Forest Service rules reach the ramp. "Boat ramps within Land Between the Lakes are free for public use." Hillman Ferry's are "for those staying in the campground only." "Swimming at boat ramps and courtesy docks is prohibited." "Each person 18 and older must possess a Backcountry Camping Permit"; none "Within 200 yards of US68/KY80, Woodlands Trace"; "Maximum stay, 21 nights during any 30 consecutive days". Jones Creek: "temporarily closed due to safety issues with Jones Creek Bridge" (LBL, 13 Sep 2026) — live.
LIMESTONE DRIFT
KENTUCKY LAKE · THE TRACE Access and limits
Eight launches, north gate to Golden Pond
LaunchFeeKDFWR record, in the agency's words
Twin Lakes (carry-down)NoRoad 104 then 105. Unpaved, restrooms and camping year-round. Backcountry area — permit required.
Hillman's FerryNoRoad 110. "Open to LBL Campers only." Light boats, single lane, dock, seasonal. 368-site campground, March–October; fee site, see LBL.
Pisgah BayNoRoad 111. Light boats, multi-lane, no dock, restrooms and camping year-round. Backcountry area — permit required.
Birmingham FerryNoRoad 114. Any trailerable, single lane, no dock, seasonal restrooms, camping year-round. Self-service campground; fee site, see LBL.
Smith BayNoRoad 114 then 116. Light boats, single lane, no dock, seasonal restrooms, camping year-round. Self-service campground; fee site, see LBL.
Sugar BayNoFrom Golden Pond, north on the Trace, Road 140. Light boats, single lane, no dock, restrooms and camping year-round. Self-service campground.
Redd HollowNoFrom Golden Pond, south on the Trace, Road 171. Light boats, single lane, no dock, restrooms and camping year-round. Self-service campground.
Jones CreekNoRoad 172 then 172C. Light boats, single lane, no dock. Closed — LBL, Sep 2026, bridge safety. Live.
Limits — four of them differ from statewide
SpeciesSizeDaily creel
Largemouth bass15 in minimumstatewide
Smallmouth bass15 in minimumstatewide
Crappie, black and white10 in minimum20 combined
Sauger14 in minimum6
Everything else is statewide — redear, striped bass and hybrid, white bass, catfish, sunfish, black bass creel. Camping on this road: all eight sites, per KDFWR and LBL — one developed campground, four self-service (fee envelope, "Iron Ranger"), two backcountry (permit). No marina on the Kentucky Lake side of LBL in Kentucky on any record. Reciprocal zone: Sugar Bay and north are above the US 68/80 bridge; Redd Hollow and Jones Creek are below it. Fish attractors: KDFWR GPX; no count stated.
Live pool: tva.com/environment/lake-levels/kentucky · NWS gauge KYDK2 · no USGS series · Land Between the Lakes, 238 Visitor Center Drive, Golden Pond, 800-525-7077.
Sources: TVA Kentucky dam page and Kentucky Reservoir Land Management Plan (verbatim elevations, dates and statistics); KDFWR waterbody records 64 and 320, the 43 access-site records, 2026 Fishing Forecast, WMA record and reciprocal-agreements page; USFS Land Between the Lakes boating, rules and camping pages; USGS 03609000.
Conditions change. Verify pool, access and regulations before you travel. Revised September 2026.
QR code: https://limestonedrift.com/waterways/kentucky-lake/#ld-alertslimestonedrift.comAlerts and the water page
Water alerts. We email when the pool, the ramps or the rules actually change. limestonedrift.com/alerts/?w=kentucky-lake