LIMESTONE DRIFT KENTUCKY WATER, TOLD STRAIGHT
FIELD CARD Pool & Access · No. 08-3
TVA lake · US 68 / KY 80 corridor · Jonathan Creek to Kenlake · Marshall & Trigg County

Kentucky Lake

The tourist highway and the one road that crosses the lake: eight launches, and Eggner's Ferry bridge, where the reciprocal zone starts.

US 68 / KY 80 · JONATHAN CREEK TO KENLAKE Launches at KDFWR coordinates · schematic
KY 453 · The TraceKY 408 / US 68 · Benton–AuroraKY 402 · to the KY 80 rampBoat rampJonathan Creek / US 68No fee · multi-laneMarinaCedar KnobFee · marinaBoat rampHarry Lee Waterfield ParkNo fee · seasonalMarinaTown & CountryFee · marinaMarinaSportsman Anchor ResortFee · marinaCampsiteFenton – LBLNo fee · LBL campgroundBoat rampLittle Jonathan – KY 80No fee · via KY 402MarinaKenlake State ParkNo-fee ramp · marina · state parkN02 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
All eight launches are paved and none carries a KDFWR pool note. Three are seasonal on their record — Harry Lee Waterfield, the KY 80 ramp, Sportsman Anchor; Kenlake's ramp is year-round, its marina and camping seasonal. Jonathan Creek is the largest embayment on the Kentucky reach, and the WMA record describes that ground — "mud flats and lowlands at back of bays". Water leaves the flattest ground first — reasoning, not a TVA figure.
The bridge is the line. KDFWR: Kentucky-licensed anglers "may fish all Tennessee waters on the portion of Kentucky Lake from Eggner's Ferry Bridge (U.S. 68 and KY 80) in Kentucky south to the Governor Ned McWhorter bridge (U.S. 79 and TN 76) in Tennessee without buying a Tennessee fishing license." "Bank anglers, regardless of which state's license they hold, must abide by the regulations of the state in which they are fishing." In effect since 16 Oct 2025; expiry status pending. Fenton is LBL: free ramp, self-service campground.
LIMESTONE DRIFT
KENTUCKY LAKE · US 68 / KY 80 Access and limits
Eight launches, Jonathan Creek to the lake bridge
LaunchFeeKDFWR record, in the agency's words
Jonathan Creek / US 68NoRight, just before the Jonathan Creek bridge. Any trailerable, multi-lane, 26–50 parking, dock, restrooms year-round.
Sportsman Anchor ResortYesRight, just past the bridge. Any trailerable, single lane, dock, seasonal restrooms, camping and marina, retail.
Harry Lee Waterfield ParkNoLeft, after the bridge. Any trailerable, multi-lane, no dock, seasonal restrooms and picnic area. Ramp seasonal.
Town & CountryYesBeal Road after the bridge. Any trailerable, single lane, dock, seasonal camping and marina. Year-round.
Cedar KnobYesKY 1364, Curd Road. Light boats, single lane, dock, seasonal camping and marina, picnic area. Seasonal.
Little Jonathan – KY 80NoUS 641 S of Benton, KY 402 E; right after the Jonathan Creek bridge. Any trailerable, single lane, dock, seasonal restrooms. Ramp seasonal.
Kenlake State ParkNoUS 68 to Aurora, KY 94. Any trailerable, multi-lane, 51+ parking, dock, seasonal marina, camping and lodging. Kenlake SRP details status pending.
Fenton – LBLNoUS 68/80 W of Cadiz, left before the lake bridge. Light boats, multi-lane, dock, restrooms and camping year-round (electric sites; fee site, see LBL).
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; south of the bridge, Tennessee's rules apply to bank anglers on the Tennessee shore. Camping on this road: Kenlake (seasonal, KDFWR), Fenton (LBL, year-round), Sportsman Anchor, Town & Country and Cedar Knob (seasonal, KDFWR). Fish attractors: KDFWR publishes a GPX and a map; no count is stated.
Live pool: tva.com/environment/lake-levels/kentucky · NWS gauge KYDK2 · no USGS series · Land Between the Lakes 800-525-7077 (Golden Pond Visitor Center).
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