Nolin River Lake

The Hart County side and the upper arms. Dog Creek, 15 miles out KY 88: a multi-lane Corps fee ramp, seasonal, with the lake's only listed cleaning station and a 70-site campground. Bacon Creek, up KY 728 to Brigg Webb Road: the farthest-up launch — single lane, unpaved lot, free, seasonal.

KY 88 · DOG CREEK · KY 728 · BRIGG WEBB ROAD KDFWR coordinates · Nolin River and Dog Creek arms schematic

Three numbers to get right

What you hear	What the primary sources actually say
"The drawdown is one drop."	Two stages, 23 feet. 515.0 to 514.5 from 15 Sep to 14 Oct, then 514.5 to 492.0 from 15 Oct to 1 Dec. Refill 15 Mar to 13 Apr (USACE Fill and Drawdown).
"Just read the gauge."	Read the right parameter. USGS 03310900 offers 62614 (lake elevation, NGVD29 — compares to 515/492) and 00065 (gage height, local datum — does not). Corps office (270) 286-4511: the lake runs on Central time.
"Crappie, bass and walleye are statewide."	Not here. KDFWR: crappie "Must be 10 inches or over"; largemouth and smallmouth "Must be 15 inches or over - Limit 6 per angler"; walleye "Must be 14 inches or over, Limit 6 per angler".

What coming down actually changes on this road

Dog Creek: Corps "open from April 1 until October 31"; KDFWR "Seasonal - 24 Hours" for the ramp. Bacon Creek: KDFWR "Seasonal - 24 Hours" for ramp and shoreline. From 1 November plan on Wax or the dam end. Reasoning, labelled: both sit highest on the lake, where 23 feet leaves first; no agency prints a winter-pool note for either.

Two seasonal ramps, one of them bare

Bacon Creek: no restrooms, no dock, unpaved lot, light trailers only. Dog Creek: KDFWR flags no courtesy dock; Recreation.gov's day-use page lists "boat ramp, courtesy dock, and fishing pier" — the conflict is printed, not resolved. No marina on this road; nearest year-round ramps are Wax and the dam end.

LIMESTONE DRIFT

NOLIN RIVER LAKE · KY 88 (MUNFORDVILLE) Access and limits

Trailered ramp

Single lane · light trailers

Marina launch

Other corridor · tailwater

Two sites, fifteen miles of KY 88

Launch	Lanes	Fee	Season	KDFWR directions (verbatim) and flags
Dog Creek Ramp asid 242	Multi · no dock	Yes	Seasonal 24 h	"KY 88 NW of Munfordville (15 miles); follow signs". Parking 26–50, restrooms, picnic and camping seasonal, cleaning station year-round, retail limited hours, accessible restrooms and parking (seasonal). Corps: open 1 Apr–31 Oct; 70-site campground.
Bacon Creek asid 239	Single · no dock	No	Seasonal 24 h	"KY 88 NW of Munfordsville (11.5 miles); right on KY 728 to Brigg Webb Road". Any light trailerable, unpaved parking ≤25, no facilities, no accessible facilities. The farthest-up public launch on the lake.

Limits — three special rules, then statewide

Species	Size	Daily creel
Black and white crappie	10 in minimum	statewide creel
Largemouth and smallmouth	15 in minimum	6 per angler
Walleye	14 in minimum	6 per angler

Everything else is statewide — white bass, spotted bass, hybrid striped bass, catfish, bluegill. Tailwater (KDFWR wid 80): brown and rainbow trout, statewide. Attractors: KDFWR GPX and map, no count stated. KDFWR 2026 forecast: not quoted — the entry was unreadable at build; status pending. Camping: Dog Creek (Corps, "70 campsites, 50 with electric and water hookup", "from early May through late October"; 890 Dog Creek Road, Cub Run; 270-524-5454; Recreation.gov 233488; "seasonal — dates on Recreation.gov"; notice read 24 Sep 2026: "Road construction on the Dog Creek Campground entrance road scheduled for Sept. 9th, 2026 may cause slowdowns or delays."). KDFWR spells the town "Munfordsville" on the Bacon Creek record. The WMA: Nolin River Lake WMA, 6,456 acres (KDFWR), "Owned by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers"; rabbit and quail 1 Nov–31 Dec; office (270) 646-5167.

Live level: USGS 03310900, parameter 62614 (NGVD29) · pools 515.0 / 492.0, spillway 560, 1963 minimum 480 · April 2025: 533.8 ft on 5 Apr, "still rising", "top five" not a record; final crest and record pool status pending · Corps office (270) 286-4511, hours in Central time · WMA (270) 646-5167.

Sources: USACE LRD project and recreation pages, Louisville District lake page and Fill and Drawdown, LRD release 4146981 / DVIDS 494660, LRD 4397712, Corps Lakes Gateway; KDFWR records 75 and 80, nine access-site records, WMA 31, attractor index; USGS 03310900, 03311000; Recreation.gov 233488, 233556, 10228626; Ky State Parks reservation system.
Conditions change. Verify pool, access and regulations before you travel. Revised September 2026.

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