Nolin River Lake Tailwater

Tailwater ramp to Houchin Ferry: 11.1 miles, 4 to 6 hours by the Park Service’s count. A shuttle end point on the Green River, not a second fishing destination on this water.

THE HOUCHIN FERRY CORRIDOR Houchin Ferry Rd off KY 101 · KDFWR coordinates

Three things to get right

What you hear	What the primary sources actually say
"It’s a paved trailer ramp."	Two descriptions, two dates. KDFWR’s page: paved single-lane ramp, no fee, restrooms, shelter. NPS (2026): “a temporary canoe and kayak launch ramp” that is “often very muddy.” The vehicle ferry was dry-docked in 2013 (NPS).
"No licence needed once you’re in the park."	True inside the boundary — which no page places on the Nolin. NPS: “No fishing license or permit is required within the boundary”; KDFWR size and possession limits still apply. Carry a licence and trout permit from the ramp.
"It’s a lazy float."	Not by NPS’s account. A narrow channel that “changes each year,” strainers and swift current; levels can “rise 20-50 feet” after rain or with dam releases. PFD worn at all times in the park; river use prohibited at or above 20 ft on the park’s gauges.

What this road actually gets you

NPS, verbatim: put in at the “Tailwater Recreation Area below the Nolin River Dam north of the park,” paddle the Nolin “approximately 7.5 miles to its confluence with the Green River,” then turn left and go “upstream 1.7 miles on the Green River” to Houchin Ferry. Alternates NPS names: the “former site of Lock and Dam #6” or the Brownsville ramp “3.2 miles (5.1 km) downstream from the confluence.”

Road to the take-out (Recreation.gov): I-65 exit 53 (KY 70/255) or exit 48 (KY 255) to Brownsville Rd, to KY 101, right a quarter mile, right on Houchin Ferry Rd (“Minit Mart on corner”). “Do not rely exclusively on your mobile GPS.” Campground: 12 primitive tent-only sites, vault toilets; fee and season not published on the pages read.

LIMESTONE DRIFT

NOLIN RIVER LAKE TAILWATER Take-out, park rules and limits

Access site

Site	Fee	Notes
Houchins Ferry Green River · Mammoth Cave NP · not wid=80	No	Listed (KDFWR): paved single lane, parking ≤25, restrooms, picnic shelter, camping, ramp “Year Round - Limited Hours.” Latest sourced status (NPS, 2026): temporary canoe/kayak launch, often muddy; vehicle ferry dry-docked 2013. Unconfirmed: which description matches today — treat NPS as current. 37.2024, −86.2376.

Limits on the whole float (statewide; park applies KDFWR limits)

Species	Size	Daily limit
Rainbow trout	none	8
Brown trout	16 in	1
Black bass — largemouth & smallmouth	12 in	6
Walleye / sauger / hybrids	14 in	6, combined

Method and permits, kept separate from the limits: no special gear rule on the Nolin below the dam; no culling statewide (301 KAR 1:201 §2(1)(i)1). Inside the park, “Live minnows and worms may be used in all other waters” (NPS — its worm-only rule names four ponds). Riverside camping on gravel bars needs “a valid riverside camping permit” from the park; the procedure is not on the pages read.

Before you commit to the float: no live discharge reading exists for this reach — call the Corps (270) 286-4511 for the release; check the park’s river page for its gauge and the 20-ft closure rule. Houchin Ferry Campground, Houchin Ferry Rd, Brownsville KY 42210. Corps social post on the ramp reopening could not be read by our tools — a lead, not evidence.

Sources: KDFWR wid=80, asid 157, the Yearly Trout Stocking Archive, the Statewide Size and Daily Limits page, the Houchins Ferry Fish page, the Fishing & Boating Guide Mar 2026–Feb 2027; 301 KAR 1:201; NPS Mammoth Cave (float, river rules, fishing, Tailwater and Houchin Ferry pages); USACE Nolin River Lake pages and the 7 Jul 2025 release; WNKY 20 Aug 2026 quoting the Corps; USGS 03311000.
Conditions change. Verify access, releases and regulations before you travel. Revised September 2026.

limestonedrift.comAlerts and the water page

Water alerts. We email when the rules or the access on this reach actually change — not on a schedule. limestonedrift.com/alerts/?w=nolin-river-lake-tailwater