LIMESTONE DRIFT KENTUCKY WATER, TOLD STRAIGHT

FIELD CARD Pool & Access · No. 11-4

McAlpine pool · Upriver corridor · US 42 · US 421 · SR 56 (IN) · Oldham and Trimble counties

Ohio River at Louisville

The upper half of the pool by two roads that never meet again: US 42 to KY 524 and Westport, where Oldham County's Schamback Park has a multi-lane ramp, a courtesy dock and a canoe-and-kayak ramp; and US 421 through Bedford to Milton's light-boat ramp, Madison's city ramp across the bridge, and Sandy Beach Marina on SR 56.

US 42 TO WESTPORT · US 421 TO MILTON AND MADISON · SR 56 Launches at KDFWR coordinates · schematic

Three numbers to get right

What you hear	What the primary sources actually say
"You can fish right up to the dam."	Not from a boat. 33 CFR 165.815, Clark Memorial Bridge (mile 603.5) to McAlpine Dam (604.4): "No pleasure or fishing craft shall be operated within the regulated navigation area at any time."
"Read the pool level."	There is no pool to read. The Corps holds McAlpine at 420 and Cannelton at 383 ft; what moves is stage: USGS 03294500 below the dam, 03293551 above. No lake parameter, no temperature.
"A Kentucky licence covers both banks."	It does — the rules do not. 301 KAR 3:160 (eff. 16 Oct 2025); KDFWR: "when fishing from the bank, anglers shall follow the regulations of the state in which they are fishing." Indiana feeders need an Indiana licence.

What the river does on this road

Westport has the fullest facility listing on this water: courtesy dock, restrooms, year-round on the record. Milton is the one single-lane, light-boat ramp on the Kentucky bank. Reasoning: a single lane with no dock is the launch a high stage takes first; the stage is USGS 03293551 above the dam.

KDFWR's directions for Westport are a 2019 detour notice, not directions. "Starting May 6th, 2019 and running for 100 days, there will be bridge work on West Highway 524 heading towards Westport." The address is the county's: Schamback Park, 6617 Main Street, Westport, KY 40077, (502) 225-0655. 18 Mile Island buoys (mile 582.3) are out 1 May–30 Sept. Reciprocal: a Kentucky licence launches at Madison and Sandy Beach; Indiana rules from that bank.

LIMESTONE DRIFT

OHIO RIVER AT LOUISVILLE · UPRIVER Access and limits

Four launches, two roads

Launch	Fee	KDFWR record, in the agency's words
Westport · Schamback Park	No	KDFWR prints a 2019 detour notice, not directions; Oldham County Parks: 6617 Main St, Westport. Any trailerable, paved multi-lane, 26–50 paved parking, courtesy dock, restrooms, picnic and shoreline year-round 24 h, retail limited hours. Canoe & kayak ramp, fishing dock; park "Dawn to Dusk".
Milton Ramp	No	"US 421 N of Bedford to Milton; right on Ky 36". Any light trailerable, paved single lane, ≤25 paved parking, no dock, restrooms unknown. Ramp and shoreline year-round, 24 h.
Madison City Ramp · IN	No	"Take 421N across the river and into Madison. The ramp is along Vaughn Drive between West Street and Jefferson Street." Any trailerable, paved multi-lane, 26–50 paved parking, no dock, year-round 24 h; rest unknown.
Sandy Beach Marina · IN	Yes	"Two miles southeast of Brooksburg on S.R. 56". Any trailerable, paved single lane, ≤25 paved parking, no dock, marina and ramp year-round limited hours; rest unknown.

Limits — three special rules, then statewide

Species	Size	Daily creel
Striped, hybrid, white bass	no minimum · only 4 of 15 in or longer	30 combined
Blue or flathead catfish	one 35 in or longer	no creel under 35
Channel catfish	one 28 in or longer	no creel under 28
Sauger, saugeye, walleye	14 in minimum (statewide)	6 · Indiana the same
Black bass	12 in largemouth and smallmouth (statewide)	6 combined
Crappie	statewide	20 · Indiana bank 30

Everything else is statewide, yellow bass included (no limit). From a Kentucky-licensed boat, Kentucky's rules; from the Indiana bank, Indiana's (sauger 6 at 14 in, black bass 6 at 12 in, stripers 30 combined, crappie 30, snagging prohibited river-wide). Kentucky snagging: "a person may not snag within 200 yards below any dam on the Ohio River." Falls of the Ohio NWCA (36 CFR 331): no bow and arrow, no trotlines, no swimming. Camping on this road: none on any KDFWR record. Marinas: Sandy Beach (Indiana) — hours, slips and fuel not on any primary record, status pending. Markland Locks and Dam office, 2760 US 42 West, Warsaw, (859) 567-7661. Fish attractors: none on the Ohio.

Live stage: USGS 03294500, Ohio River at Louisville (below the dam) · USGS 03293551 (above the dam) · NWS MLUK2 / MLPK2 · no lake parameter, no temperature · pools 455 / 420 / 383 ft (USACE, datum not stated) · Oldham County Parks (502) 225-0655 · KDFWR 800-858-1549.

Sources: USACE LRD and Louisville District pages for McAlpine, Markland and Cannelton; releases 25-142 and 23-001; KDFWR waterbody record 337, the fourteen access-site records, the reciprocal-agreements page, the 2026–27 Fishing and Boating Guide, the 2026 Fishing Forecast and the 2 Dec 2020 Kentucky Afield piece; 301 KAR 1:201 and 3:160; 33 CFR 165.815, 162.100, Part 334; 36 CFR 331; USGS 03294500, 03293551, 03293600, 03293548; Louisville Metro Parks; Oldham County Parks; Falls of the Ohio Foundation; Indiana DNR 2026 regulations.
Conditions change. Verify stage, access and regulations before you travel. Revised October 2026.

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