Below Green River Lake Dam, the Green River runs through Taylor County past a single paved ramp, under the KY 55 bridge at a quarter-mile shoal, and on toward Roachville Ford, Russell Ford and Greensburg. KDFWR fishes it for catfish, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, sauger and muskellunge that come through the dam during discharge. It is not a trout water. And unlike the lake above it, this reach has no pool schedule of its own — what it has is a single-hook rule with an unpublished downstream edge, and a USGS gauge that has not reported a discharge figure since 1994.
The tailwater in one paragraph
Green River Lake Dam is a Corps of Engineers earth-and-rock-fill dam, 141 feet tall and 2,350 feet long, completed in June 1969 under the Flood Control Act of 1938. It sits 305.7 miles above the mouth of the Green River and 26 miles upstream of Greensburg. The lake it holds back — 8,210 acres by the Corps’ own figure, 8,181 by KDFWR’s waterbody record — is published on this site as its own water. What follows here is the river below the dam: KDFWR files it as a separate waterbody (wid=482), with its own access record, its own special regulation, and its own character. Treat the two as related, not the same water.
The lake’s pool and outflow — printed for context, not as this reach’s own reading
There is no pool elevation parameter for a river reach — that number belongs to the lake, not the tailwater. The figures below are printed as what they are: the lake’s pool schedule and one dated outflow reading, given as context for what the dam is doing to the water downstream of it, not as a fact about the reach itself. Reasoning, not measurement: the Corps describes the lake as “maintained at low level during fall/winter to enable flood control capacity,” which is the operating logic behind the pool figures — no source read describes how this specific reach responds to that drawdown.
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Winter pool | 668.0 ft | USACE Louisville District Daily Lake Report, dated 24 Sep 2026 |
| Summer pool | 675.0 ft | |
| Flood pool | 713.0 ft | |
| 6 a.m. outflow | 77 cfs |
The gauge, and why it does not answer “what is the flow right now”
The tailwater has its own USGS station: 03306000, Green River near Campbellsville, KY (37.2403413190544, -85.3471847512092; drainage area 682 square miles; gage altitude 499.55 ft NAVD88). It reports two parameters continuously — 00065 gage height and 00010 water temperature, both current as of this writing. Its 00060 discharge record ended 30 September 1994. There is no current discharge figure for this reach from this gauge, and no other current gauge was found that reports one.
Practical consequence: to know what the dam is releasing right now, call the Corps — the daily information line (270) 465-8824 or the Green River Lake project office (270) 465-4463 — rather than reading a number off a gauge page. Two NOAA/NWS forecast points exist for this stretch (water.noaa.gov/gauges/grlk2 and /gnsk2) but returned no readable gauge values when checked.
Flow guidance that is published, even without a live reading
These are guidance figures from KDFWR and the Taylor County Tourist Commission, not Corps operating rules, and not a substitute for calling ahead:
- KDFWR, Kentucky Afield, Summer 2014: “The best flow levels for summer fishing and gentle floating range from 100 to 300 cfs” and “good paddling can be had up to 500 cfs, but the river gets hairy beyond 750 cfs.”
- KDFWR Upper Green River Blue Water Trail page: “Best water levels to paddle the upper Green for casual floating are from 150 to 500 cfs”; local outfitters “recommend against floating if the flow from the dam is above 1,000 cfs.”
- Taylor County Tourist Commission: “Flows over 800 CFS can be dangerous” and, on its paddle-trail page, “avoid levels above 1,000 CFS for safety.”
The regulation, read in two zones — not one
301 KAR 1:201 Section 3(34), current version, verbatim: “Green River from Green River Lake Dam and extending downstream to the end of the concrete wall. Fishing shall be limited to rod in hand using either: (a) An artificial bait with a single hook; or (b) Live bait attached to a single hook.” KDFWR’s own waterbody record for this water restates it the same way, and the current Kentucky Fishing & Boating Guide (March 2026–February 2027, updated September 2026, page 9) prints it as the entry for “GREEN RIVER LAKE TAILWATER.”
This reach is not listed in any other numbered exception of 301 KAR 1:201 Section 3, so Green River Lake’s own special limits — a 40-inch muskellunge minimum and a 9-inch crappie minimum, listed separately under Section 3(35) for “Green River Lake” itself — are not established for this reach and do not apply here, above or below the dam-to-wall zone. This was checked directly against the regulation’s own scoping language: Section 2(1) makes the statewide limits the default “except as established in Sections 3 through 7,” and Section 3’s lead-in scopes every one of its exceptions “to the bodies of water listed in this section.”
The statewide size and creel limits below apply on this entire reach, not just below the wall. Section 3(34) adds one thing on top of them, from the dam to the wall’s unpublished end: a method restriction, not a different set of limits. What changes at the wall is which fishing methods are legal, not how many fish of what size you may keep.
| Reach | Method |
|---|---|
| Dam to the end of the concrete wall (exact end: status pending) |
Rod in hand only. Artificial bait with a single hook, or live bait on a single hook. No other method. The statewide size and creel limits below still apply. |
| Below the end of the wall | No method restriction from this special regulation; standard statewide fishing methods apply, and so do the same statewide size and creel limits. |
One more statewide rule applies at the dam itself, Fishing & Boating Guide page 13, verbatim: “Sport fishing trotlines, jug lines or set lines may not be used within 200 yards below any dam.”
Statewide limits that apply on this water (no other special limit found for wid=482)
| Species | Daily limit | Size limit |
|---|---|---|
| Black bass — largemouth & smallmouth | 6* | 12 in |
| Walleye, sauger, hybrids (singly or combined) | 6 | 14 in |
| Muskellunge | 1 | 30 in |
| Rock bass | 15 | none |
*The Guide’s “Black Bass” daily-limit category also covers Kentucky (spotted) and Coosa bass under the same 6-fish limit. The 12-inch size limit is for largemouth and smallmouth only: 301 KAR 1:201 Section 2(1)(a)2 reads “Kentucky bass and Coosa bass, no size limit.”
Species, and what is actually stocked here
KDFWR’s 2026 Fishing Forecast entry, “Green River (dam at Rochester up to Green River Lake dam),” Southwestern Fisheries District, quoted directly:
- Catfish: “Good numbers of Channels and Flatheads throughout the river; Blues more prevalent from Warren County to Rochester.”
- Muskellunge: “Fishing best below riffle area in deeper pools, spring and feeder creek mouths, and around woody debris or other current breaks. Fish regularly come through the dam during discharge periods and are also stocked annually (when available) throughout the river from Greensburg to Rochester.”
- Rock bass: “Good numbers of 6- to 8-inch fish present from dam to Munfordville.”
- Smallmouth bass: “Good numbers overall with larger fish (15-inch plus) available. Fishing best from Green River Lake dam to Munfordville.”
- Walleye/Sauger: “Fishing best in area below Green River Lake dam (Walleye) and instream dams (Sauger) from early winter through spring. The Walleye bite below Green River Lake dam in summer is best after or during discharge events.”
Not a trout water. KDFWR’s Yearly Trout Stocking Archive does not list the Green River below Green River Lake Dam among the thirteen other Kentucky tailwaters it names as stocked.
KY 55 south from Campbellsville — the tailwater itself
This is the corridor that carries everything KDFWR records for this water. One road in, one ramp, and the dam at the top of it.
Road in (KDFWR, verbatim): “KY 55 S of Campbellsville; left at signs before crossing Green River.” The Corps records on the same road read “KY 55 S of Campbellsville (4.5 miles); left at Corps of Engineers sign” for the Corps office and “left at entrance to Corps of Engineers office; follow signs to ramp” for the lake-side Ramp #1 — both on the lake side of the highway. The Tailwater turn comes before the KY 55 bridge over the Green River.
| Site | What is there |
|---|---|
| Tailwater Ramp asid 588 · Taylor County |
KDFWR, verbatim: “A paved parking lot (with security lights) and a single lane concrete ramp suitable for small john boats, canoes and kayaks is available.” Single lane, paved, no fee, no courtesy dock. Paved parking, 25 spaces or fewer. Restrooms and handicap restrooms seasonal; handicap parking, picnic area year-round. No camping, no cleaning station, no marina. Bank fishing from below the dam down to the ramp. “First shoal 0.25 mile downstream at State Highway 55 Bridge.” Restriction, KDFWR verbatim: “Boats are not permitted upstream of ramp according to posted ACOE signage.” Starting point of the Upper Green River Blue Water Trail. |
| USACE Tailwater Recreation Area same ground, Corps record |
Recreation.gov, USACE Green River Lake Office: “The Tailwater Recreation Area is where the downstream portion of the Green River begins.” 0.3 miles off KY 55, about 2 miles from the Corps of Engineers Visitor Center. Electricity hookup, 8 picnic tables, grills, parking, playground, seasonal restroom. Free first-come, first-served when not reserved; reservation fee amount not published. Year-round; restroom closes in winter. |
KY 55 north, then KY 1701 — Roachville Ford, the downstream take-out
This is not a second fishing destination in its own right — it is the take-out for a float that starts at the Tailwater Ramp. KDFWR’s Blue Water Trail page puts it at 12.5 miles downstream, described as a “full-day float” or, below 200 cfs, “an 8-hour straight paddle in a kayak,” with no intermediate public take-out on that whole stretch.
Road in (KDFWR, verbatim): “traveling north from the recreation area on KY 55 to KY 1701 (Roachville Road, also known as Miller Chapel Road)”; “The road to the ford lies unmarked and on the left (coming from KY 55) in the middle of a sharp right-hand turn.” The Roachville Ford page itself adds: “off State Highway 3098.”
| Site | What is there |
|---|---|
| Roachville Ford Green County · not on wid=482 |
KDFWR, verbatim: “This low water gravel ford is located near the city of Roachville, KY, off State Highway 3098. This site is best suited for canoes/kayaks/small john boats.” Unpaved, no fee. “Parking is along the side of the road approaching the ford and is limited.” “Boating at this site might require portaging during low flow periods.” No restrooms or facilities. |
Regulatory zone on this corridor: whether the single-hook method rule (dam to the end of “the concrete wall”) still reaches this far downstream is not established — the wall’s end is not published, and this page does not estimate a distance. Treat the single-hook method rule as in force until the wall is visibly behind you, per the callout above. The statewide size and creel limits apply on the whole float either way, and Green River Lake’s own limits (muskellunge, crappie) do not.
Facilities, camping and nearby services
- On site (Tailwater Recreation Area): paved, lit parking; single-lane concrete ramp; picnic shelter with 8 tables, grills and electricity (reservable); playground; seasonal restroom.
- No camping at the tailwater — KDFWR’s record lists none.
- Corps project office and Visitor Center: 544 Lake Road, Campbellsville, KY 42718; (270) 465-4463; hours “Mon. - Sun., 7:30 am - 5 p.m. (may vary, call ahead).”
- Campbellsville services: KDFWR’s directions to the lake-side sites put Campbellsville roughly 4.5 miles north on KY 55; reasoning, not a sourced statement, that fuel, lodging and food are there. Taylor County Tourist Commission, 325 E. Main Street, Campbellsville, KY 42718.
- Corps campgrounds exist on the lake (Holmes Bend, Pikes Ridge, Smith Ridge and others) but are not on this reach; Pikes Ridge changed to a lease-managed operator (Common Capital RE Holdings LLC / BrightSky Campgrounds) effective 1 March 2026.
- Outfitters: none named on any primary page read for this water. Status pending.
What we have not verified
- Where the concrete wall ends. Not published as a distance or coordinate anywhere read. Do not estimate it — treat the single-hook rule as in force until the wall is visibly behind you.
- Current discharge. No USGS 00060 series on this reach since 1994. The 77 cfs figure above is one dated Corps snapshot (24 Sep 2026), not a live feed. Call the Corps for a current reading.
- Whether walleye are stocked in this river reach. No source read states a river walleye stocking, only the forecast’s wild-fish behavior statement.
- Tailwater Recreation Area reservation fee amount. Not published on the page read.
- Corps campground fees and seasons on the lake side. Not published on the pages read.
- Green River Lake State Park address, phone, campground and marina details — both state-park pages read returned navigation only.
- KDFWR asid numbers for Roachville Ford, Russell Ford and American Legion Park were not shown on the pages read.
- Greensburg city ramp details and any release-warning system at the dam. Not published on any page read; do not assume a siren or warning system exists.
- Any outfitter serving this water. None named on any primary page read.
Sources and how confident we are
Check it yourself
- KDFWR — Green River Lake Tailwater waterbody record (wid=482)
- KDFWR — Green River Lake Tailwater Fish page
- KDFWR — Tailwater Ramp access-site record (asid 588)
- USGS 03306000 — Green River near Campbellsville, KY (gage height and water temperature; no current discharge)
- USACE Louisville District — Daily Lake Report (pool elevations and outflow, read as a snapshot)
- USACE Louisville District — Green River Lake
- Recreation.gov — Tailwater Picnic Shelter
- 301 KAR 1:201, current version (Section 3(34), the single-hook rule; Section 3(35), Green River Lake’s own limits)
- Kentucky Fishing & Boating Guide, March 2026–February 2027
- KDFWR 2026 Fishing Forecast
- KDFWR — Roachville Ford
- KDFWR — Upper Green River Blue Water Trail
Sources: Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources — waterbody records wid=482 and wid=73, access-site records asid 588, 579 and 584, the Fish page for this water, the 2026 Fishing Forecast, the Trout Stocking Archive, the Upper Green River Blue Water Trail page, the Roachville Ford / Russell Ford / American Legion Park access records, and the Fishing & Boating Guide March 2026–February 2027. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District — the Green River Lake page, the Master Plan Update page, the Daily Lake Report (24 Sep 2026), Corps Lakes Gateway, and Recreation.gov for the Tailwater Picnic Shelter. USGS NWIS for gauges 03306000 and 03305990. 301 KAR 1:201, current version. Taylor County Tourist Commission and the City of Greensburg paddle-trail page. Verify current conditions, and call the Corps for a current release figure, before travelling.