We’re about to share some truly excellent Kentucky walleye fisheries.
With their toothy jaws and haunted eyes, walleye aren’t known for their good looks. They’re not especially noted as agile fighters, either. “Like reeling in a log” is a common comparison. But big ones do put up a tussle, and few fish are more prized as table fare.
In Kentucky, where walleye are not especially widespread, a narrower but devoted group of anglers enjoys the simple pleasure of catching a species that most people ignore.
Though walleye aren’t as common here as bass or panfish, state officials stock them in several rivers and reservoirs.
The best time to catch walleye in Kentucky is late winter into early spring. Walleye head up rivers and streams to spawn when water temperatures are in the upper 40s, often stacking up at the heads of pools and in tailwaters below dams.
Summer and fall are great times to fish, too, with walleye often moving to deeper main lake areas and biting best after dark.
So, if you’re looking to put some walleye in the boat in Kentucky, these are the places to do it.
Green River Lake & Tailwater
Though Green River Lake is a modest-sized reservoir at 8,210 acres, this central Kentucky impoundment is one of the state’s best walleye lakes. It’s also known as one of the easier places to fish, with walleye following reliable patterns.
The Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources stocks walleye fingerlings abundantly in Green River Lake, often more than 100,000 per year.
Some of the best fishing happens when walleye head to the upper ends of Green River Lake to spawn early in the year.
The Green River Arm above Snake Creek is one of the best areas, and the often-stained waters of Robinson Creek can be great, too.
Try a worm harness rig, which pairs a live nightcrawler with a flashing blade, to tempt walleye in murky waters.
As good as the lake itself can be, the tailwater below Green River Lake is arguably even better. Walleye escape downriver through the dam when rains bring the lake level up following winter drawdowns, and they congregate in the deep pool immediately downstream.
The fishing in the tailwater is excellent throughout the colder months, picking up in December and peaking in February and March. Expect to catch a few sauger (close relatives to the walleye) here as well.
Jigs tipped with curly tail grubs are the lures of choice in the Green River Tailwater, along with suspending jerkbaits.
There’s excellent bank access in the recreation area below the dam, making this a top spot for shore-bound anglers to catch walleye.
Just so you’re aware, Green River Lake is also among the most likely spots in Kentucky where a giant muskie might grab your lure or bait.
Lake Cumberland
Lake Cumberland, a 65,530-acre impoundment on the Cumberland River, is the largest lake entirely within the state. It’s also one of Kentucky’s best walleye lakes, though catching walleye consistently here isn’t always easy.
Anglers catch lots of healthy walleye, measuring 20 to 24 inches and weighing 3 to 5 pounds.
The spawning season, from February through March, is a good time to find walleye concentrated in the upper parts of the lake’s creeks and river arms.
Key areas include the Cumberland River above the mouth of the Laurel River, and the Big South Fork Arm above Alum Ford.
Anglers often fish vertically, drifting downriver slowly with the current while their minnow-tipped jigs bounce along the bottom.
The post-spawn walleye fishing from April into June can also be outstanding, especially at night. Walleye cruise close to the bank in Lake Cumberland’s creeks after dark and are often caught in flooded trees and brush in just 5 feet of water.
In summer, as temperatures rise, walleye often congregate in tight groups. Finding them can be tricky, but if you can pin them down, you might catch your limit on a single spot.
The key is locating schools of shad on main lake points and at the mouths of creeks. The best bite usually occurs right around sunrise and sunset, and vertical jigging is the tactic of choice.
Depths may vary from 20 to over 40 feet, so try working your way gradually down each point.
Below the reservoir, the tailwater section of the Cumberland River claimed the top spot in our list of Kentucky’s best trout fishing streams.
Ohio River
Walleye are native to the Ohio River, where you can find them in pools formed by its 20 locks and dams. That said, sauger greatly outnumber walleye here. The two closely related species are often caught in the same places using the same methods.
The most widely used method is casting or drifting 1/8 to 3/8-ounce jigs close to the bottom. A white curly tail grub is the most widely-used jig adornment, but soft plastic swimbaits and jerkbaits are also effective. Keep your lure close to the bottom.
Live minnows also do the trick but are seldom necessary, except when the bite is particularly slow.
The prime time to catch walleye and sauger in the Ohio River is late fall through winter, while high water during spring often makes fishing a challenge.
The best places are the tailwaters below each dam. The McAlpine Lock and Dam is an especially popular spot, with excellent bank access a short drive from Louisville.
Other good spots include the Meldahl Lock and Dam near Foster and the Markland Lock and Dam near Warsaw, though access to the latter is better on the Indiana side. Fishing is often best at night, but overcast days can sometimes be just as good.
Expect to find walleye and sauger along current seams and around eddies, along riprap banks, and downstream from any structure that provides a break in the current. Fishing is often good below the dams all summer long when water is at its lowest level and fish seek out deep spots.
The Ohio River is renowned for catfishing, including the section that forms the northern border of Kentucky.
Laurel River Lake
Offering 5,600 acres of picturesque water in southeastern Kentucky, Laurel River Lake is a reservoir built on the Laurel River. Walleye in the 18- to 22-inch range are common, with fish topping 24 inches on occasion.
The lake is within Daniel Boone National Forest, and its tree-lined banks are almost completely undeveloped. The state has been stocking the lake with walleye for decades, with hundreds of thousands of fingerlings ending up here annually.
As is typical, walleye head up into the lake’s headwaters in late winter and early spring, and many anglers target them this season.
But Laurel River Lake can also be excellent in summer.
During the warmer months, walleye spend much of their time in coves adjacent to the main lake. Many of the lake’s coves still have standing timber, which walleye utilize as habitat all summer long, often spending their days among the trees and then prowling nearby shorelines at night.
The standing timber can be challenging, and most anglers have the best success fishing vertically to minimize hangups. Depths around 15 feet are usually productive in late spring, with walleye shifting deeper throughout the summer.
Carr Creek Lake
Carr Creek Lake is in eastern Kentucky along the Carr Fork River. Long and narrow, it’s a fairly small reservoir at 710 acres, but it offers some of the best walleye fishing in this part of the state.
The state stocks around 35,000 walleye here yearly—a significant number given the lake’s size—and having relatively little water to cover makes them somewhat easier to pattern.
They grow big here, too. Walleye over 8 pounds have been reported, and 26-inch fish are not unusual.
March through May are prime months, as walleye finish their spawning cycle and return to the lake, gradually shifting toward deeper water as temperatures rise. Spring walleye fishing can be good day or night here.
Nighttime is the best time to find fish shallow, and walleye often fall for rattling crankbaits and suspending jerkbaits close to the bank. During the day, look for walleye in deeper stands of timber and below schools of alewives.
Honorable Mentions
Paintsville Lake
Northeast Kentucky’s Paintsville Lake is a 1,139-acre reservoir on Paint Creek. Walleye have been stocked here for many years, and although the lake isn’t known for consistently producing lots of walleye, it has kicked out some giants, including at least one that weighed 14 pounds.
Vertical jigging is popular in spring and fall. Walleye are often caught around the lower lake islands and among the standing timber located in the middle of the lake.
In summer, look for walleye at deep weed edges close to the thermocline.
Upper Cumberland River
Most of the walleye stocked throughout Kentucky are Lake Erie strain walleye. But the upper Cumberland River has been stocked since 2013 with native Rockcastle River strain walleye, which were identified in the Rockcastle River in the 1990s.
The upper Cumberland River is one of a handful of waters in the state currently stocked with these native fish. Stocking occurs above Cumberland Falls, a natural barrier blocking the non-native walleye stocked downriver in Lake Cumberland.
Anglers catch the most walleye during the colder months, especially at the upper and lower ends of pools. Several public access sites are available, with the Thompson Park Ramp in Barbourville being one of the best.
Dale Hollow Reservoir
Dale Hollow Lake spans 27,700 acres across the Tennessee/Kentucky state line. Both states stock walleye, which also spawn naturally in February and March in the Obey River and other tributaries above the lake.
In April and May, look for post-spawn walleye in around 10 feet of water on points and along the edges of weed beds. The best fishing this season is at night when walleye actively pursue spawning shad and alewives in shallows.
Dale Hollow is rock star famous for bass fishing, especially when it comes to its world record smallmouths.
Kentucky Lake & Lake Barkley Tailwaters
Though neighboring Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley are reservoirs on two completely different rivers—the Tennessee and the Cumberland—the lakes are similar in more ways than they’re different. Their twin tailwaters are separated by only about 2 miles of land.
Both tailwaters are also just a few miles above their respective rivers’ confluence with the Ohio River, and as a result, walleye and sauger from the Ohio head up the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers every spring, where they stack up below the dams.
Boat ramps are located shortly downstream from both dams and recreation areas provide bank access to both tailwaters. Expect a mixed bag of walleye and sauger, perhaps with a hybrid striper or two.
Catch More Walleye
We show you the basic techniques that will help you land more walleye on your next fishing trip.