Editor’s note: This is the ninth article in a series about Kentucky’s major reservoirs.
For more than twenty years it was known as Carr Fork Lake.
In January 1997, Congress officially changed the name of the project to Carr Creek Lake, in honor of long hunter William Carr, who explored the area in the 1770’s, and the community’s legendary high school basketball team that won the state championship in 1956.
Carr Creek Lake is in Knott County, about 11 miles south of Hindman, reached via Ky. 160 and Ky. 15 (Smithboro Road). The dam is 8.8 miles above the mouth of Carr Fork, a tributary to the North Fork of the Kentucky River.
The scenic mountain lake was completed in December 1975. The drainage area above the dam is 58 square miles.
Size
The 710-acre lake is 8.2 miles long at summer pool, elevation 1,027, and has a maximum depth of about 65 feet, with an average depth of about 40 feet. The seasonal drawdown to winter pool is 10 feet.
There are three small dams in headwater tributaries (Defeated Creek, Shingle Creek, and Little Carr Fork Branch) to prevent sediment from being deposited in the lake.
State Park
Carr Creek State Park, 29 acres, is on the north shore of the lake off Ky. 15.
Facilities include a 39-site campground, with water and electric hookups, beach and playground. For information telephone (606) 642-4050.
The park is closed for utility construction and will reopen March 15.
Lake Manager’s Office
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Carr Creek Lake, Resource Manager’s Office, 843 Sassafras Creek Road, Sassafras, KY 41759-8806, telephone 606-642-3308.
Managing Fishery Biologist
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Eastern Fishery District, Kevin Frey, District Biologist, 2744 Lake Road, Prestonsburg, KY 41653, telephone 606-889-1705.
Marinas
There is one marina.
Carr Creek Marina, open seasonally, is about 4 miles east of Vicco, Ky., off Ky. 15. The address and telephone number are 217 Big Smith Branch Road, Sassafras, Kentucky 41759, 606-642-3239.
Boat Launching Ramps
There are three boat launching ramps on the lake.
There is a $5 a day fee to launch at two ramps, the marina boat launching ramp and the Littcarr boat launching ramp. An annual pass is available for $25.
There is no fee to launch at the dam boat launching ramp, off Ky. 15 on Sassafras Creek Road.
The Littcarr boat launching ramp is at the head of the lake, off Ky. 160, and is closed when the lake is at winter pool.
Local Tourism Information
Knott County Tourism Commission, Box 505, Hindman, KY 41822, telephone 606-785-5592.
Fishing
Carr Creek Lake is a mesotrophic lake of moderate productivity.
This highland reservoir supports populations of three species of black bass (largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass), bluegill, two species of crappie (white crappie and black crappie), walleye, and three species of catfish (channel catfish, flathead catfish and white catfish).
The lake has three coves with standing timber, and there are scattered beds of aquatic vegetation.
The main forage fish are gizzard shad and alewives.
Largemouth Bass
The largemouth bass fishery is rated good.
There are good numbers of fish over 20 inches, with March to early-April the best time to catch a trophy fish. Late spring through summer the best fishing is at night. The best fall fishing is during murky water conditions in November and early December when good fish are caught by casting crayfish-colored crankbaits across rocky points.
Smallmouth Bass
The smallmouth bass fishery is rated poor.
It’s a small, remnant population with low recruitment, but fish up to 20 inches are present.
Fish steep, rocky banks in the lower lake.
Spotted Bass
The spotted bass fishery is rated fair.
There are fair numbers of fish up to 16 inches, and larger fish up to 18 inches are present.
Fish rocky shores in the mid-to-lower lake.
Walleye
The walleye fishery is rated excellent.
There are very high numbers of fish from 15-26 inches, with a few fish up to 28 inches. During the summer fish the riprap and rocky banks near the dam, deep water in the lower lake where walleye suspend below schools of alewives, and coves with standing timber.
Crappie
The crappie fishery is rated good.
Both white crappie and black crappie are present in the lake, as well as the blacknose crappie, the result of a naturally-occurring recessive gene in black crappie. This distinctive fish, which has a pronounced black stripe from its nose to its dorsal fin.
Black crappie from 10 to 13 inches and white crappie from 10 to 15 inches are present in Carr Creek Lake.
Bluegill
The bluegill fishery is rated fair.
Good numbers of small bluegill are present. Fish in shallow coves during the late spring, and around the edges of weed beds during the summer.
Catfish
The catfish fishery is rated good.
Flathead catfish are not really numerous, but some 36-to-40-inch fish are available.
There are three species of catfish present in the lake, channel catfish, flathead catfish and white catfish.
The best catfish angling of the year occurs in May and June when catfish congregate on riprap banks to spawn.
Tailwater Fishing Opportunities
Discharges of cool, oxygenated water makes for good trout habitat in the small tailwaters.
The Carr Creek Lake tailwaters are stocked periodically with rainbow trout. View schedule fw.ky.gov/Monthly-Trout-Stocking
Some walleye escape from the lake and move into the tailwaters when increased flow draws them in close to the dam.
Special Minimum Size Limits and Creel Limits
Crappie: 9-inch minimum size limit, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass: 15-inch minimum size limit
Invasive Plants and Animals
Zebra mussels and Hydrilla are present in Carr Creek Lake.
Anglers are asked to take steps to prevent the spread of the non-native aquatic invasive species. For more information, visit fw.ky.gov/Nuisance-Species-Plans.
Zebra mussels and hydrilla are present in the lake.
Fish Attractors
There are more than 35 locations where fish attractors (pallet stacks, Christmas trees, plastic trees, brush piles, stake beds and hinge cut trees) have been placed in the lake. Some locations are marked by buoys.
View a fill map of Carr Creek Lake at www.google.com.
Bank Access and Fishing Piers
There is a fishing pier near the boat ramp at the marina.
Carr Creek Lake produces some quality walleye and is somewhat overlooked. The excellent walleye fishing is worth a trip to this scenic mountain lake in eastern Kentucky’s Knott County.