Editor’s note: This is the second of two-parts.
Seasonal cooler temperatures and improved water conditions have jump-started fall fishing. Now is a great time to get out on the water.
Kincaid Lake
For years, Kincaid Lake has been considered one of the top small lakes in central Kentucky for largemouth bass. There are good numbers of fish over 15 inches, and excellent potential for trophy fish (23 inches or longer).
Both black crappie and white crappie are also present, with most fish 6 to 8 inches long, but larger fish are possible.
There are populations of both channel catfish and flathead, with good numbers of channel catfish over 15 inches present.
Bluegill are abundant, but most fish are less than 6 inches in length.
Kincaid Lake is in Pendleton County, three miles northeast of Falmouth, off Ky. 159.
The 183-acre lake, which opened to public fishing in 1963, has about 13 miles of shoreline, with a maximum depth of 37 feet and an average depth of 13 feet.
Impounded from Kincaid Creek, a small tributary of the the Licking River, the lake is the centerpiece of 850-acre Kincaid Lake State Park.
Open year-round, Kincaid Lake State Park, offers a wide range of outdoors activities, and a marina. Call ahead as some facilities are open seasonally. For information telephone (859) 654-3531.
Recent fish stockings include: 2,430 channel catfish in 2023.
There are two paved boat launching ramp for trailerable recreational boats, one just above the dam and one in the state park. There is no fee to launch.
Corinth Lake
Corinth Lake has a reputation for producing quality, large fish of several species.
There’s good potential for 15 to 20-inch largemouth bass, arguably the lake’s most popular species with anglers.
But, don’t overlook redear sunfish. There are fish up to 9 inches, and trophy-sized fish (10 inches or longer) present.
There are populations of both white crappie and black crappie, with most fish 8 to 9 inches long.
Channel catfish over 15 inches long are common. There’s a small number of flathead catfish present.
There are good numbers of 6 to 8-inch bluegill, with larger fish present.
Corinth Lake is in southern Grant County, about two miles west of Corinth.
From Interstate-75 at Exit 144 drive east on Ky. 330 to Corinth, go north on U.S. 25, take a left on Ragtown Road, and follow the signs.
The 96-acre lake, impounded from a tributary to Eagle Creek, in the Kentucky River basin, has 5.4 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 42 feet, with an average depth of 17 feet. Built and owned by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR), the lake opened to public fishing in 1963.
Much of the lakeshore is timbered, with manicured lawns surrounding residential housing.
Recent fish stockings include: 1,945 channel catfish in 2023.
There is a paved boat launching ramp for any light trailerable recreational boat. There is no fee to launch. There is a T-shaped fishing pier adjacent to the paved parking lot.
Guist Creek Lake
Arguably, Guist Creek Lake is the top small lake in Kentucky.
There are several compelling reasons why: an unsurpassed mix of fish species, varied cover types, a history of producing quality-size fish (including two state record catches), a strong annual stocking program, and excellent growth rates due to fertile waters and lots of forage fish, including gizzard shad.
The are very good numbers of keeper largemouth bass and excellent potential for quality fish over 20 inches.
The hybrid striped bass fishery doesn’t get the attention from anglers that it deserves. It’s a limited population, with most fish in the 16 to 22-inch size range, but there’s potential for trophy-sized fish, 23 inches and longer.
There are very good numbers of channel and flathead catfish, with potential for trophy-sized channel catfish (28 inches), and flathead catfish (35 inches).
A third species of catfish present in the lake is the white catfish (Ameiurus catus). The non-native species, sourced from commercial hatcheries, has been introduced into private waters across Kentucky.
It’s believed that the white catfish in Guist Creek Lake escaped from farm ponds or small lakes in the watershed during periods of high water. White catfish were never stocked in Guist Creek Lake by KDFWR.
Both white crappie and black crappie are also present. Most fish are in the 7 to 10-inch range, with larger fish present.
There’s a limited population of saugeye, but fish up to 25 inches are possible. Saugeye have been stocked annually since 2013.
Bluegill are abundant, but most fish are less than 6 inches long.
Yellow bass have also become established in the lake, but a majority of the fish are small. It’s unknown how yellow bass found their way into the lake.
Guist Creek Lake is in Shelby County, about five miles east of Shelbyville.
The lake is visible from U.S. 60, but its facilities are on the lake’s north shore, reached via Ky. 1779 (Benson Pike).
The lake was formed by impounding Guist Creek, a tributary to the Salt River. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) built the lake in 1961 and it opened to public fishing in 1963.
Guist Creek Lake is 317 surface acres, with 27.4 miles of shoreline. The lake’s average depth is 15 feet, with a maximum depth of 47 feet.
Guist Creek Lake is one of seven small lakes in central Kentucky with lakefront residential housing on private lands that share a boundary with KDFWR-owned lands.
Recent fish stocking include: 3,170 channel catfish, 30,803 saugeye, and 9,512 hybrid striped bass in 2023, and 9,512 hybrid striped bass, 1,692 largemouth bass, and 31,700 saugeye in 2022.
Guist Creek Marina is at the end of Boat Dock Road (Ky 1667), off Ky. 1779. The fee to launch is $6. For information telephone (502) 647-5359. There are no other public boat launching ramps on the lake.
There is 5-acre bank access area, off Ky. 1779 (Benson Pike) at the bridge over the lake.
For fishing regulations, stocking schedules and fish attractor sites for these lakes and other lakes and streams across the state visit the KDFWR Waterbodies page.
View part one: A look at Kentucky’s small lakes offering ideal conditions for fall fishing