See every public fishing venue in Kentucky on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
North Fork Kentucky River is a public river in Breathitt County, Perry County, Letcher County, Lee County and Wolfe County, Kentucky, managed by Commonwealth of Kentucky (public / navigable water). You can fish it on a Kentucky licence; bank access is at road crossings, parks, KDFWR fishing-access sites, Wildlife Management Areas and the Daniel Boone National Forest, and riparian owners control the bank on non-navigable reaches. A trout permit is required to fish for or keep trout. Public access confirmed via public-trust river.
The Kentucky River — 255 miles from the forks at Beattyville to the Ohio at Carrollton, through a series of old lock-and-dam pools. Largemouth and spotted bass, white bass, a good sauger fishery below the dams, crappie and bluegill in the pools, and trophy flathead and blue catfish.
It runs roughly 134 miles through the Eastern Kentucky region. Anglers here mostly fish for largemouth bass, spotted bass, white bass, sauger; channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, black crappie are also on record. Live flow and gauge height come from the North Fork Kentucky River At Whitesburg, Ky USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Lost Creek and Lotts Creek.
Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, KDFWR trout designations and hand research.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Kentucky. Some KDFWR lakes and FINS lakes have posted hours or gate at dark, and a few trout and special-regulation sections are daylight-only — check the water-specific rules. Trotlines, limb lines, jugs and set lines are legal on most waters (not on trout water or in most state-park lakes) with the gear tagged.
Boats: Most Kentucky rivers are waded or floated by canoe, kayak and jon boat; the Ohio, Mississippi, lower Kentucky, Cumberland, Green and Licking take full-size boats.
Bank & bivvy camping: You may fish and float any navigable Kentucky river on a fishing licence. Bank access is at KDFWR fishing-access sites, state parks, Wildlife Management Areas, the Daniel Boone National Forest and bridge crossings; riparian owners control the bank on non-navigable reaches. A trout permit is required to fish for or keep trout on the Cumberland tailwater and the stocked streams.
Tackle: Statewide black-bass daily limit is 6 in combination (12-inch minimum on largemouth/smallmouth), but many waters carry their own slot or minimum — Dale Hollow, Cave Run, Green River Lake, the Cumberland tailwater and others. Crappie 30 on most reservoirs (with 9- or 10-inch minimums on some); muskellunge 30-inch minimum, 1 per day; the striped-bass and trout limits vary by water. Check the current KDFWR sport-fishing guide for this water.
Boat ramps: 3 mapped — Beatyville Ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp.
Camping: 1 site mapped nearby — Jack Sutter Campsite.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Loading live flow & gauge height…
Live from USGS gauge 03277300 — North Fork Kentucky River At Whitesburg, Ky. Full gauge data →
Anyone 16+ needs a Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources fishing licence — resident annual is about $23, non-resident annual about $60, and short-term (1-day / 7-day / 15-day) licences are sold. A trout permit (~$10, resident and non-resident alike) is required to fish for or keep trout anywhere in the state. Kentucky residents 65+ (and disabled residents) can buy a discounted Senior/Disabled combination licence; residents born before 1 Jan 1961 may fish without a licence. Buy from KDFWR at fw.ky.gov. A Kentucky fishing licence covers navigable rivers. The Ohio River is fished on a Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois or West Virginia licence within the marked reciprocal zone. A trout permit is required on the Cumberland tailwater and the stocked trout streams.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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