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Russell Fork is a public river in Pike 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 marquee water.
An Eastern Kentucky river (Big Sandy, Levisa Fork, Russell Fork, Tug Fork, Red Bird River, the forks of the Kentucky) — smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass, rock bass, muskellunge, channel and flathead catfish and walleye. Russell Fork through the Breaks is also Kentucky's whitewater river.
It runs roughly 42 miles through the Eastern Kentucky region. Anglers here mostly fish for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, spotted bass, rock bass; muskellunge, channel catfish, flathead catfish, walleye are also on record. Live flow and gauge height come from the Russell Fork At Haysi, Va USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Fishtrap Lake and Grapevine 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: Kentucky Lake, Barkley, Cumberland, Dale Hollow, Green River, Barren River, Herrington and the other big Corps/TVA reservoirs have no horsepower limit; idle / no-wake zones are marked near ramps, dams and marinas. Most KDFWR lakes and state-park lakes are electric-motor-only or have a gas-horsepower cap, and FINS lakes are typically electric or car-top only. Kentucky requires a boater-safety certificate for operators 12-17.
Bank & bivvy camping: Camp at Kentucky state parks (which sit on many of the best lakes — Lake Cumberland, Barren River, Green River, Dale Hollow, Kenlake and Kentucky Dam Village on Kentucky Lake, Grayson, Greenbo, Jenny Wiley on Dewey, Buckhorn), Corps campgrounds on the big reservoirs, and the Daniel Boone National Forest (dispersed camping allowed on much of it, including along the trout streams). Land Between the Lakes has both developed and backcountry camping with a permit.
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: 2 mapped — Boat ramp, Garden Hole Access.
Camping: 1 site mapped nearby — Campsite.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Loading live flow & gauge height…
Live from USGS gauge 03208500 — Russell Fork At Haysi, Va. 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.
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