Thread: Kentucky Trophy Fish

I am looking to get some info/tips on places in and around the Louisville area (20 miles or so) where I can catch trophy fish from the bank. My goal is to catch one of each of these species from banks, the most anyone has caught is 9.

I know the Ohio river is prime for cats, gar, and drum(which I have already knocked of the list) Any help would be greatly appreciated, if you don't feel comfortable posting a location on the message board but would like to help me on my trophy fish quest, you can e mail at ross.mannel@gmail.com

Here is a link to Trophy Fish/Master Angler Awards Program.
KY: Kentucky Dept Fish and Wildlife -

Thanks in advance

...IMHO ... you're going to have a bit of a problem with some of those species, especially if you're limited to a 20mi radius of Louisville.

Just for starters, your best bet for these would be :

Musky - Green River Lake, Cave Run Lake, KY River
Rainbow trout - below Wolf Creek Dam (Lake Cumberland dam), Laurel Lake
Brook/Brown trout - not sure, but below the Dix Dam (Herrington Lake dam)
Smallmouth Bass - Lake Cumberland, Laurel Lake, Dale Hollow
Yellow Perch - KY Lake
Hybrid Striped Bass - Barren Reservoir
Striped Bass (Stripers) - Lake Cumberland

Not sure about some of the other species. Also not sure about catching these fish from the bank, either ... you got a lofty goal, so all I can say is

.... luck2ya !!

... cp

If your goal was mine and I was trying to do it in as small an area as possible and considering the fish that you have already qualified for I would concentrate my efforts on Green River Lake and Lake Cumberland. They are within 30 minutes of one another.

GRL- Muskie, Smallmouth, Largemouth, maybe crappie (15")
Tailwaters-muskie, walleye

Lake Cumberland -Larmemouth, Smallmouth, spotted bass, striper
Tailwater- Brown trout, rainbows, striper, walleye

You ought to be able to knock out a few with two or three weeks of hard fishing and some luck in these areas.

Brook trout are only stocked in a few remote E. KY streams that are listed on the KFW website. Bowfin (mudfish, grinnel, etc) a can be had in the oxbows of the Mississippi; red eared sunfish (shellcrackers) from Cedar Creek. Shouldn't be too hard to beat the "9".