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Home › Waters › Kentucky › Nolin River Lake
Reservoir · Mammoth Cave country · Kentucky

Nolin River Lake Fishing Guides and Conditions, Kentucky

A clearer, rockier Corps lake next door to Mammoth Cave, with steep timbered banks, good smallmouth fishing and much less traffic than its neighbours.

An angler standing in a bass boat along a wooded reservoir shoreline
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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About the Nolin River Lake

Nolin is the quieter of the Corps lakes in this corner of Kentucky, impounding the Nolin River just north of Mammoth Cave National Park. It is clearer and rockier than nearby Barren River Lake, with steep timbered banks, gravel points and a lot of standing timber left in the upper arms, and it takes noticeably less pressure than the bigger lakes around it.

The clarity and the rock give it a genuine smallmouth fishery alongside the largemouth, which is not something every reservoir in the region can claim. Smallmouth hold on the main-lake points and the rocky banks; largemouth use the timber and the backs of the creeks. Crappie fishing around brush is good, and the bluegill fishing in the coves in early summer is excellent and almost entirely ignored.

Because the shoreline is largely Corps land and national park, development is minimal and the lake feels remote for somewhere so close to a major tourist destination. Bank access from the recreation areas is unusually good, and the tailwater below the dam is a fishery in its own right.

Nolin is a good choice on a weekend when the bigger lakes are busy. It is small enough to learn in a couple of days, varied enough to keep giving up new water, and quiet enough that you can fish a main-lake point at nine on a Saturday morning without company.

The gauge below gives pool elevation. Nolin runs the same seasonal pattern as the other Green River basin lakes: drawn down through winter, refilled in spring. On a lake this steep, the level change moves the fish vertically rather than horizontally, and the practical effect is on which ramps you can use and how far the walk is.

Pool right now

515.17ft NGVD29
  • 24 hours-0.03 ft → steady

Reading taken 43 min ago at USGS 03310900, NOLIN LAKE NEAR KYROCK, KY. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.

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Access

Wax Recreation Area: Corps ramp, camping and marina on the upper lake.
Moutardier Recreation Area: ramp, campground and the best-known access.
Dog Creek: quieter Corps ramp and camping.
Nolin Lake State Park: ramps and day use on the eastern side.
Tailwater below the dam: bank fishing and a separate river fishery.
Upper Nolin River arm: standing timber and shallow spring fishing.
Note: adjacent to Mammoth Cave National Park, so summer traffic in the area is heavy.

Seasons

Winter: low pool, deep fish, and almost nobody on the water.
Spring: the refill, spawning bass and crappie, and the timber at its most productive.
Summer: clear water, early starts, smallmouth on the rocky points and bream in the coves.
Fall: cooling water and steady bass fishing as the drawdown begins.

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Questions

What species can you catch on the Nolin River Lake?

Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass on the Nolin River Lake in Kentucky.

Where can you access the Nolin River Lake?

Wax Recreation Area: Corps ramp, camping and marina on the upper lake. Moutardier Recreation Area: ramp, campground and the best-known access. Dog Creek: quieter Corps ramp and camping. Nolin Lake State Park: ramps and day use on the eastern side. Tailwater below the dam: bank fishing and a separate river fishery. Upper Nolin River arm: standing timber and shallow spring fishing. Note: adjacent to Mammoth Cave National Park, so summer traffic in the area is heavy.

When is the best time to fish the Nolin River Lake?

Winter: low pool, deep fish, and almost nobody on the water. Spring: the refill, spawning bass and crappie, and the timber at its most productive. Summer: clear water, early starts, smallmouth on the rocky points and bream in the coves. Fall: cooling water and steady bass fishing as the drawdown begins.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Nolin River Lake?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Kentucky agency site: https://fw.ky.gov/FishBoatGuide/Pages/default.aspx