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Home › Waters › Kentucky › Little Sandy River below Grayson Dam
Tailwater · Northeastern Kentucky, the Little Sandy below Grayson Lake in Carter and Elliott counties, running north toward Greenup and the Ohio · Kentucky

Little Sandy River below Grayson Dam Fishing Guides

A cold-release tailwater below Grayson Lake, stocked with trout and running through a quiet corner of northeastern Kentucky.

A concrete dam releasing water into the river below it
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Guides on the Little Sandy River below Grayson Dam

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About the Little Sandy River below Grayson Dam

Grayson Lake sits in a narrow sandstone gorge in northeastern Kentucky, and the Little Sandy that comes out below its dam is a different river from the one that goes in. The release draws from depth, which keeps the water below the dam cold well into the summer, and Kentucky uses that cold water the way tailwater states do – by putting trout in it. The result is a trout fishery in a part of the state that has no business having one.

Rainbow trout are stocked through the season and are the main quarry, with brown trout added to the mix and a proportion of fish holding over from year to year in the coldest reaches nearest the dam. The trout water is a defined stretch below the dam rather than the whole river, and it fades as the water warms downstream. Below that transition the river reverts to a warmwater fishery with smallmouth, largemouth, catfish and panfish, which is the better bet in high summer.

Flow is the whole game on any tailwater and this one is no exception. Releases from Grayson change the river quickly and without much warning to anyone standing in it, and a reach that wades comfortably at low flow becomes unfishable and unsafe when generation starts. Check the release schedule before going and pay attention to a rising edge. The best fishing is usually in the stable low-flow windows, early and late in the day.

Access is easy and low-key. The area below the dam has developed parking and bank access, Grayson Lake State Park provides camping and a base nearby, and Kentucky 7 follows much of the river downstream with bridge crossings. This is not a crowded fishery – it draws local anglers and very few visitors, which for a stocked tailwater within an easy drive of the Ohio River is a pleasant surprise.

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Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

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5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

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Posting to Little Sandy River below Grayson Dam.

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The name shown under the photo. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Access

Grayson Dam tailwater - developed parking and bank access immediately below the dam.
Grayson Lake State Park - camping, boat ramp and the base for a trip.
Kentucky 7 - follows the river downstream with several bridge accesses.
Leon - the gauge location and a mid-river access point.
Grayson - the nearest town for licences and supplies.
Caney Creek confluence - a downstream access on the warmwater reach.
Carter Caves State Resort Park - nearby lodging and secondary stream access.

Seasons

Spring: high releases and heavy stocking, with strong flows through the tailwater reach.
Summer: cold releases hold trout near the dam while the lower river fishes for bass.
Fall: stable low flows and the most comfortable wading of the year.
Winter: cold water throughout, holdover trout, and very little angling pressure.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Little Sandy River below Grayson Dam?

As of Sep 17, 4:30 am, the USGS gauge LITTLE SANDY RIVER BELOW GRAYSON DAM NEAR LEON, KY reads 42 cfs, with water temperature 67.1 F. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Little Sandy River below Grayson Dam?

Anglers target Bluegill, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass on the Little Sandy River below Grayson Dam in Kentucky.

Where can you access the Little Sandy River below Grayson Dam?

Grayson Dam tailwater - developed parking and bank access immediately below the dam. Grayson Lake State Park - camping, boat ramp and the base for a trip. Kentucky 7 - follows the river downstream with several bridge accesses. Leon - the gauge location and a mid-river access point. Grayson - the nearest town for licences and supplies. Caney Creek confluence - a downstream access on the warmwater reach. Carter Caves State Resort Park - nearby lodging and secondary stream access.

When is the best time to fish the Little Sandy River below Grayson Dam?

Spring: high releases and heavy stocking, with strong flows through the tailwater reach. Summer: cold releases hold trout near the dam while the lower river fishes for bass. Fall: stable low flows and the most comfortable wading of the year. Winter: cold water throughout, holdover trout, and very little angling pressure.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Little Sandy River below Grayson Dam?

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