Heading to Kentucky Lake

[brianD]

Hello all,
Packing up the beast and heading to Kentucky Lake in Aug for a long weekend with family. any "do not miss" or "definitely don't go there" places I should know about? Will be staying near MM31 at Big Bear Resort

b

[Bamaman]

I'm really unfamiliar with the second lake below mine. I understand the Eddyville, KY area really has some incredible residences on the water.

And at 185 miles long, I doubt anyone has ever seen the whole lake. It's the start of 650 miles of the premier inland cruising in the U.S.--navigable all the way to Knoxville, TN.

Have a great trip.

[bradm]

Rock Quarry (party spot) is across main lake from Big Bear. Also is a nice Sandy cove across main lake. Depending on how late in August would start staying in the marked channel when crossing from Big Bear and Moors Resort Area to those spots.

Lots of nice bays close by. The eastern shore of lake is undeveloped (Land between the Lakes) so no houses etc

We are on Barkley which is connected to Kentucky Lake by a canal near the dam.

[brianD]

One of the days we will likely go through the canal to Barkley, just to say we were there. Anything tricky about that?

[chopper6358]

the rock quarry is a nice cruise thru unless you want to jump off the cliffs. pisgah bay is pretty nice for pulling tubers , the water is fairly smooth there. around the point from that is a nice party hang out called the sands,{old Birmingham} pretty smooth sandy beach. then up from that smith bay then duncan bay.

[landlockedsailor]

One of the days we will likely go through the canal to Barkley, just to say we were there. Anything tricky about that?

The canal is a piece of cake. No issues and fun to say you did two lakes in the same day, heck, in the same 10 minutes!

Next trip, come down to MM 58-60. Lots of resorts, camping spots, fun dining and live entertainment dockside. Also, hardly any boat traffic so you OWN the lake and can tube, swim, fish anywhere without fear of being run over by the hoards of rental boaters headed across the lake to Party Cove from the Moors (right next door to Big Bear).

I'm a transplant from STL, and for a little bit longer drive you can enjoy the best of KY Lake down here.

Have fun, KY Lake anywhere is not congested like LOTO.

[brianD]

What a blast! Great lake, lots of coves to hang out in. Must have been the time of year, but we had the lake almost completely to ourselves.

Being used to the nuns and cans on the Mississippi, the little markers were a little hard to see (especially on the night ride) but otherwise we had a great time!

and yes we went into Barkley just to say we did it.

thanks for the charts and tips!

[bradm]

Glad u had a good trip. The different coves and bays are really nice on both lakes. With a few exceptions (holiday weekends) most of Kentucky and Barkley are not too crowded.

Just keep that quiet so it stays that way

[landlockedsailor]

Just keep that quiet so it stays that way

Yes! We tell everybody from LOTO that the fishing sucks here, the wind blows your sailboat in circles, the barges are non-stop, and you can walk across the lake on all the boats that are here even during the week!

We love it here especially after having had a boat at LOTO and on the Mighty Mississippi in years past. Glad you had a great time! Come back!

[JLester273]

I know this is an older thread but KY lake is the first real trip we took with our pontoon. I bought it after a earlier trip here when we rented one. We stayed at Sportsman's Campground on Johnathan creek. I actually grew up on my Grandpa's boat heading out of this marina. It is an older place but the people running it are nice and are fixing things up as they can. Not that it is bad. They are just trying to make it nicer.

I'm going to have to check out some of the other places you mention. We never ventured out of Johnathan creek while we were there this time.

[landlockedsailor]

[quote="JLester273"]. I'm going to have to check out some of the other places you mention. We never ventured out of Johnathan creek while we were there this time.[/quote]

Jonathan Creek huge. Don't have to leave it to have fun fishing, tubing, swimmng, etc. Plus, some nightlife nearby in Aurora, with restaurants, ice cream, every-kind-of-fudge and tourist stuff.

For a little quieter water (literally, the wind/waves bigger than other places), head out either way and hit a nearby cove. Sunset cruises are GREAT!

[Bamaman]

I was out on the Tennessee River the last few days--staying at our fish camp. My wife went home to look at her Tyler Perry television shows on OWN.

Went out into the middle of the 1.5 mile wide lake and floated from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The sunset was like a big orange ball going down--just beautiful.

Best part was there were only two boats within eyesight--and that's on a lake with wall to wall houses and boathouses. We're actually an underutilized lake surrounded by 140,000 people.

[JLester273]

[quote="landlockedsailor"][quote="JLester273"]. I'm going to have to check out some of the other places you mention. We never ventured out of Johnathan creek while we were there this time.[/quote]

Jonathan Creek huge. Don't have to leave it to have fun fishing, tubing, swimmng, etc. Plus, some nightlife nearby in Aurora, with restaurants, ice cream, every-kind-of-fudge and tourist stuff.

For a little quieter water (literally, the wind/waves bigger than other places), head out either way and hit a nearby cove. Sunset cruises are GREAT![/quote]

Gonna do this next time. I grew up going to Johnathan creek with my Grandpa. I really like KY lake. And that whole area. But I wouldn't mind doing some exploring around the main lake and see some of the places I have never seen. I'm sure there is lots to see. My boat should be good as long as it isn't terribly rough out.