Cave Run Lake Water Level
Kentucky · Licking River
Full pool is the summer level. Cave Run Lake is drawn down about 6 ft to roughly 724 ft over winter for flood storage, so a lower reading outside the summer season is usually scheduled rather than drought.
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Water level history
About Cave Run Lake
Cave Run Lake is a reservoir on the Licking River in Kentucky, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It's famous for muskie fishing in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Its full summer pool sits at 730 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Cave Run Lake's water level
Cave Run Lake is jointly run, which is unusual: the Corps of Engineers operates the dam, and the U.S. Forest Service administers the lake surface and its shoreline as part of the Daniel Boone National Forest. It also runs a seasonal pool, though a gentler one than most Kentucky lakes. Summer pool is 730 feet, reached around 1 May and held to mid-September. Winter pool is 724 feet, reached by 1 December and held to mid-March. Six feet of difference takes the lake from about 8,270 acres down to 7,390.
The outlet works have a feature worth knowing about. Alongside two main gates, the control tower carries two smaller bypass pipes whose intakes sit at different depths in the lake, so the Corps can choose water of a particular temperature and quality to send downstream for the aquatic life and water users below the dam. The Forest Service also publishes something genuinely useful for anyone watching the gauge: the elevation at which each boat ramp becomes unsafe. Twin Knobs goes out above 733 feet, Claylick above 734, Scott Creek above 735, Longbow above 736 and Warix Run above 738. Since summer pool is 730, a lake three feet up is already closing ramps.
It is best known for muskellunge. The Kentucky state record, a 47-pound fish measuring 54 inches, came out of Cave Run in November 2008. The minimum keeper size here is 40 inches, well above the statewide 30, and fish are stocked annually at about 13 inches, taking five or six years to reach even 36. Once the lake reaches winter pool, the lower end near the dam becomes the best water. The Minor E. Clark hatchery sits directly below the dam with roughly a hundred one-acre ponds, producing three to four million fingerlings a year and distributing them up to 300 miles across the state. The record pool is 761.12 feet from 21 April 2015, well up into a flood pool that reaches 765.
Cave Run Lake — frequently asked
What are Cave Run Lake's summer and winter pool levels?
Summer pool is 730 feet above sea level, reached around 1 May and held through mid-September. Winter pool is 724 feet, reached by 1 December and held until mid-March. The six-foot difference takes the lake from about 8,270 surface acres down to 7,390, a much gentler seasonal change than most Kentucky Corps lakes.
At what lake level do Cave Run's boat ramps close?
The Forest Service publishes a threshold for each one. Twin Knobs becomes unsafe above 733 feet, Claylick above 734, Scott Creek above 735, Longbow above 736 and Warix Run above 738. Since summer pool is 730 feet, a lake sitting only three feet high is already taking ramps out of service, which is worth checking before towing a boat.
Why is Cave Run Lake famous for muskie?
It produced the Kentucky state record, a 47-pound fish of 54 inches caught in November 2008, and it is managed hard for the species. The minimum keeper size here is 40 inches against a statewide 30. Fish are stocked annually at around 13 inches and take five or six years just to reach 36 inches, so the big ones represent a long investment. April and the September to October window are the productive months.
Who runs Cave Run Lake?
Both the Corps of Engineers and the Forest Service. The Corps operates the dam and the nearby recreation facilities; the Forest Service administers the lake surface and shoreline through the Cumberland Ranger District, as part of the Daniel Boone National Forest. That is why the boat ramps and campgrounds carry Forest Service fees and seasons rather than Corps ones.
What is Cave Run Lake's record high level?
761.12 feet on 21 April 2015, which is 31 feet above summer pool and within four feet of the spillway crest at 765. Other big years include 757.69 feet in April 2025 and 756.94 feet during the February 2025 flood. Low readings, by contrast, are almost always just winter pool rather than drought.
Why can the Corps choose what water to release at Cave Run?
The control tower has two smaller bypass pipes in addition to its main gates, and their intakes sit at different levels in the lake. That lets the Corps draw from a chosen depth and so release water of a particular temperature and quality downstream, for the benefit of aquatic life and water users below the dam. Most reservoirs release whatever is at the gate.
Other lakes near Cave Run Lake
- Lake CumberlandKY
- Barren River LakeKY
- Dale Hollow LakeKY/TN
- Lake BarkleyKY/TN
- Green River LakeKY
- Rough River LakeKY
See current levels for all 10 Kentucky lakes and reservoirs →
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