Fishtrap Lake Water Level
Fishtrap Lake is at 757.79 ft today (Oct 31), 0.79 ft above its 757 ft full pool, down 0.09 ft this week.
Kentucky · Levisa Fork
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Water level history
About Fishtrap Lake
Fishtrap Lake is a reservoir on the Levisa Fork in Kentucky, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 757 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Fishtrap Lake's water level
Fishtrap Lake is a flood control reservoir first and a fishing lake second. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work on the dam in February 1962 and President Lyndon B. Johnson dedicated it in 1968. It is a 195 foot rock embankment with a clay core, about 1,100 feet long, that blocks the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River roughly fifteen miles southeast of Pikeville. That height makes it the tallest dam in eastern Kentucky. Above the dam the river backs up into a narrow lake about 16.5 miles long with 40 miles of shoreline, 1,131 acres at summer pool and as deep as 84 feet near the dam. It catches runoff from about 392 square miles of steep coalfield country, and the Corps keeps the space between the recreation pool and the top of the flood pool at elevation 825 empty for storms.
The level follows a simple yearly cycle. The Corps holds summer pool at 757 feet from mid April through October. Starting around November 1 the lake is lowered steadily to a winter pool of 735 feet, reached about December 1, opening 22 more feet of room for winter and spring floods. Refill runs from about April 1 to April 15, when the guide curve climbs back to 757. Outside that pattern, the lake rises only when the Corps is holding back a flood, then falls as fast as the Levisa Fork below can safely carry the water. A low lake in winter is normal. At the high end, Grapevine campground starts to go under near 762, the road upstream of the dam floods at 768, and the National Weather Service treats 790 as the action level for the lake.
The April 1977 flood is the benchmark. Torrential rain fell across the region from April 2 to 5, and the Levisa Fork crested at Pikeville at 51.5 feet on April 5, the third highest crest on record there. Fishtrap rose to 807 feet, its record pool, and the National Weather Service estimates the reservoir trimmed about 13 feet off the Pikeville crest. Even so, Pikeville took more than $71 million in damage. The lake was tested again in February 2025. It sat near 738.6 feet on February 14, jumped about 37 feet in a single day after the February 15 and 16 storm, and peaked at 795.67 feet on February 19, nearly 39 feet above summer pool. By February 27 the Corps had released it back down to winter pool. The 795.67 reading is the highest in the recent gauge record, well short of 1977.
Fishtrap Lake — frequently asked
What is Fishtrap Lake's normal summer pool level?
Summer pool is 757 feet above sea level, held from about mid April through October. At that level the lake covers 1,131 acres, runs about 16.5 miles up the Levisa Fork, and reaches 84 feet deep near the dam. In 2025 summer readings stayed mostly within about two feet of that mark, with a brief May high near 765.6.
Why is Fishtrap Lake so low in winter?
It is lowered on purpose. Beginning around November 1 the Corps draws the lake down about 22 feet to a winter pool of 735, reaching it near December 1. The empty space stores winter and early spring floodwater that would otherwise go straight down the Levisa Fork to Pikeville and Prestonsburg. The lake is usually back at summer pool by mid April.
When does Fishtrap Lake fill back up in the spring?
The Corps guide curve starts the refill around April 1 and brings the lake back to 757 feet by about April 15, roughly a foot and a half per day. A wet spring can push it above that line for a while, because water is held whenever the river downstream is high, then released once the flood threat passes.
What is the highest Fishtrap Lake has ever been?
The record is 807 feet, reached on April 7, 1977, during the flood that also put the Levisa Fork at Pikeville at 51.5 feet. That pool was 50 feet above summer level. The highest reading in the last several years came on February 19, 2025, when the lake peaked at 795.67 feet after the mid February storms in eastern Kentucky.
How much did Fishtrap Dam help in the 1977 flood?
According to the National Weather Service in Jackson, upstream flood control storage cut an estimated 13 feet off the Levisa Fork crest at Pikeville and 1.2 feet off the Russell Fork at Elkhorn City. Pikeville still suffered more than $71 million in damage, and the flood killed 10 people in eastern Kentucky, but the town would have seen far deeper water without the dam.
What fish are in Fishtrap Lake?
State biologists list eleven game species, with gizzard shad as the main forage. Hybrid striped bass, first stocked in 1990, are rated excellent and reach 27 inches. White bass, bluegill, channel catfish and flathead catfish are also rated excellent, largemouth bass good, and walleye only poor to fair. Blue catfish stocking began in 2011, and the tailwater below the dam gets about 10,000 rainbow trout each spring and fall.
What happens at Fishtrap Lake when the water is high?
Campers and boaters notice first. The National Weather Service lists the Lick Creek parking access road going under at 759 feet, the Grapevine camping area at about 762, and the road upstream of the dam at 768. After big floods, debris washes into the marina, as it did in February 2020. The lake's first job is flood control, so high water can linger until the river below drops.
Other lakes near Fishtrap Lake
- Grayson LakeKY
- Dewey LakeKY
- Green River LakeKY
- Dale Hollow LakeKY/TN
- Kentucky LakeKY/TN
- Lake CumberlandKY
See current levels for all 15 Kentucky lakes and reservoirs →
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