Lake Barkley Water Level
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Kentucky
Latest reading Oct 26, 6:00 PM · elevation
Lake Barkley is 4.1 ft below normal pool today (354.85 ft vs 359.00 ft), 0.1 ft higher than a year ago. It is 75% full. It has held steady since yesterday and is up 0.25 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelNormal pool (359.0 ft) is 4.1 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
Normal pool (359.0 ft) is 4.1 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
Reading
Lake Barkley fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 6:49 PM ETLake 4.1 ft below normal pool and steady, calm wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 7:17 AM–8:17 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 75°F / low 49°FPartly Sunny
- WindCalm0–2 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 7
- Level4.1 ft below normal poolLevel steady (±0.00 ft in 24 h)
Main species
- Blue catfish
- Bluegill
- Channel catfish
- Crappie
- Largemouth bass
- Redear sunfish
- Sauger
- Smallmouth bass
- Striped bass
- White bass
- Yellow bass
Source: Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources — species rated in the 2026 Fishing Forecast (lake and tailwater), as published on the KDFWR 2026 Fishing Forecast.
Official Kentucky fishing report: Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife — Weekly fishing report
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
6/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:11 AM · Sunset 6:01 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot12:01 PM–2:01 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:17 AM–8:17 AMSunrise
- Moonrise5:37 PM–6:37 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 6/10Good | Major 12:01 PM–2:01 PM Minor 7:17 AM–8:17 AM · 5:37 PM–6:37 PM Calm wind 0–2 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 4/10Fair | Major 12:29 AM–2:29 AM · 12:59 PM–2:59 PM Minor 8:33 AM–9:33 AM · 6:20 PM–7:20 PM Calm wind 0–2 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 2/10Poor | Major 1:30 AM–3:30 AM · 2:02 PM–4:02 PM Minor 9:48 AM–10:48 AM · 7:13 PM–8:13 PM Calm wind 1–5 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 2:34 AM–4:34 AM · 3:06 PM–5:06 PM Minor 10:57 AM–11:57 AM · 8:16 PM–9:16 PM Calm wind 2–5 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 3:39 AM–5:39 AM · 4:10 PM–6:10 PM Minor 11:57 AM–12:57 PM · 9:27 PM–10:27 PM Calm wind 1–4 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:41 AM–6:41 AM · 5:10 PM–7:10 PM Minor 12:46 PM–1:46 PM · 10:40 PM–11:40 PM Calm wind 1–5 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:38 AM–6:38 AM · 5:05 PM–7:05 PM Minor 12:26 PM–1:26 PM · 10:52 PM–11:52 PM Calm wind 2–5 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the lake level is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · level within ±0.25 ft in 24 h +1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 1 |
| Today | 6, rounded | 6/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 37.02, -88.22 (moon times from astronomical equations, Lake Barkley local time).
Weather & wind at Lake Barkley
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- This Afternoon75° / 49°Partly SunnyWind SSE 1 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday75° / 52°Partly SunnyWind SSE 2 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday77° / 49°SunnyWind S 1 to 5 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 37.022, -88.221 (grid PAH), issued Oct 26, 1:31 PM local time. High / low are air temperatures; water temperature is in the fishing section above. The “Air temp & weather” tile at the top refreshes live.
Past 12 months
daily readings from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers- Today354.85 ft
- Same date last year354.73 ft+0.1 ft change
- 12-month high360.77 ftMay 27, 2026
- 12-month low354.32 ftOct 16, 2026
- Normal pool359.00 ftUSACE
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 354.84 | −0.06 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 354.90 | −0.05 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 354.95 | +0.07 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 354.88 | +0.02 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 354.86 | +0.05 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 354.81 | +0.10 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 354.71 | +0.06 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 354.65 | +0.08 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 354.57 | +0.17 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 354.40 | +0.08 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
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Guides
All guides →About this data
- Source
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — Barkley Lock and Dam
- Location
- 37.0217, -88.2211 · Kentucky
- Measures
- Reservoir water-surface elevation, feet above sea level (NGVD29)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 6:00 PM local time
- History
- 398 days on file since 2025-09-22
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 6:49 PM ET
- Normal pool
- 359.00 ft — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Top of Normal)
- Storage
- 649,440 of 868,879 acre-ft (Top of Normal)
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (official page). Operator data is preliminary and may be revised. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.