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Rough River Lake Water Level

USGS gauge 03318005 · near Falls of Rough, KY · USACE

485.71ftWell below full pool

Latest reading Oct 26, 5:00 PM · elevation

Rough River Lake is 9.3 ft below full pool today (485.71 ft vs 495.00 ft). It is 66% full. It has fallen 0.45 ft since yesterday and is down 3.05 ft over 7 days.

Lake 9.3 ft below full pool, level falling, calm wind — fair fall fishing day (5/10), best window 7:11 AM–8:11 AM (moonset near sunrise).

vs full pool−9.29 ftFull pool 495.0 ft · USACE
How full66%79k of 120k acre-ft
Change since yesterday−0.45 ft7 days: −3.05 ft
Dam release865 cfsOutflow below the dam · inflow 0.00 cfs
Air temp & weather now73°F · Mostly SunnyWind calmNWS forecast · see Weather & wind below
Sun today7:05 AM – 5:54 PMFirst light 6:37 AM · Last light 6:21 PM

Water level chart

ft above sea level

Full pool (495.0 ft) is 9.3 ft above the latest reading, off this chart

Reading

Rough River Lake fishing report & conditions

updated Oct 26, 6:49 PM ET

Lake 9.3 ft below full pool, level falling, calm wind — fair fall fishing day (5/10), best window 7:11 AM–8:11 AM (moonset near sunrise).

Best fishing times today

Today is a fair fishing day (solunar + local conditions)

5/10

Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:05 AM · Sunset 5:54 PM

Major fishing times

  • Moon underfoot11:53 AM–1:53 PM

Minor fishing times

  • Moonset7:11 AM–8:11 AM
    Sunrise
  • Moonrise5:28 PM–6:28 PM
    Sunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
TodayOct 265/10FairMajor 11:53 AM–1:53 PM
Minor 7:11 AM–8:11 AM · 5:28 PM–6:28 PM
Calm wind 0–4 mph
TueOct 274/10FairMajor 12:22 AM–2:22 AM · 12:52 PM–2:52 PM
Minor 8:27 AM–9:27 AM · 6:11 PM–7:11 PM
Calm wind 0–2 mph
WedOct 282/10PoorMajor 1:23 AM–3:23 AM · 1:55 PM–3:55 PM
Minor 9:42 AM–10:42 AM · 7:04 PM–8:04 PM
Calm wind 0–5 mph
ThuOct 294/10FairMajor 2:27 AM–4:27 AM · 2:59 PM–4:59 PM
Minor 10:52 AM–11:52 AM · 8:07 PM–9:07 PM
Calm wind 2–5 mph
FriOct 303/10PoorMajor 3:31 AM–5:31 AM · 4:03 PM–6:03 PM
Minor 11:52 AM–12:52 PM · 9:17 PM–10:17 PM
Calm wind 0–2 mph
SatOct 314/10FairMajor 4:33 AM–6:33 AM · 5:03 PM–7:03 PM
Minor 12:41 PM–1:41 PM · 10:31 PM–11:31 PM
Calm wind 1–4 mph
SunNov 14/10FairMajor 4:31 AM–6:31 AM · 4:58 PM–6:58 PM
Minor 12:20 PM–1:20 PM · 10:44 PM–11:44 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.

Baseevery day starts at 11
Sunrise / sunseta period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1)2
Moon phasewithin 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days)2
Local conditionspressure 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)
  • Pressure: No NWS pressure forecast for this day +0
  • Wind: Calm 0–4 mph +0
  • Level: Level falling 0.45 ft in 24 h +0
0
Today5, rounded5/10

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 37.62, -86.50 (moon times from astronomical equations, Rough River Lake local time).

Weather & wind at Rough River Lake

air temperature, not water
Air temp73°FNWS forecast for this hour
WindCalmNWS forecast this hour
Gusts2 mphpeak gusts this hour

3-day forecast

NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 37.620, -86.499 (grid LMK), issued Oct 26, 1:54 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.

Last 10 days

DateLevel (ft)Change
Mon Oct 26 (today)485.87−0.38
Sun Oct 25486.26−0.44
Sat Oct 24486.70−0.44
Fri Oct 23487.14−0.43
Thu Oct 22487.57−0.43
Wed Oct 21488.00−0.43
Tue Oct 20488.43−0.42
Mon Oct 19488.85−0.23

Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.

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About this data

Gauge
USGS 03318005 — Rough River Lake Near Falls Of Rough, Ky
Location
37.6201, -86.4994 · Kentucky
Measures
Lake/reservoir water-surface elevation above NGVD 1929
Daily statistics
Not available (approved daily values)
Latest reading
Oct 26, 5:00 PM local time (provisional)
Page built
Oct 26, 2026 6:49 PM ET
Full pool
495.00 ft — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Top of Conservation)
Storage
78,668 of 120,010 acre-ft (Top of Conservation)
Also from
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Flood stages
NWS gauge RRLK2 — National Water Prediction Service

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Water Data for the Nation (USGS monitoring location page). Readings every 15–60 minutes; the newest values are provisional. Percentiles compare today’s reading with every past year’s daily mean for the same calendar date. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.