Cave Run Lake

One of my favorite things to do in Kentucky is to visit just about any of of the nearly 30 lakes and rivers in our state.

My dad has always been a big fisherman, and from as early as I can remember, he always took my family and I fishing whenever we had the chance. I'm not positive, but I'm fairly certain that at this point in my life I have been to at least all but maybe one or two of the lakes in Kentucky (not to mention plenty in bordering states).

So, when I realized that Morehead State University was only 20 minutes from a major lake, needless to say I was pretty excited about it.

It may not be the biggest or the best fishing lake in Kentucky, but Cave Run is one of my favorite lakes due to the fact that it's so convenient (and I have a lot of good memories here).

Plus, I almost always manage to catch something here, even if it's just a small bass like the one in this picture from earlier this year.

Cave Run is known for being one of the best lakes for catching muskies (although I have yet to catch one), and a lot of people supposedly come here just to try their hand at catching a record-breaking muskie.

I think going to the lake is almost always more fun on a boat, but Cave Run has plenty of places on the bank to enjoy it if you don't have that luxury.

This picture to the left is of Kameron fishing at Muskie Point (I believe that's the name) on one of our first dates. It's a fairly good place to fish from the bank, although be careful because it's easy to lose a lure in the shallow water near the bank.

If you're not into fishing, Billy's Branch picnic area is probably the most popular place to go to swim, layout, or just hang out on the rocks with some friends. Cave Run is a man-made lake, and the rocks that were put in here are really flat.

My soccer team actually visits Billy's Branch as a team every year as part of pre-season bonding. Our coach usually gets us a pontoon or two, and we float and just enjoy the lake for a few hours. Pontoon rentals are fairly cheap through the marina here (as long as you split the cost a few ways between friends), so that's another option if you don't have a boat of your own.

Both Billy's Branch and Muskie Point are free to visit, but if you'd like to be able to lay out/swim at the lake's beach, it costs $7 or $8 dollars per carful to go to Twin Knobs. I've only been there once though, because I prefer Billy's.

Anyway, I think that's about all I have to say about Cave Run for now... There are a lot of good local restaurants on the way to/near the lake as well, but I'll make a different blog post about those one of these days.

So I'll leave you with one more picture of the lake from Billy's Branch at sunset. Enjoy!


For more information on Cave Run, or a map to some of the best spots on the lake, click this link or visit caverun.org.