Fishtrap Lake in Pike County will be drawn down 22 feet below winter pool

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will draw down Fishtrap Lake in Pike County 22 feet below winter pool by Jan. 23 to conduct maintenance on Fishtrap Lake Dam.

The maintenance activities will concentrate on the withdrawal gate’s hydraulic system and the emergency bulkheads on the intake tower of the dam.

“This will allow for better control of the temperature of water released from the dam,” said Jeff Ross, assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “This will benefit our department’s ability to stock trout in the Fishtrap Lake tailwater.”

The winter pool for Fishtrap Lake is elevation 735 feet above mean sea level. The drawdown will lower the lake to elevation 713 feet. The Corps will hold this level for two weeks.

“We will lose boating access to Fishtrap Lake during this period,” Ross said. “The only available winter pool ramp at the dam will be out of the water.”

Officials plan to start filling the lake again with normal rainfall after the maintenance is complete.