LAUREL RIVER LAKE
Bill Stewart of London (Kentucky) loves chasing smallmouth. He fishes Laurel River Lake every chance he gets, regardless of the time of year. During the heat of summer, you might find him there in the middle of night. In fall, he might spend all day on the lake.

However, one of the very best times of year to tangle with Laurel’s monster bronzebacks is during the heart of winter. Unlike some other species of fish, smallmouth readily take offerings throughout the cold months. The tough part, though, is finding them.

“If you can find them, they’ll be wadded up,” Stewart says. The bass will form schools during the winter months and will usually be found in depths ranging from 35 to 50 feet.

Stewart says to look for groups of minnows on the depth finder. The smallmouth will be under the baitfish.

For cold-weather smallmouths on Laurel River Lake, the preferred baits are generally small in size. A variety of baits will work, but the locals favor small plastics on leadheads. Small 1/4- to 1/2-ounce spoons resembling minnows will also work. A lot of people will rely on real minnows.

The float-and-fly method is starting to gain a following on the lake, too. The method, made famous on nearby Dale Hollow Lake, is starting to catch bass on Laurel Lake as well.

Stewart says the best days for float-and-fly are those that are windy. On windy days, the smallmouths can often be found in 8 to 12 feet of water. On calm, clear days, he says, other methods will outperform the float-and-fly.

A lot of big smallmouths are taken on the lake in January and February each year. Numerous 5-pound fish are caught every year, and each winter, at least one 7-pounder gets pulled from the chilly water.

As it gets closer toward springtime, the bass will begin transitioning out of the deeper haunts they’ve favored during the winter. By March, they will begin moving into shallower areas of the lake. This is a time of staging prior to the spawn.

However, Stewart says that smallmouth locations can quickly change, depending on conditions and weather patterns. “On two different days, it may seem like you’re fishing two different lakes.”

Once you find the bass, you can catch them on a variety of baits. Stewart says a variety of small baits will work equally well. “Smallmouths are aggressive fish. Get a small bait in front of them, and they’ll bite it,” he says.

Stewart is a firm believer in the quality of the smallmouth fishery at Laurel River Lake. He says Laurel is “ever bit as good as Dale Hollow” -- and definitely better than Lake Cumberland.

The KDFWR assessment attests to the quality of the smallmouth fishery by giving Laurel River Lake an “excellent” rating for bronzebacks. The official fishing forecast rates the lake as an excellent winter fishery.

Biologists’ surveys show good numbers of smallies in the 14- to 18-inch range, with some fish reaching 18 inches and above.