Imagine fishing a lake where any cast could result in catching any one of our four recognized black bass species in Kentucky. Well, that's just what you'll find at Martins Fork Lake in Harlan County. This small, scenic area tucked away in southeastern Kentucky near the Virginia state line is the only place in the state where anglers have an opportunity to catch largemouth, smallmouth, spotted (Kentucky) and Coosa bass all in one water.

Of course, the first three bass are well known to anglers, but the Coosa bass is seldom discussed, and many anglers are not even familiar with it or know of its presence in Kentucky. Although small, it is a tenacious fighter for its size and also a very attractive fish. The fins of the Coosa bass will be orange to orange-red and the caudal and anal fins will be tipped in white. The lower jaw of a breeding male will get a bluish color around it like a bluegill and the head area and behind the eye may get a red tint during the spawn.

The Coosa bass is native to Alabama and Georgia and is named for the Coosa River, which flows through the two states and is the predominant home range of these Coosa bass. Both Tennessee and Kentucky have populations of Coosa bass, but they are introduced fish and not native species. It is believed that Kentucky's population was introduced sometime in the 1950s.

Martins Fork Lake is approximately 330 acres in size and is formed along the Martins Fork Creek. The Coosa bass inhabit the lake proper as well as the creek above and below the lake. A few will also turn up in some of the small streams entering Martins Fork Creek downstream of the lake, such as Catron Creek. However, the Coosa bass distribution ends once Martins Fork Creek enters the Cumberland River in Harlan.

Although all four species of bass are present in the lake, they are not in equal numbers. Largemouth bass dominate the fishery and amount to about 65 percent of the total bass present. Spotted bass are the second most numerous, making up approximately 28 percent of the fishery. Much smaller numbers of Coosa and smallmouth bass finish out the fishery distribution.

In the past, there was no state record for Coosa bass because they were governed by the statewide black bass size limit of 12 inches and one had never been presented above the minimum size. However, after the 12-inch restriction was lifted on Coosa bass, it wasn't long before a state- record fish was produced. Wayne Howard of Cawood holds the current state record. The fish was caught in July of 2005, and measured 10.8 inches long with a weight of .53 pounds.

Howard is the owner of the Lakeway Market, which is located on Martins Fork Creek approximately a mile from the lake. He caught the record fish in the creek near his store. He believes the bass was actually heavier when first caught, but unfortunately, he had to keep the fish alive in a holding tank for several days before it could be verified by a Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) fisheries biologist.

Howard is an avid bass angler and loves fishing the lake and creek near his store. He said the bass fishery at the lake is really good, but warns that the area does get a heavy amount of fishing pressure. Nonetheless, anglers are still landing plenty of fish and many are quality size. Howard has a number of these fish on display at his store.