By Chris Erwin
While many anglers are hanging up their rods, there is a small but dedicated group of people that have been waiting for this time of the year. I’m talking about the smallie hunters
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Kentucky is blessed with some of the best smallmouth fishing anywhere in the country while we can see that you can catch a good smallmouth in almost any of the lakes in Kentucky that has them.
They are three lakes that have a reputation of being big time smallmouth lakes, Dale Hollow, Cumberland and Laurel River lakes. Most of you have heard about the fishing at Cumberland and Dale Hollow but its Laurel River Lake, I want to tell you about.
Laurel River Lake is 5, 830-acre and over 200 miles of shore line, located west of Corbin Kentucky built in 1977 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Laurel River, a tributary of the Cumberland River, in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The lake covers parts of Laurel and Whitley counties.
One of the things that makes this lake such a good smallmouth lake is its depth and water clarity. The lake is 279 feet in its deepest areas and has an average water depth of about 70 feet. The water has been described as clear as air, making light line a must. Some of the new fluorocarbon lines are suited for this lake. They fall fast and are practically invisible making them a tool of choice when going after smallies.
This lake has long points, the aid of electronics is a big help in learning this lake you can be in the middle of the lake and be in 15 or 20 feet of water these areas can produce big smallmouth. Fish in the seven-pound range are not uncommon. Many anglers think that the next state record will come from this lake.
In the winter, they are two methods that have been the big producers, the hair jig and the float&fly. When you talk to anglers, it seems that these two methods are all they want to talk about, however, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits still produce in this cold period, but they must be fished slow, another bait that has been popular over the years is the blade baits like the Sliver Buddy or Butter Bean.
One of the methods that works on all the smallmouth lakes is fishing with live bait. Fishing shiners over schools of fish, I personally haven’t used this method on laurel. I have used it on Dale Hollow, and it is very effective.
If you want to try this cold-water fishing, you need to be prepared for the cold weather, carry an extra set of clothing, towels to dry your hands and dress for the temperature.
If you plan on staying more than one day, there is a host of motels near Corbin Kentucky just minutes from the lake. I have also been told that some guys stay at Lost Lodge on Cumberland Lake just 25 miles from Laurel that way they can spend time on both lakes.
If you are one of the brave souls that loves to fish this way, or if you are just now trying to learn this cold-water fishing stay tuned and go to the Kentucky Angling messageboard where we will be talking about how, where and when to get in on some lunker winter fishing. Chris Erwin is the founder and publisher of Kentucky Angling News an on-line magazine available at www.kentuckyangling.com/magazine Chris can be reached by email chris@ashlandbeacon.com
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