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5,600-acre deep highland reservoir near Corbin. Kentucky's deepest, clearest lake. The lake tops out around 280 ft. The contours come from a model of the real basin shape and its known max depth. Read them as probabilities, not soundings, and keep them out of navigation decisions. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Drawn out, this is 5,421 acres of water rimmed by 156.3 miles of bank. With a shoreline index of 15.2, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 51% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 8.2 mi with a 6.8-mi widest point. The water lies in Laurel County. For a second option, Lake Cumberland lies 37 mi west.
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (20 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (24 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Offshore hump (20 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring puts bluegill in skinny water — 1 to 6 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 10 to 25 ft. Spring bluegill concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Offshore hump (20 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Big Branch inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Big Branch inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Big Branch inflow (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Sharp break (24 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Sharp break (24 ft) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 30 ft, wintering in 20 to 45 ft. Top water on the chart: Rock reef, a rock pile in the 5 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (5 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (20 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (24 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Sharp break (24 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
When the water first warms, walleye slide up into 4 to 15 ft. Summer is a 15 to 35 ft game here, winter a 20 to 40 ft one. Start at Big Branch inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 8 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run the evening and early morning. Keep a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Big Branch inflow (8 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Offshore hump (20 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Sharp break (24 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Offshore hump (23 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
18 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 238 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Kentucky Fish & Wildlife — Fishing Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Kentucky waters are set by the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Laurel River Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Kentucky fishing regulations →
Laurel River Lake is about 280 ft (85 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, smallmouth bass, walleye on Laurel River Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Laurel River Lake is regulated by the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife. Check the official Kentucky regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Lake Cumberland 37 mi · Cedar Creek Lake 40 mi · Norris Lake 47 mi, TN · Buckhorn Lake 48 mi · Cumberland River Tailwater 56 mi · Clinch River 56 mi, TN · Herrington Lake 61 mi · Green River Lake 62 mi · Obed River 66 mi, TN · Dale Hollow Lake 66 mi, KY/TN · Cherokee Lake 67 mi, TN · Carr Creek Lake 69 mi
See how Laurel River Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Kentucky · best smallmouth bass lakes in Kentucky · best walleye lakes in Kentucky · best crappie lakes in Kentucky
Browse all Kentucky fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.