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Laurel River Lake Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Sep 14, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A clear Kentucky highland lake: Laurel River holds bass, walleye and trout in the Daniel Boone forest.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Water temp
~84 F est.
Air / High
78 / 85 F
Wind
NE 2 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Monday
14
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Laurel River Lake stays in its summer rhythm: early magic, midday siesta, evening reprieve. Today brings a mixed sky, wind NE around 2 mph, steady pressure near 1020 hPa and a high of 85. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing crescent, the solunar majors run 1:11 AM-3:11 AM and 1:11 PM-3:11 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 93 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Sep 15, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Kentucky requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $23.00 for residents. What a Kentucky licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with KDFWR before you keep anything. The season dates for Kentucky, read off the agency, are on the Kentucky seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp78 F
High / Low85 / 66 F
WindNE 2-6 mph
Pressure1019.9 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain51% cloud, 3%
Sunrise / Sunset07:18 / 19:45
MoonWaxing Crescent, 8%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Mon Sep 14 · Overcast, 85/66 F, wind 5 mph, rain 3%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on Laurel River Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Laurel River Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Laurel River Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Sep 13

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 86 F, wind to 5 mph.

Sat, Sep 12

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 76 F, wind to 5 mph.

Fri, Sep 11

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 85 F, wind to 4 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Kentucky requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Kentucky license plus trout permit for trout. Bass and walleye limits per current KDFWR regulations.

Access

Corps ramps and marinas at Holly Bay, Grove and Craigs Creek, with Daniel Boone National Forest camping.

About this water

A 5,600-acre Corps impoundment in the Daniel Boone National Forest, Laurel and Whitley counties, Kentucky.

Fishing Laurel River Lake: the full guide

A deep clear lake

Laurel River Lake covers about 5,600 acres in Laurel and Whitley counties, southeastern Kentucky, a Corps impoundment in the Daniel Boone National Forest with steep forested shorelines and unusually clear water. It holds largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, catfish and stocked rainbow trout.

Bass in clear water

The clarity changes everything: fish deeper, use lighter line and more natural presentations than on a stained Kentucky lake. Smallmouth and spotted bass hold the rock, bluff ends and points; largemouth work the wood and the backs of coves. Night fishing in summer is a genuine advantage on water this clear.

Walleye, trout and crappie

Walleye are stocked and hold the deeper structure, taken on jigs and night crawlers in low light. Rainbow trout are stocked and hold the cool depths and the tailwater below the dam. Crappie work the brush and the standing timber in the creek arms, best in spring.

Southeastern Kentucky logistics

Marinas and Corps ramps serve the lake at Holly Bay, Grove and Craigs Creek, with camping in the national forest. London and Corbin are the base towns off I-75. Steep shorelines limit bank access: most fishing here is done from boats, and the lake is popular for recreation on summer weekends.

Common questions

Why does clarity matter?

Clear water means fishing deeper with lighter line and more natural presentations than on stained Kentucky lakes.

Are there trout?

Yes: stocked rainbows hold the cool depths and the tailwater below the dam.

Is bank fishing possible?

Limited: shorelines are steep and forested. Most fishing here is done from boats.

Is fishing good at Laurel River Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Lake Cumberland28 miNorris Lake49 miHerrington Lake59 miGreen River Lake62 miCherokee Lake63 miClinch River65 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 36.9600, -84.2200 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Written and reviewed by a person against the sources above. Errors are published in the verification log, not quietly corrected.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.

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