crappie chaser you are absolutely right laurel lake is the most scenic lake i have ever put a boat in & i have fished every lake in ky & a lot of tenn , alabama , florida lakes, i have fished it since it was impounded in 1973 & live in corbin i no longer fish anywhere but laurel the fishing is great for smallmouth bass, we weighed in 5 sm in a midwest tour. three years ago that weighted 25.54 lbs my 5 best just fun fishing in one day was 27.13 lbs last spring. its a small lake that cannot stand fish being taken out so everybody please practice c&r of sm & we will continue to have a great sm fishery for years to come & laurel is a jewel of a lake that deserves to be treated as one when we are on it. john