Fishing at Laurel Lake, Blount County, Tennessee

• Overview

  Out in Blount County, Tennessee, sits Laurel Lake. The surroundings are dry hill. Surface area runs to about 12 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Blount County list. Wildwood lies 10 miles from the water. Knoxville is the closest city, 21 miles away. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Laurel Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Survey and observation records for Blount County include redline darter, snubnose darter, greenside darter, blueside darter and tangerine darter. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Laurel Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 75°F and January reads 37°F. Cold never closes this one. March through May is the strongest run, with autumn a second stretch. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. On Laurel Lake the same rules apply, with local timing. Cloud cover is worth more than temperature on a bright week.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Parking sits 0.9 miles out, which makes for a walk with tackle. There are picnic tables half a mile away. For the perch, a small jig tipped with worm, dropped along the edges, is hard to beat. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Lake in the Sky, 6.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat Laurel Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.