With the plans to drop the lake in July to repair the dam, I can safely say that fishing will be better the first half of year than the second half!

While I know the vast majority of us are sad to see the lake go, remember, this too shall pass. From a fishing perspective we have been struggling with managing the overpopulation of bass for years and even removing 1,000 fish or more a year we did not make as much progress in restoring a healthy fish population in the lake as I would have liked. We did make some progress and I thank BLHA and the fisherman who helped in our goal.

For 2011, draining the lake and working with our fisheries biologist to start over with a proper baitfish to predator ratio is a rare opportunity to have fishing in Lake Berkeley back to where it should be. We have a plan to restock the lake, provide critical habitat and return a healthy, manageable population of bream and bass. I am excited about the future of the lake, and the ability for regular catches of lunker bass. There is absolutely no reason we cannot build a world-class bass fishing lake right here in our own back yard. Until then, everything must go, so catch and keep and enjoy fresh fish on the table.

Like most magicians, fishermen don't like to give out their secrets, but I'm going to share a few that I hope will help you catch some fish this spring. The fishing in the lake will start to really get hot in early March and go very strong through May.

For bass fishing on the lake you do not need anything fancy and you don't need heavy tackle with our clear water. I use a Pflueger 6'6" medium action spinning rod spun with 8 lb test fluorocarbon clear fishing line; but any medium action rod with 6-10 lb line will work. Now, what do you tie on the end of your line to catch bass? For me personally, I'm going to start the year off with a Rapala Shad Rap SR5 2" crankbait in silver or shad color. I will also use a jointed shad rap 1½" again in silver or shad color. Crawfish or bass colors will also work but the SR5 in shad is by far my "go to" bait for fishing the lake. All you need to do is cast up near the shore and crank it back just fast enough that the bait wobbles slightly in the water and dives 6-8'. Concentrate on the main lake points and the backs of coves and you should catch a mess of fish. I also troll at 1.5 MPH or less with these baits, just until you see the wobble in your rod. Another great bait if the bass are not willing to bite the shad rap, which will be rare, is a 6-7" plastic worm, rigged Texas style so it's weedless with an 1/8 oz. bullet weight and a 1/0 or 2/0 worm hook in green pumpkinseed, red shad, purple or black. Early in the morning or late in the afternoon top water baits like a chug plug will also work great. As the lake gets into May, the fish will be less likely to attack bait so sometimes you need to use a start and stop action to coax them into biting. I use Lucky Craft Pointers 2 ½" or 3" in shad, white or blue color. The retrieve is to cast to shore and leave a little slack in your line and then you sharply jerk the rod, then reel in almost all the slack and jerk again. Vary your speed until you get a hit. Sometimes I am jerking once a second, sometimes I am letting the bait sit for 2-5 seconds. You must give a sharp jerk on a slack line and as you jerk you will pull in 6-12" of slack and then the bait will very quickly jerk through the water a few feet. You repeat and soon when you go to jerk on the slack line there will be a fish there.

If you want to catch bream, and we have some huge bream in this lake, the technique is simple. Crickets! Many of the local bait stores sell crickets. I've had luck with live worms but I find crickets are really the ticket for Lake Berkeley bream. These on a small wire hook and a small split shot sinker with or without a bobber will work great. The bream will be mostly within 15' of the shore, under trees, and in the backs of coves during the spawn. Find their beds by looking for large white circles on the bottom of the lake. For a rod I like a smaller rod than what I use for bass, a 5'5" or 6" medium light or light fishing rod with 4-6 lb test line. If you prefer to use artificial bait, I catch a lot of bream on the SR5 shad raps I use for bass but also find beetle spins, panther martin spinners, small crank baits or even small jigs work well.

If you have any questions on these rigs or techniques, I am more than happy to show any BLHA member. The next several months will be outstanding fishing and the last real opportunity for us to fish the lake for a few years to come. I am confident that while this will be an inconvenience for all of us who enjoy the lake, the lake will return, the fishing will be better than it has been in 10+ years and we will be boating again before long.