Thanks to a biologist, once-moribund Lake Fontana is a haven for anglers
TOM HIGGINS
TOM HIGGINS
Tim Bloodworth of Concord with his first two smallmouth bass, caught at Fontana Lake. (TOM HIGGINS -- SPECIAL TO THE OBSERVER)
In the 1950s Lake James was nicknamed "The Dead Sea."
The title was stuck on Lake Norman in the 1970s and part of the '80s.
Almost every lake I know of in the Carolinas -- with the exception of Lake Wylie -- at one time or another has been sarcastically tagged "The Dead Sea."
Pessimistic anglers pin the name on lakes because of their perceived lack of fish.
No reservoir in North or South Carolina--heck, maybe in all of Dixie -- ever was shackled with more "Dead Sea" derision than perhaps Fontana Lake in the 1960s.
Although widely rated the most scenic jewel in the Tennessee Valley Authority's chain of lakes, Fontana held few fish.
Occasionally someone would wrestle a large catfish or lunker largemouth out of the impoundment in Graham and Swain counties. However, limit catches of any species were very, very rare.
Obviously, a lot of opportunity -- both recreational and economic -- was going to waste at Fontana, where almost the entire North shore lies with in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
If the fishing could be made better, then visitors would come to enjoy the action and savor the beauty of such a picturesque place. And spend tourist dollars, contributing to the economy in an often hard-strapped rural area!
In the early 1970s, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission stationed a young fisheries biologist named Don Baker at Fontana Village. It didn't take Baker long to determine the problem was the food chain at the lower end. There was no plankton for the minnows to feed on that in turn were foraged on by larger game species of fish.
Programs to improve the plankton population in Fontana were undertaken and the lake began a spectacular comeback, producing especially good catches of smallmouth bass and walleye.
Don Baker did right well, too. He rose to become chief of the Wildlife Resources Commission inland fisheries division before his retirement in 1990 after 33 years with the agency.
Baker's work at Fontana Lake continues to produce splendidly.
Three friends and I fished there April 16-18 and boated limits of fat, scrappy smallmouth bass each day. My fishing buddies for my 44th consecutive spring visit to Fontana Dam were Tim Bloodworth of Concord, Waddell Wilson of Birkdale and Ed Clark of Peachtree City, Ga., formerly of Charlotte.
Long-time Fontana angling acquaintance Sheldon Hardin of Kentucky and two friends had a sumptuous dinner of smallmouth filets, fried potatoes, slaw, potato salad and hush-puppies awaiting when we arrived.
"Boy, the fish are on the flats, staging to spawn," advised the personable Hardin. "The water is clear as gin, so you're going to have to sneak up on them to get `em to hit."
Because of the clarity of the water, it was very tough fishing, but we managed good hits from time to time any way.
When Bloodworth, a Bass Pro Shops/Outdoor World executive at Concord Mills, boated a smallmouth, it marked his first. "Dang, these are scrappy devils aren't they!" Tim exulted.
However, what we saw at Fontana Lake got us even more excited than what we caught.
At several underwater humps and on long points we easily could see bottom 15 to 20 feet down
These sites were covered with what we counted to be 20 to 50 smallmouth at each location. And we estimated the size of the fish at 3 to 5 pounds.
"Oh, for a scuba outfit and a spear gun!" exclaimed Tim.
"Fontana is in good shape for years to come," predicted Clark.
For the second afternoon of fishing both Tim and Waddell switched to lighter four-pound-test line from six to see if it would work better in the clear water.
Wilson hooked an especially large, savage smallmouth that made a swirling jump and broke his line as if it were a tiny bit of sewing thread.
After a few choice words Waddell shouted, "They sure can't call Fontana the Dead Sea anymore."
That's a legacy for Don Baker, who passed away in 1997.
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Fishing reduces stress and gives you a break from our modern world where everything is going a million miles per hour
73
Check & Clear 6
LOC: 38-54-14.60N / 097-14-09.07W
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