Friday, July 11, 2008
Many local fishing enthusiasts may pass Lake Beshear on a weekend trip to Lake Barkley or Kentucky Lake, but members of the Dawson Springs Bass Club have been taking full advantage of the smaller lake’s growing reputation.
The bass club meets at Redden’s Dock at Lake Beshear at 6 p.m. each Thursday for a weekly tournament and also to attempt to hook a new largemouth bass state record.
Troy Johnson, who joined the FLW Outdoors Pro/Am series this year, became hooked on the local lake in September 2007 and has been fishing with the club during the spring.
“We’ve got some great fisheries here with Lake Beshear,” Johnson said. “It’s one of the best lakes in this part of the country as far as producing large fish.”
Last September, after months of preparing for the FLW, Johnson spent one evening fishing Lake Beshear for four hours — he reeled in 45 pounds of largemouth bass. At the dock, Johnson weighed his five biggest fish from the livewell, and they totaled 23 pounds, one ounce with the largest at seven pounds, two ounces.
“I know this lake is capable of producing the next state record largemouth bass, which really gets me excited about fishing this lake,” he said.
Johnson, in just his third professional event, placed 30th of 146 boats on May 10 at Barkley Lake. Traveling for FLW events does not allow Johnson as many opportunities as he would like to join the weekly tournaments at Lake Beshear, but he encourages anyone interested in fishing to show up on Thursday nights.
“It doesn’t matter how you go about it or what kind of equipment you got,” Johnson said. “If you got an old boat, a new boat, a $50,000 bass boat, it’s something that anybody who wants to fish can do.”
The Thursday night tournaments have drawn a mixture of amateurs and pros including Johnson and 2008 Madisonville-North Hopkins graduate Brandi Frasier.
Frasier has participated in three stops on the Women’s Bassmaster Tour this summer, but has also taken part in the Thursday evening gatherings at Lake Beshear.
“It’s usually between eight and 10 boats,” Frasier said. “It’s usually around the same people. Everyone gets to know each other, it’s real neat.”
The intensity and money at stake is not as extreme as the pro events, which also makes the weekly tournaments more appealing for Frasier.
“It’s just a fun thing, (I’m) not really worried about if I catch anything or not,” she said. “I guess it’s still like practice, I try to hit up certain points and see what (fish) are biting on.”
For a two-person boat the fee is $10 for big bass and $2 for little bass with a $3 ramp fee.
The low entry fees allow the fishermen to employ an assortment of techniques on the lake.
Most of Johnson’s big bass have come from reaction strikes on big crankbait, but many different techniques are used, he said.
Diamond crankbait, spinner bait and shaky with a worm are three of the varieties Frasier has used while fishing Lake Beshear.
“I usually just try to throw a worm up into a tree or something sticking out of the water like a log,” Frasier said.
Even though Frasier has attended the weekly event just three times and won smallest bass once already, it’s a complicated lake to fish, she said.
“I can catch a couple fish here and there, but I still haven’t figured out how to catch them consistently out there,” Frasier noted. “You’ll find them in one spot and then go back the next day, they won’t be there.”
With so many activities to choose from during the summer, fishing at Lake Beshear can be easily overlooked, but it’s an opportunity that should not be ignored, Johnson said.
“It doesn’t get a lot of recognition in this area, but it really is a great sport if people give it a shot,” he said. “We’ve got some great lakes around town. You have to start somewhere.”
nbrockman@the-messenger.com
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