Lake Mary Crawford

Lake Record: 13.4 pounds

Slot Limit: none

Daily Creel Limit: 30

This is a real treasure, since there is no slot limit.

Located just west of Monticello, Lake Mary Crawford offers a lot of options for bass anglers. A long line of riprap along the dam is a perfect place for predator bass to lie in wait for a quick meal.

According to one Lawrence County angler, the fish stack up off the rocks, where the mid-day and afternoon sun warms the rocks— and thus the water — encouraging baitfish to congregate. Naturally, bass follow the bait to the rocks looking for a quick meal.

“I start with a white spinnerbait that has some red in the skirt,” Jimmy Gatewood said. “I start parallel to the rocks and work my way out to deeper water. If the bass don’t like the spinner, I’ll switch to a watermelon-colored wacky worm, working it from the shallow to deeper water.

“Few bass can resist a wacky worm rig.”

Gatewood uses a weighted hook so he can cast the wacky-worm a little farther. He also uses a spinning rig with 8-pound mono to get more distance, saving a baitcasting rig for the heavier spinnerbaits and crankbait.

“The shallower water is best fished with Carolina-rigged worms — a purple firetail has always been my favorite,” said Gatewood. “I know people who use lizards and frogs in a wide variety of patterns and colors.

“As the weather gets warmer, I pull Rat-L-Traps from the shallow to deeper water and across the points in the lake.”

But the best part about this lake’s bass is that anglers can pretty much throw whatever they have confidence in.

“These bass are not real picky, and will bite most any bait on any given day,” Gatewood said.

He also likes the late evening topwater bite, pulling out the tried-and-true Devil’s Horse and Rapala floaters.

“There is a smaller boat ramp near the handicap fishing pier where we launch our two-person boat,” Gatewood said. “There are lots of Christmas trees and brush around that pier.

“If I’m still on the water at dusk I’ll pull a Jitterbug over those trees. Bass can’t resist coming up for a look.”

Gatewood said he and his family like to camp at the lake and fresh bass are often the center of an evening meal.