Lake Thom-A-Lex offers Piedmont anglers an alternative to the big Yadkin chain reservoirs when it comes to great bass fishing.
For years, Lexington’s Chris Brown traveled 45 minutes or more to big, well-known lakes, including High Rock, Badin and Norman, to fish for largemouth bass, all the while bypassing a small body of water teeming with bass almost in his own back yard.
Brown’s penchant for bigger waters can be attributed to his tournament endeavors, but he still made the long trek to pressured impoundments for casual fishing, despite a work schedule that freed him only on Mondays and half-days on Thursdays.
About 10 years ago, Brown had a revelation. He was driving right past Lake Thom-A-Lex, a rustic, 650-acre municipal water-supply reservoir owned and operated by the cities of Lexington and Thomasville. It was just 15 minutes from his home.
“One windy day in March, I decided I might as well try fishing the lake that I kept riding by and see if I could catch any bass,” Brown said. “I caught them pretty good, and I’ve been fishing the lake ever since.”
Not only was Brown impressed with the fish he caught, he also enjoyed the leisurely, uncrowded fishing conditions at the lake.
“The lake hardly has any tournaments, and it doesn’t attract many boats, even on weekends,” said Brown. “I could go on a Sunday afternoon, fish a few hours, return home and relax before heading to work. Thom-A-Lex became my casual fishing playground.”
Brown was drawn to Thom-A-Lex for another reason; it reminded him of the Tuckertown Lake of his youth, when that lake’s shoreline featured canary reed grass and plenty of fish before black mat algae obliterated the canary grass.
“I fish the grass at Thom-A-Lex year-round,” said Brown. “It’s basic fishing without the need for electronics.”
Brown makes seasonal adjustments for fishing the grass. In the spring, he moves along the channel banks into small pockets for spawning fish. Otherwise, he follows the grass around the lake come summer or winter, while fishing any laydowns along the way. He said the lower end of the lake is as good as the upper end, except for September, when he prefers the upper end because of its cooler, shallower waters that have more color and current.
“Thom-A-Lex only has a spillway; no water is pulled through the lake,” he said. “If there’s little rain, the lower lake becomes stagnant. With heavy rains, the upper lake has some current from its two feeder creeks.”
Conditions determine the baits and techniques Brown chooses for fishing the grass. In the morning and on cloudy days, Brown looks for a topwater bite with buzzbaits and rubber frogs. A slight breeze enhances the bite.
“Thom-A-Lex offers excellent surface action given the right conditions,” said Brown, who tries to pry bass out of the grass by flipping a variety of baits on sunny days with little wind.
His bait choices include Zoom UltraVibe Speed Worms in dark grape or purple on cloudy days and green pumpkin on bright days, plus swim jigs with Zoom UltraVibe Speed Craw trailers.
With a slight breeze, Brown fishes a green pumpkin Chatterbait, a lure that elicits a hate-love relationship.
“You’ll catch the biggest fish in the lake with a chatterbait, but you’ll also lose big fish with it because solid hooksets are difficult,” he said.
Brown said laydowns don’t produce numbers of fish but yield some of the bigger fish.
“I don’t catch a lot of fish from wood, but the ones I catch are usually the bigger fish,” he said.
While Brown and tournament partner David Wright of Lexington are known for cranking in big bags of summer bass from offshore structure, Brown sticks to the grass at Thom-A-Lex.
“I don’t bother with offshore structure at Thom-A-Lex,” said Brown. “There are very few high spots and extended points on this lake, and the fish don’t bunch up on them. Why should the fish move deep when the grass provides cover and attracts forage?”
For flipping the grass, Brown uses a 7-foot-11, extra-heavy action All Star rod in conjunction with a Shimano Castaic reel spooled with 60-pound Sunshine braid.
“The grass is thick in places, and the fish are mean,” he said. “If you don’t turn fish immediately away from the grass, you’ll lose them. I started fishing the lake with 20-pound monofilament line and couldn’t get the big ones out of the grass.”
For buzzbait and frog fishing, he uses a 7-foot, heavy action All Star rod and Shimano reel filled with 50-pound braid. He likes more-forgiving, heavy monofilament line with Chatterbaits because with braided line he often takes the bait away from the fish.
Brown said the typical Thom-A-Lex bass weighs from 11/2 to 2 pounds, but the chances of hooking a 4- to 5-pound fish are excellent. The lake has yielded bass up to 13 pounds, 2 ounces.
Brown fished for years before he discovered he had a bass factory only minutes from home.
Is there a lake like Thom-a-Lex in your back yard?
DESTINATION INFORMATION
HOW TO GET THERE — From Thomasville, follow I-85 BUS south towards Lexington, take a right onto Old Greensboro Road. Go 1.5 miles to first road on left, Yokley Road. Take Yokley Road to the lake.
WHEN TO GO — The lake is open sunrise to sunset year-round ,except for holidays. Openings and closings follow the schedule for the City of Lexington. Fish can be taken shallow year-round. Bigger fish are caught in early spring and fall.
BEST TECHNIQUES —Flip grass edges, pockets and laydowns. Look for topwater bite early, late and on cloudy days. Heavy baitcasting tackle paired with braided line up to 60 pounds is recommended to pull fish from the grass. Effective baits include plastic worms, swim jigs, frogs, buzzbaits, and Chatterbaits.
RULES/REGULATIONS— The lake is governed by a 30-mph speed limit for all boats. No horsepower restrictions. Boats must be off the water 15 minutes before closing time. Thom-A-Lex is managed with trophy regulations: only largemouth bass 18 inches or larger may be kept.
FISHING INFO/FEES — Lake Thom-A-Lex office, 336-731-6052. Boat launch: $4. Annual boat launch: $60. Fishing fee: $2. Annual fishing fee: $20. Handicapped and seniors fish free. Fishing permit must be obtained at Lake Warden’s office prior to fishing or boating.
ACCOMMODATIONS — Comfort Inn, Thomasville, 855-849-1513. Microtel Inn & Suites, 959 Lake Rd., Thomasville. 1-888-293-6798.
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