Relatively new Randleman Reservoir has all the makings of a great spring bass lake

Fish visible shoreline cover and cash in on Randleman’s treasure trove of largemouth bass.

If February and March are months when a queen-size bass might show interest in a lure, April is the time that anglers have the best chance to encounter truckloads of chubs.

Largemouths bass will “go on the beds” on most of North Carolina’s reservoirs, rivers and ponds this month because the water temperature usually reaches the magical 68-degree mark and triggers their spawning urge.

What’s consistent about most Aprils — given that winter’s grip has loosened — is the weather’s predictability. Longer days, more sunlight, an end to cold fronts and almost no chilly winds will trigger male bass to scrape out beds near shorelines and sow bass will migrate to the shallows to deposit their eggs. All this makes them easier targets to find than in previous months when they were hunkered down in deep water.

Joel Richardson of Kernersville, a guide and former pro bass fisherman, said April is the “coolest month” because so many largemouths fill the strike zone. Plus, no matter the type of lure he chooses, bass almost always want to eat it.

So where in North Carolina would he go in April to find the hottest bass bite?

Easy answer.

“Randleman Dam is probably the No. 1 bass lake in the state right now,” he said. “(Shearon) Harris is good, but I’d have to give a little edge to Randleman, and April is a really good time to be there.”

After the 3,007-acre lake — actual name “Randleman Regional Reservoir” — was impounded in 2004, it opened to anglers in March 2010. Its dam impounds the Deep River as it flows out of the High Point city reservoir.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources stocked 150,000 largemouth fingerlings in Randleman in 2007 and has provided technical assistance since then, including setting a creel and size limit to prevent overharvest of bass. However, the Deep River had good numbers of largemouths when the dam was closed, as did several ponds that eventually were swallowed up by the lake.

“April is a really good time for fish at shallow flats in the coves,” said Richardson (336-643-7214). “Bass will be starting to get on the beds.”

But he doesn’t just seek out any shallow shoreline. Richardson targets specific areas.

“You’ll see some little bitty vegetation that grows close to the shoreline,” he said. “It’s most where small primrose sprigs are at; they get around that pretty good.”

Stumps also are good places to find bass in three feet of water or less, he said.

“Small stickups can be really good,” Richardson said. “If there’s a bass on a stickup and you catch one, they’re more probably coming in to make beds near it. Stickups can be prime pieces of cover for a lot of bass.”

Sandy flats or shoreline with pea gravel also are attractive bedding spots.

“The water’s pretty clear in this lake, but it’s not clear enough to see bass,” he said. “In fact, I’ve never seen a bass on a bed there. But if you can find places with gravel or sand flats, bass are bedding there.”

Richardson said his choices of places to fish and effective lures also are influenced by water clarity.

“Actually, I don’t know of any bad areas at the lake, but I stay away from dirtier water,” he said. “You need to stay away from the heads of creeks and up the river where there’s dingier water. Veer away from that and look for clear water.”

Bass, he said, will come from a slightly greater distance to get a buzzbait in clean water.

“I’m not saying a spinnerbait isn’t good for spawning fish, but I’ll only use it where water’s dirtier,” he said. “Most of time, it’s rare to have dirty water at Randleman, but if I do go to the back to a cove and run into dingy water, that’s when I’ll throw the spinnerbait.”

But his favorite lure is a buzzbait.

“I normally throw a 3/8-ounce buzzbait in white or white/chartreuse,” he said. “My favorite buzzbait is a Lunker Lure. The one I use, they don’t make any more, and it doesn’t have a clacker. The ones with clackers don’t throw as good. I like to make long casts, (and) that’s what you need to throw in April because you don’t want to get too close because you’ll spook bass.

“You want to make long casts to shallow water and retrieve a buzzbait as slow as possible.”

If bass aren’t hitting a buzzbait — it seems to work best during the low-light conditions common early in the morning — he’ll use a Texas-rigged lizard.

“A 7-inch floating trick worm also is really good,” he said. “I like a chartreuse or white one. I’ll Texas-rig it with no weight and throw it at little isolated pieces of wood and stumps.”

Richardson said that although Randleman Reservoir was “full of 2 1/2- to 4 1/2-pounders last year,” anglers shouldn’t expect to catch large females on beds this month for a couple or reasons.

“You can catch some really nice fish, but not by sight-fishing,” he said. “You’re subject to catch females that are cruising, looking for nests. You’ll catch bucks on the nests.”

Richardson said the lake will hold a lot of quality bass this year, but during April, egg-laden females may push seven or eight pounds.

“Sight-fishing isn’t a good way to catch big females because even when they go shallow,” he said, “they’re not on the nests too long.”

If an angler catches a bass along the shoreline where they are bedding, almost 100 percent of those fish will be smaller males.

“Male bass won’t allow other bass to come to their nests,” Richardson said, “but they will tolerate females.”

Richardson tailors his tackle and line choices for the lures he plans to use. When he fishes a floating worm, he likes 14-pound Trilene XT monofilament because he wants the lure to stay close to the surface. If he’s fishing a Texas-rigged lizard, he uses a reel spooled with 17-pound line so he can fish near or in heavy cover. He needs strong line to pull a fish out of tree limbs or to survive being scraped across a stump or rock. He ties buzzbaits on 80-pound braid because he’s casting into cover and working the bait back through limbs or buck brush.

“(Line size) doesn’t matter because (the braid) isn’t in the water anyway when you retrieve a buzzbait,” he said.

He prefers medium-action 6- to 7-foot Shimano baitcasting rods, matching them with Shimano Chronarch reels.

“I like average-speed reels,” he said. “You don’t have to have a super-hot retrieve ratio.”

Anglers may have 30-, 40-, or 50-bass days at Randleman Reservoir this month, but the lake’s creel and size limits mean most will be released. Although Richardson releases all his bass, anglers may keep five of at least 14 inches in length; two may be less than 14 inches and only one may be longer than 20 inches.

If an angler decides to target bedding bass — and there are techniques that will work, including jerking a jig through a nest several times or shaking a plastic lizard — Richardson said catch-and-release of bedding males isn’t a problem.

“If you catch him off (the bed) and release him, he’ll go right back to the nest, if you don’t carry him off a long way in the livewell,” he said.

Excitable male bass often “short-strike” lures, however, and anglers will miss when they try to set the hook.

“If that happens, just remember the spot,” Richardson said. “Go fish other places, but don’t be afraid to come back and fish the spot again. Throw into the nest, and more than likely, the male will be there, and you can have a second go at him.”

DESTINATION INFORMATION

HOW TO GET THERE/WHEN TO GO — From Greensboro, follow US 220/I-73 south toward Asheboro and take the Level Cross exit. Turn right onto Branson Mill Rd., then left on Adams Farm Road. The entrance to the lake is about a mile south. From Burlington, follow NC 62 west, then south on US 220/I-73 to the Level Cross exit. From areas east and west, US 64 will get you to Asheboro, then take US 220/I-73 north. Depending on weather and water temperature, late March through April and into early May are prime times to catch bass.

TACKLE/LURES — Floating worms, plastic worms, buzzbaits, twitch baits and spinnerbaits will all produce bites. Rods should be 6- to 7-foot medium-action baitcasting rods mated to 4-to-1 retrieve-ratio reels.

FISHING INFO/GUIDES — Randleman Regional Reservoir Marina & Office, Randleman, 336-498-5281; Joe Richardson, 336-643-7214, www.joelgrichardson.com. See also Guides and Charters in Classifieds.

RANDLEMAN OPERATING SCHEDULE/RULES — The lake is closed on Monday and Tuesday. In April, the lake is open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. From May 1-Aug. 1, the lake opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. September and October operating hours are 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and in November, the lake is open from 8 a.m.-5 pm. The lake is closed from Dec. 1 through Feb. 28. Gasoline-powered boat, $15 (three people or less) plus $5 per person more than three persons; electric motors/sailboats $7; kayak, canoe, paddleboat $5; pier $3 per person.

ACCOMMODATIONS — Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce, Hotels/Motels: http://www.chamber.asheboro.com/member-directory.html?catid=108.

MAPS — Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority, 336-498-5281.