Bass glory days return at Randleman Dam

Bass anglers of 30 years ago remember the great largemouth bass fishing when Jordan Lake opened to the public.

One hundred fish days were commonplace as anglers caught “Jordan Lake footballs” (bass so fat they were shaped like pigskins). But after about 10 years, numbers of Jodan bass declined, and those outstanding fishing days disappeared.

Well, now they’re back — not at Jordan Lake but at the new Randleman Dam Reservoir just north of the town of Randleman off U.S. 220.

“The fish are in shallow water right now, from 2 to 8 feet,” said Kernersville guide and bass pro Joel Richardson (336.643.7214, www.joelgrichardson.com). “There’s a good topwater bite with buzzbaits and Pop-Rs in the morning along the shoreline at stickups and other wood cover. During the day, we’ve been using Carolina rigs and medium-diving crankbats at secondary points. We’ve been trying to find rocks on the points because that’s what the bass seem to be keying on.”

Richardson said largemouth fishing at the 3,007-acre Randleman Dam Reservoir has been incredible since spring.

“We had a five-fish limit the other day that weighed 25 pounds,” he said. “The fish weren’t deep. Few bites were over 10-feet deep. And you can catch them anywhere on the lake, all the way to the backs of any of the feeder creeks.”

State regulations apply with anglers able to keep five bass of at least 14 inches in length, including two bass less than 14 inches. The lake doesn’t have a slot limit.

“We’ve caught bass at this lake since the beginning of August, even in the drought when it was sizzling hot,” Richardson said. “I’ve put a 7- and 8-pounder in the boat and caught many bass in the 2 1/2 to 3-pound range. I know of two 11-pounders caught, which had to be in the lake when they closed the dam.”

Randleman Dam impounded the Deep River, which had a good supply of largemouths, plus some farm ponds were flooded and became part of the lake. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission also stocked the lake with bass and channel catfish.

“I caught 60 bass the last time I went,” Richardson said. “It’s a fisherman’s dream. I haven’t seen anything like it in a long time.”