Randleman Lake bass head to structure

Most spots are ‘community holes’ but the bass community is huge

Bass pro Brad Staley of Pleasant Garden, N.C., said June is one of his favorite months to fish for bass at Randleman Lake, the 3,007-acre reservoir governed by the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority, one of his home waters.

Staley said that by the end of May, bass move off the banks to congregate around offshore structure in 8 to 14 feet of water.

“Randleman doesn’t have a lot of water flow, so there isn’t enough oxygen to sustain fish at deeper depths,” according to Staley, who said fish congregate at points, hardbottoms, high spots and rocks along creek channels. Fishermen skilled with depth finders can locate some old, submerged foundations, bridges and roads ­— left intact when the lake filled — that attract good numbers of bass.

What fishermen won’t find are many stumps.

“Randleman doesn’t have many stumps because they were pulled up and burned during the development of the lake,” said Staley.

A lake map of Randleman is available, but it’s mainly to get around. It doesn’t show any contours or reveal underwater structure.

Some standing timber remains near the corners of the I-73/US 220 bridge that crosses the main lake.

Staley fishes points and rock with 1/2- to 3/4-ounce Dave’s Tournament Tackle jigs in blue/olive/blue.

“It’s a dark-green, pumpkin color with some blue mixed in,” he said.

If jigs don’t produce, he’ll drag 11-inch Deep Creek Remy plastic worms in black/blue flake on a shaky head jig.

Other lure options include Rapala DT-10 crankbaits and swimbaits fished near the bottom.

Most of the productive places at Randleman have become “community fishing holes” because the lake’s small size prevents fishermen from keeping places a secret for long, but the numbers of fish compensate for the lack of privacy.

“June is one of the best times of year to catch numbers of fish,” said Staley. “When you find the right spot, you can throw out five or more times, and your bait won’t make it to the bottom because there are so many fish on those places.”

Randleman Lake is closed Monday and Tuesday. In June, the lake is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Boats must be off the lake 30 minutes before closing. The launch fee is $15.