A very unexpected catch - Orange Reservoir

[antgogz]

I heard that reservoir used fo be awesome abour fen years ago. Its a shame its so shallow now. My buddy caught a seven pound largemouth there a while back. When it was not opened to the public. Its a shame how public waters get over fished.

Reservoir is shallow on the north end, deep on the south end (dam end). It was extraordinary years ago before being opened to the public. Still lot of large bass if you know how to fish it. Most people fishing there (bucket brigade) are fishing for pan fish. They'll kill an occasional bass but place is still loaded with them. Reservoir is my go to spot for flat head baits (gills, yellow perch and white bass) and I can't tell you how many 3 - 4 inch bass I'll catch every trip catching bait (which are all released). Point is bass are reproducing well there and there's unlimited pan fish for them to gorge themselves on. Have caught bass close to 8 lbs there years ago and sure there are still fish that size swimming around.

[Eskimo]

Catching a bat is just bizarre, but evidently it's not impossible. Back when Little Brown Bats were common, I used to toss a small stone in the air and watch the bats swoop down to take a close look at it before the stone hit the water. Then a fungal disease called "White Nose Syndrome" came to America and the population of Little Brown Bats crashed. I still see bats, but no where the numbers I used to see.

Originally Posted by antgogz

I heard that reservoir used fo be awesome abour fen years ago. Its a shame its so shallow now. My buddy caught a seven pound largemouth there a while back. When it was not opened to the public. Its a shame how public waters get over fished.

Yeah, that reservoir was legendary before bucket crowd had their way with it. I'm actually surprised to hear the optimistic accounts of its current population in this thread. I've stayed away from that lake because I assumed it was over-fished due to its urban location.

Someday Fish & Game will get on board with the wishes of their constituency and either raise the minimum-length or designate certain bodies of water as catch-and-release only so the bass have a chance to grow.
(steps off soap box)

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[Skunk City]

Anyone know if ice fishing is permitted there?

Pretty sure it's not. Have never seen anyone ice fish there which is one reason there's still good fish in there. No fishing from boats or ice fishing.