“Everything a bass needs to grow, it’s got at Calling Panther,” said District 5 biologist John Skains, who oversaw the lake’s building. “There’s deep water, and I mean deep. There’s some 40- and almost-50-foot-deep water on the lower end, but that’s not what’s critical. A lot of the lake’s backwater areas in the coves and on the lake’s upper end have 20 feet of water that is loaded with standing timber.

“There’s all kinds of natural structure, too, from long points and coves to flats and creek channels and ditches. Our bream population is plentiful, so there’s good forage so the fish can grow.”

The myriad types of cover and structure provide fishermen with a test of their ability, but also a lot of choices. In the learning process of 2006, reports of success included about every kind of pattern you can imagine -- deep cranking on rockpiles, flipping timber, topwater. You name it, and on any given day three or four patterns worked.

But the lake isn’t that easy to fish. The very same abundance of hiding places can make for a frustrating day.

“You have to love it that on any cast, you know you might be hooking up with a monster,” said bass pro Pete Ponds of Madison, who filmed an ESPN2 “Day on the Lake” episode on Calling Panther last June. “I couldn’t find any big fish that day, but I caught about 15 keepers. Then on my next trip, I caught two over 7 pounds. The more you go, the better you’ll learn, and I really feel this lake has more potential than any other public lake in Mississippi.”

Already, the lake has produced several fish over 9 pounds for fishermen, and an electro-shocking boat turned up an 11-pounder. Those fish could have been no older than 3 years.

“I couldn’t believe how quickly the fish put on weight,” said Kallum Herrington, the lake’s manager. “When you see fish getting to 10 pounds in that short a period of time, you have to believe the potential is there to develop a trophy bass fishery for years to come.

“What’s going to help is the abundant cover these fish have in which to hide. For the next few years, until a lot of this timber falls in, it’s going to be hard for fishermen to get at them.”

But, as Garavelli said, the timing of the continued growth of the Florida-strain of bass and the continued decay of standing timber should coincide to produce outstanding fishing beginning this year and lasting many more.

“As these fish start reaching maturity, a lot of this dense cover will be gone, giving fishermen more access to them,” he agreed. “Plus, we’ve got protective limits to help ensure that the lake keeps producing big fish.”

To ensure more recruitment of bass into the trophy range, the lake opened in 2006 with a slot limit that protects 16- to 22-inch fish. All fish measuring in that slot have to be immediately released. Each angler was allowed to keep seven fish a day, but only one of those could exceed 22 inches.