LAKE BILL WALLER
A special gem for bass anglers this year should be Lake Bill Waller, in Marion County. At 168 acres, this state fishing lake offers both a good bass fishery and enough room for anglers to spread out and find some space to themselves. Closed for the past three years, the lake reopened just this past November. The closure was necessary to install a new water control structure and do work on the dam. The fish populations were reinvigorated at the same time.

Bill Waller has historically been a good producer of big bass. In fact, the fish holding the record for largest bass from the lake weighed in at 15 pounds 14 ounces.

During renovation, the lake was stocked with Florida-strain largemouth. Fingerlings were introduced into the water in the spring of 2005. They have shown very good growth rates and some fish have already reached 6 pounds or more. There should be some really decent bass fishing there this spring.

Generally, after a lake is renovated and reopened, the bass are very aggressive and fishing action is incredible, especially for the first few months. Obviously with this lake reopening last fall, it should offer some phenomenal angling this spring.

Anglers are greeted with very liberal fishing regulations for largemouth at Bill Waller. The goal is to keep the lake from becoming overcrowded with undersized fish. A total of 15 bass per day may be kept, but they must be less than 18 inches long. All bass of 18 inches and longer must be returned to the lake.

The lake has a lot of deep water with many places more than 20 feet. The fact that the lake has such depth within casting distance of the shoreline is one of the things that makes exceptional.

There is a lot of standing timber in Lake Bill Waller. This horizontal structure is a big attractor for bass and provides lots of action for anglers. Be forewarned though. Fishing within the timbered areas requires heavy line.

There is a fair amount of bank fishing available. Some gravel spawning beds are within reach of bank anglers. Additionally, there are three wooden piers and two new earthen piers that were constructed during renovation.

Fishing near these piers can be excellent in the springtime for both bank anglers and boaters alike. There are also two or three good main-lake points that can produce some great spring bassin’ as well. You should match your baits to the forage base. The forage is comprised of bluegill, shiners, and lake chub suckers.

With this being a state fishing lake, anglers are required to pay $11 per boat to fish the lake. The fee covers all anglers in the boat. Bank anglers must pay $5 per person. Another special regulation at the lake is no night fishing allowed. Fishing hours are from one hour before sunrise until sunset.

To reach the Lake Bill Waller, from U.S. Highway 98 in Columbia turn southwest onto Columbia – Purvis Road. At 8 miles turn right onto Game Reserve Road.

More information is available by calling the lake office at (601) 736-1861.