There are plenty of fish in the 12- to 14-inch range, with a few 15-inch to 18-inch fish in the northern coastal rivers. Larger fish occur in the lakes.

District 2 biologist Bob Barwick said the 2007-08 drought resulted in below-average water levels in the central Coastal Plain -- but that low water has affected mature largemouth bass in a positive way.

"When water levels are low, the big bass capitalize on the concentrated prey," he said. "The fish we are seeing are really exceptional. The downside is that the low water may have caused poor year-classes in the last couple of years."

Barwick points anglers to the Tar and Neuse rivers because they produce a higher quality bass population than the other District 2 rivers. He said there is an opportunity to catch a trophy-sized fish in those rivers.

"I'd also suggest Sutton Lake," he said. "We've seen some excellent recruitment, especially in 2007, and there are lots of fish up to 5 and 6 pounds."

The commission documented in a creel survey that many bass were removed from the lake in late winter, so anglers are now prohibited from keeping fish from January through March. The bass at Sutton Lake experience a relatively high morality compared with the coastal river systems, which results in good or bad year-classes and confirms angler perception of ups and downs in fish availability. This effect is caused to a certain extent by disease, predation by other fish and anglers. But the biggest culprit has turned out to be a heavy metal called selenium, which enters the lake from the adjoining fly ash ponds.

"What we tend to see is a strong relationship between reproductive success and the amount of selenium," Barwick said. "High selenium corresponds to low reproduction and the adult population consists of just a few age-classes, so it's an unstable population. We just now have enough information about selenium and Progress Energy is going through various methods to keep selenium at low levels. If we can prevent it from accumulating in the water, the bass fishing should get even better."

Bluegills spawn all year long in the lake, providing excellent forage for bass. The warm-water conditions and the Florida genes create unique conditions for some of the best bass fishing in the Coastal Region.

New River has started gaining a reputation for producing bass upstream of Jacksonville. But Barwick said that as is typical of coastal rivers, the bass in this river grow fast the first three or four years, then growth stops. The fish max out at 14 inches, but the body condition of the bass is outstanding. Still, it's not the place for catching trophy fish. The beauty of fishing New River is the scenery, where an angler can fish all day and not see another person.

Keith Ashley is the biologist for District 4 in the southern Coastal Region. He said the only river where he conducts a stock assessment is the Cape Fear and it was last sampled in 2005.