"Many of our lakes have private property surrounding them," Moudlin said. "They are not open for fishing to the general public because there is no public access to them. But any lake that is touched by a public street right-of-way can be accessed for fishing from the right-of-way."

Big Lake is the only lake in the town where the use of gasoline-powered boats is allowed. The maximum length of boats that are used on Big Lake is restricted to 25 feet, but there is no horsepower restriction. The other lakes with public access can be fished from the bank or from paddle-powered boats or boats equipped with electric trolling motors.

"North Lake has a floating dock that also serves as a fishing platform," Moudlin said. "The town police sponsor a kid's fishing tournament there each year."

The floating platform has an unusual history. Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard at the Oak Island Coast Guard Station called the town and explained that one of their vessels had towed in a dock found floating seven miles out in the Atlantic Ocean that posed a hazard to navigation. It was a nearly complete dock, with decking, floats, seating benches, rails and a wooden walkway. All that was needed was to add some railing along one side and to set it up on pilings.

"We used a truck and a crane to move the platform to the lake," Moudlin said. "It's handicapped accessible and I hear the fishing from the platform is excellent."

When the Big Lake was drawn down to allow the dam to be repaired, many surviving fish became concentrated in the shallow water remaining in small pockets. Anglers were alarmed that so many fish were being caught by other anglers and that other predators in the over-crowded pools that remained were eating so many bass. However, the restocking program will take care of any concerns they may have had about fish restoration.

When the lake was initially refilled, plant growth during the period that the lakebed was dry began to decompose. This created a system that was starved of oxygen. Therefore, NCWRC biologists recommended a waiting period before any fish could be restocked for the best success.

When Big Lake was drawn down for repairs to the dam, the two lakes upstream of Big Lake, Middle Lake and West Lake were also dewatered. Therefore, these became the three lakes that were the focus of the restocking efforts. North Lake was not dewatered during the dam repairs at Big Lake and was therefore not restocked. No other lakes in the town were restocked because their fish were unaffected by the drawdown and dam repairs.

"We still draw down Middle Lake and West Lake in winter," Moudlin said. "It cuts down on the growth of shoreline vegetation by allowing it to dry up and to freeze. We also use Big Lake, Middle Lake and West Lake for flood control. Whenever a hurricane is predicted to impact the area, we draw the three lakes down to prevent them from overfilling from the rain and causing damage to the dams. We can lower the upper two lakes as much as 4 feet."

Any savvy bass angler knows that lakes with levels that are periodically lowered and restored can produce some large catches of big largemouth bass. Drawdowns can increase nutrients, desirable aquatic vegetation, increase spawning success and cut down on overpopulation by stunted panfish like bluegills and crappie by allowing predatory fish like bass to have easier access to them.