Kayaks, canoes and small johnboats are popular for fishing the lakes, since most of the lakes are small. Wind can be a problem on the larger lakes. But it is usually no problem in finding a lake with a lee shore where fishing from a paddle-propelled or electric-powered boat is possible.

The street rights-of-way are very well maintained and offer lots of bank-fishing potential. There is a guardrail along much of Alton Lennon Drive and an enclosure surrounding the spillway of Big Lake that keeps anglers and other people away. However, there is still plenty of bank access for anglers along the right-of-way and fishing is allowed from the boat dock at the ramp, as well as from the access area parking area. The dock is long enough to moor three or four boats and has an L-shaped section at the end where anglers can reach out beyond any shoreline vegetation to make a few casts.

As water warms in summer, especially during the bright daylight hours, largemouth bass will head for the deepest, coolest water in the lakes. Fishing near the dams of Big Lake and the mid-sized lakes -- Middle, West and North lakes -- is a good bet. Anglers use deep-running crankbaits, jigs and soft plastics rigged Carolina style with slip-sinkers or pegged weights to probe the depths. While using a Carolina-rigged soft plastic cast in the 35 feet of water near the Big Lake Dam may take an ounce of lead to reach the bottom, the shallower 4- to 10-foot depths near the dams of the other lakes upstream of Big Lake will take a couple of split shot or a 1/4-ounce slip-sinker.

Finding Boiling Spring Lakes is something an angler must do on purpose, not by accident. The town is located off the most heavily beaten paths to the beaches. It is situated in western Brunswick County and roughly bounded on the east by N.C. Highway 133 and bisected along its western edge by N.C. Highway 87. The best way to see one of the lakes for the first time is by taking N.C. 87 south off U.S. 17 and traveling toward Southport in a detour from what most consider a thoroughfare to the beach.

N.C. 87 crosses the dam between Big Lake and Middle Lake and the view is spectacular. It is a view most beach-bound anglers miss.

But on days when it's too windy to fish in the surf and from the piers, or when a rest from the hot sands of the beach and sunburn is in order, or if an angler simply prefers casting for bass over saltwater species, the trip to Boiling Spring Lakes is well worth the tiny amount of effort it takes to get there. Any speckled trout rig can serve double duty as a bass rod or an angler can pack along some bass-specific tackle. The fishing is free and it is easy. All an angler has to is be able to find the water and hit it with a cast to get in on some great freshwater action at the myriad lakes chock-full of largemouth bass.

An official street map of the town showing the many lakes is available at Boiling Spring Lakes Town Hall, 9 Boiling Spring Rd., Boiling Spring Lakes, N.C. 28461, telephone (910) 845-2614.