During the month of May, anglers will find the bream on beds, constructing nests and guarding their nests, making this the best time to fish for them. Crickets and grasshoppers, hellgrammites and red wigglers are excellent choices for bait. Use as little weight as needed and cast from a distance to avoid spooking fish. A plain hook with light line will bring in the most strikes. Fly-rodding poppers or ant imitations are also producers.

Anglers can expect to encounter bluegills in the 7- to 8-inch range on a regular basis. Shellcrackers (redear) average out between 9 and 10 inches. A good day of fishing at Sandy River Reservoir is 30 to 50 fish. Lake Brunswick is 150 acres and is located six miles east of Lawrenceville; no gas motors are allowed on Brunswick. Anglers fishing this shallow, stump-filled lake can expect 10 to 30 keeper bream per day on average.

The long-term trend at Sandy River is that the bream fishing, amazingly, continues to get better. At Lake Brunswick, the news is also very good. After a lake drawdown four years ago, the population is on the upswing, according to DiCenzo.

Anglers should keep in mind that Sandy River Reservoir is best fished from a boat because of limited shoreline access. However, Lake Brunswick has a new boat ramp and pier. It also has a unique agreement in place that permits anglers to fish the entire shoreline as long as they stay between the lake and the yellow painted boundary markers. All of this property is DGIF owned despite the numerous houses around the lake.

For more information on these lakes, call (434) 392-9645.

SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN REGION
The Southern Mountain Region can be a tough region to fish for panfish, but there is one reservoir in particular that stands out for a good day of fishing. Located near Pulaski, Gatewood Reservoir, a 162-acre water supply impoundment, is a very quiet lake where only electric motors are permitted.

During the last sampling conducted at Gatewood, biologists turned up a solid population of bluegills over 6 inches and weighing more than one-third of a pound. There are smaller numbers of redear sunfish in the lake, but they are a bit larger, weighing two-thirds of a pound. The sunfish and bluegills are most easily caught during the peak of spawning, which occurs during late May and sometimes into June.

Because the lake is very clear, anglers will find that long casts with light line to nesting areas near woody debris is the way to go. Once the spawn is over, the fish move to deeper water. Fishing on overcast days is better because the fish do not spook as easily.

Biologists recently found that yellow perch are now populating the lake. Anglers interested in a mixed bag may find the perch fishing to be quite good, too. Take home some of these tasty fish to eat.

Gatewood Park offers a concession where boats can be rented or you can bring your own if it can be hand launched. There is no ramp. Bank-fishing is permitted year ‘round; boat fishing is permitted from April to October.

To get to the lake, head west from Pulaski and turn right on Magazine Street. Take a left on Mount Olivet Road and follow this to Gatewood Park. For more information about the park, call (540) 980-2561. Information on other fishing opportunities is available by calling VDGIF at (540) 248-9360.