Always a bridesmaid and never a bride: That's the story of Sandy River Reservoir, located slightly southeast of Farmville. Sandy River constantly plays second fiddle to well-known Briery Creek Lake. Whereas Briery Creek has national notoriety, folks outside Virginia haven't heard of 740-acre Sandy River Reservoir; in fact, many residents of the Commonwealth are unaware of this exceptional fishery.

Sandy River opened to the public in 1996. Small creeks and rivers of the southern Piedmont including Sandy River, Little Sandy Creek and Marrowbone Creek feed Sandy River Reservoir.

Dan Michaelson, a fisheries biologist with Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) in the Farmville field office, has exceptional things to say about this underrated fishery.

"Sandy is under my care and has become one of our favorites (lakes)," he said. "The reservoir belongs to Prince Edward County and we manage the fishery and enforcement through a cooperative agreement with the county."

After you read the lowdown on Sandy, you'll wonder how could it be possible that this jewel of a reservoir sneaks underneath the radar screen of freshwater anglers Nestled in a tranquil setting, Sandy River beckons anglers to come cast their lines in its clean, fertile waters.

"We've spent a lot of time at Sandy River Reservoir the last two years and it's becoming one of the best bass lakes in Southside for numbers and size of fish," Michaelson added. "The bass and channel catfish fisheries are excellent for this part of the state."

SANDY'S CENSUS
"Largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegills, redear sunfish, black crappie, chain pickerel and a few walleyes make up the assortment of fish species," he said.

Michaelson said growth of largemouth bass is good, with bass reaching 12 inches by age 3, and 15 inches by age 5. He added that bass have been topping out at about 22 inches, or 7 to 8 pounds. Anglers, of course, can catch larger individuals from time to time, but these are the normal upper limits found by biologists.

"Anecdotally, fishermen report catching 30 to 40 bass on many days," Michaelson said. "The largemouth bass abundance is incredible. During 2003, VDGIF sampled intensively and catch rates were 180.7 fish per hour of electrofishing. About 100 fish per hour is average across the state."

Interestingly, Michaelson and his colleagues didn't find an unproductive area when they sampled Sandy. The keen eye of an astute angler can aid in eliminating unproductive water simply by understanding fish habitat and environment. A lack of cover, structure or contour doesn't always mean fishless areas, but spots that harbor structure are usually more productive.

"All areas of this lake are good for bass fishing," the biologist said. "Standing timber in the upper Marrowbone Creek arm and the upper Sandy River arm hold big fish. Quantity can be found on any structure in the lake."