I fished Banks Lake on May 10 & 11 north of Steamboat Rock. It rained the first day, and was sunny and calm the second day. The water temperature was 55 degrees. The water had a greenish color but was clear enough to see the bottom and submerged rocks to a depth of 15 feet. The largemouth bass for which this lake was once famous are all but gone due to changes in water level management that interfered with their reproduction, but I found plenty of smallmouth in all the rocky shorelines. Casting crawdad-colored crankbaits along the rock walls and around sunken boulders took them. The weather didn't affect them at all; they were biting nonstop. However, sometimes the strike was so light I only felt a slight weight on the line and didn't know I had a fish until I set the hook. The slot limit requires releasing all fish between 11 and 17 inches. On both days, several hours of fishing produced a half dozen fish in the slot, and 15 to 20 fish under 11 inches. My largest fish was 18 inches and 1 1/2 lbs., which I released. On the last day, I kept 5 fish under 11 inches for the dinner table, which I cleaned at the State Park's excellent fish cleaning station at the Northrup Bay boat launch area. It costs $5 to launch a boat at the state park sites, and $10 a night to camp at Jones Bay or Osborne Bay (these sites have outhouses and picnic tables but no water). If you fish Banks Lake from a small boat, be aware that wind coming up the canyon can create large waves with little warning, and take appropriate precautions.

---