Q: It has been three years since the Bill Dance Signature Lakes were announced. Can you give a quick update on how it’s going and what you are proud of?
Absolutely! What I’m fixin’ to tell ya, you’re gonna like as much as catching a 7-pound small mouth. We continue to make improvements across the state on all the lakes in the program. The key to our success is what we are doing under the water. Since the program’s launch, TWRA has stocked over 10 million fish. Yep, you heard me right, 10 million fish into the designated Bill Dance Signature Lakes. In addition, the good folks at TWRA have placed thousands of habitat structures to enhance those fisheries where visiting anglers can catch lots of fish, like never before. One of our major goals is to ensure that. We are about to paddle the final stretch on 4 of our small lake renovations in 2025, with 4 more of our small lakes still in progress with “brick and mortar” upgrades planned through 2026 and intensive fisheries management going in permanently. There are 6 large reservoirs in the program, each receiving upgrades at select access points and will also receive enhanced fisheries management. Of the large reservoirs, I’m probably most proud of the improvements made at Pickwick Landing State Park. This TVA lake is where I learned so much in those early years about bass fishing, above Pickwick Dam and in the tail race waters below. On Pickwick Lake we have improved traffic flow, paved parking lots, improved the launch ramp to 5 lanes, added new courtesy docks and added over 200’ of tournament docks to create one of the best tournament venues in the nation.
In addition to the improvements being made to infrastructure and the fisheries at each of the lakes, I was adamant that the Bill Dance Signature Lakes project included an element that focused on youth recruitment as well as an element focused on environmental stewardship. In 2024, The Bill Dance Signature Lakes initiative hosted 3 youth fishing events with over 600 participants. Now there’s nothing like helping a kid catch his or her first fish and I can tell you that we helped numerous kids do just that in 2024!
The program also hosted 2 environmental stewardship events in 2024 with thousands of pounds of waste being removed from waterways by our volunteers. I’m mighty proud of the work we’ve done around the fisheries, but I can tell you that I’m happier than a rabbit in a lettuce patch of the work being done to support youth fishing opportunities and beautifying our natural resources in Tennessee. Those are the things that set us apart. It’s truly a blessing to have my name honored by the State of Tennessee with such a meaningful program. Thank you, Governor Lee, for giving us this opportunity.
Q: Tennessee is hosting three B.A.S.S. tournaments in 2025 including an B.A.S.S. Open in March on Kentucky Lake. Talk about the resurgence of the fishery from its bout with Asian carp and how exciting it is to have it back as a top fishery.
I’m awfully excited for the return of B.A.S.S. tournaments to TN in 2025. It is always good to have the B.A.S.S. audience’s eyes on our fisheries in TN. Let me tell ya, we are extremely proud of the quality fisheries we have in our state and the great fishing heritage of our anglers.
Talk about something to get excited about. It will be great to showcase the Kentucky Lake fishery and the progress we have made in our efforts to manage invasive carp through our partnerships with commercial fisherman.
How about this… Tennessee commercial fisherman have harvested over 35 million pounds of invasive carp from Kentucky and Barkley reservoirs since the launch of our incentive program in 2018.
Q: 2024 was the first full slate of Bill Dance Signature Lakes Giant Bass Opens across the state of Tennessee.
What are you looking forward to most in 2025?
Well, that’s a good question. After a very successful inaugural year of our Bill Dance Signature Lakes Giant Bass Opens events, I couldn’t be more excited for our 2025 season. We will host 6 events on our large Bill Dance Signature Lakes. In addition, we’re planning for enhanced hourly payouts for this season. I also love the fact that we have a youth division that is helping create more opportunities for adults to fish alongside their children, allowing them to help shape our next generation of anglers.
Q: As an avid Vol fan, did you mean for the initials to be GBO or is it a pure coincidence?
We’ll I’d be telling a mighty big fish tale if I said it wasn’t a little bit intentional.
You know that I love my home state and the University of Tennessee, and “Go Big Orange” is a battle cry for our Vol Nation. I can’t think of a better way to keep honoring the state that I love so much than to keep the Big Orange theme front and center of our Bill Dance Signature Lakes initiative and in our “GBO” events! GO VOLS!
Q: What is the best way to find out all the details on fishing the volunteer state?
Well, that’s as simple as saying “I Love Tennessee”! Check it out at … https://www.tn.gov/twra/fishing.html and www.billdancesignaturelakes.com.
TN wants to promote the trip planner so something with some Bill flare.
Planning a trip to my home state? That’s easy. The best place to start is to visit the trip planner at tnvacation.com, click on things to do and then fishing. See, now wasn’t that easy?