‘A rare opportunity:’ Fishing in new waters at Hensley Lake makes lasting memories

Finding out about a new fishing spot before everyone else gets in on it - is a rare opportunity to do some great fishing before the masses hit it.

That’s what happened to me back in the early 1970’s during my Fresno State years when a track buddy told me that a relative of his was in the Department of Fish and Game (that’s what it was called back then) and had told him about a nearby new lake that looked like it had a lot of bass in it. I was curious and found out that they had just built Hensley Lake and that the bass were doing well . This sounded good — and I lined up a buddy to go fish it!.

First of all, the lake sat behind Madera in the low foothills and I heard that it was crawling with rattlesnakes. On my first shore visit to preemptively check it out , after only walking along the shore for 100 yards, I came upon several rattlers coiled up in the grass. There were tons of squirrels and the snakes were thriving on the population. Big fat snakes seemed to be everywhere.

The initial lake survey convinced me that this body of water needed to be fished out of a boat. However, the rules at the time only allowed anglers to carry in a boat, inflatable or kayak that could only be powered by an electric motor.

We made our maiden voyage in a 12’ aluminum Valco fishing boat that we dragged down to the shore since there were no places to launch near the water . The rangers had put up rock barriers that kept any autos from getting any closer than about 150 yards from the shoreline so it was challenging to get your gear, batteries, electric motor and boat to the shore — and then back up the slope later. Was it worth it?

It was some of the most fun bass fishing I’ve ever had. I remember a trip with my dad that first spring and it was topwater heaven as we caught bass weighing two-four pounds on just about every cast thrown to the shore.

There was some kind of long skinny stalked weeds that grew to about three-feet all along the shore — and when we threw our lures by the weeds — you could see the bass move through the stalks as they zeroed in on your topwater plug— exploding on it. My dad loved fishing topwater for bass more than anything, so this fishing was as good as it gets, especially when you release up to 100 bass on a trip.

Hensley was a hidden jewel for a few years but it got hit hard after that. I was very fortunate to find out about it and the memories of the epic trips we had in the early days is what fishing is all about. Lots of fish, room to move around without traffic and a place where you tried to keep it pristine and untouched. A special lake that I’ve always loved to fish . Not too big and not too small, but a place that I remember fondly at its zenith, and a place of fishing dreams during my teenage years.

Looking back I realize now, more than ever that’s it’s key to keep your dreams close to you — they are what remind you why you fish. Never give up.

Roger George: rogergeorge8@protonmail.com, Rogergeorgeguideservice on Facebook and @StriperWars.