We’re only a few weeks away from the second annual Okhissa Lake Casting for Cash Big Bass Tournament.

This non-profit event was created last year by Franklin County’s Homochitto Heritage Club and Eddie’s Marine to raise money for scholarships for Franklin County High School students.

We had a great time last year, and we had over 80 entries.

Get ready for a blow out this year. The phones are ringing, and we can’t keep enough entry forms on hand.

The event is limited to 150 entries so if you plan to fish this one, it would be wise to enter the event very soon.

The lake is in excellent shape.

The water level and clarity are just right, and the bass have grown anywhere from a pound to two pounds over the past year in this fairly new reservoir.

Fishing a reservoir like Okhissa is much different from fishing the oxbow lakes and bayous. There can, and will, be numerous productive patterns going on during this tournament.

The early morning bite can be fast and furious. Try surface lures, like buzz baits and walking lures.

Frog-style lures will work as well if you’re in an area with moss and thick, visible cover.

If the sky is overcast on May 2, the surface bite may last all day. If not, the surface bite will die off real quick.

A good pattern is to start off with top water lures, go to weightless jerk baits then head toward the bottom with soft plastics.

Just follow the fish down the water column, and don’t get hung up on one lure and one area if the bite slows down.

Okhissa Lake offers abundant cover in the form of standing timber, main lake points, ledges, ridges and humps, as well as many secondary points.

The lake is loaded with Florida strain bass, and these fish tend to spawn much later than fish in other lakes.

Look for some fish to be spawning and some to be post-spawn. The post-spawn bass will hammer the surface lures.

The entry fee is $100 per person, and you can fish as many people in your boat as the boat’s capacity tag allows.

Food and drink will be provided for all event contestants, and the bi-hourly weigh-ins make for an exciting spectator event.

Bass are not the only species that live in Okhissa.

This lake is a great place to take the wife and kids fishing for giant bluegill.

It’s well stocked with these tasty, hard-pulling fish, and they are very easy to locate.

Just try small spinners cast on an ultra light rig, or break out the jig pole and live crickets.

Happy Easter to all and we’ll see you on the water.

Eddie Roberts writes a weekly fishing column for The Democrat. He can be reached at fishingwitheddie@cox.net.