New reservoir becomes home to trophy bass

ATHENS - State fishery workers are turning the new Bear Creek Reservoir into a fisherman&#39;s paradise, stocking it with bass and catfish. <br> <br> The 505-acre reservoir in Jackson County is nearly full and will start producing drinking water in April. But it won&#39;t open for fishing until 2003, and the bass won&#39;t reach trophy size until three to five years after that. <br> <br> Members of the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority received an update on the reservoir project yesterday from state wildlife officials, who said the lake is an ideal environment for hybrid largemouth bass. <br> <br> But fishing is not the main purpose of the $64 million project. <br> <br> Instead, the reservoir, a joint project of Clarke, Oconee, Barrow and Jackson counties, is expected to produce 50 million gallons of water a day -- more than any other lake in the Oconee River basin except for Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee. <br> <br> Recreation will be limited. Gasoline motors are prohibited to prevent pollution from leaks, and swimming is banned because people could contaminate the water. <br> <br> Also prohibited near the reservoir are grazing cattle, or erecting buildings and docks. There won&#39;t be any picnic areas or hiking trails near Bear Creek either to protect the water quality.