Two brothers manage fishing lake
March 23, 2018 - Lafayette, Ala.
After walking into the main office of the Chambers County Public Fishing Lake, the sound of crickets chirping fills your ears. A tall shovel leans against the wall with the name “SMOKEY” etched into the wood. The two dogs that live here, Jack Jr. and Murphy, will brush by your legs as you pay for your daily fishing permit.
“Jack was my grandfather’s name,” said Ted Craig, who owns and manages the lake with his brother Mike.
Located off County Road 83 in the outskirts of Lafayette, Alabama, Chambers County PFL boasts 183 acres of a fishing lake, 2.5 miles of hiking trails and primitive campsites. Mike and Ted Craig started managing the lake together last year.
“Since we’ve been here, we’ve acquired pontoon boats, we have kayaks, we have expanded our campgrounds from seven to 16 campsites,” said Ted. “It is the best- kept secret in this whole area.”
The two brothers haven’t ever done anything like managing a lake before. Mike sold wholesale bait and tackle before coming to Chambers County PFL. Ted was in the U.S. Army for 26 years, then bought a night club in North Alabama and managed it for 13 years.
“I don’t even drink,” Ted said with a laugh. However, he said he wouldn’t do it again.
“The difference here is you deal a lot more with families and churches and family reunions,” he said. “I’ve met a lot of really interesting people here.”
Mike said he agreed that the people he’s met while managing the lake have been good people. “This one lady just came by and she says, ‘Well, on my way out, I saw a trash can barrel turned overand there was paper everywhere so I picked it up for you,’” he recalled. He said that made him feel thankful.
Alabama lakes are facing a problem, Mike said, because not as many people are coming out to fish. One way to combat this problem is by raising a new generation of fishermen.
“We both love kids, and we’re trying to build a family environment here,” Ted said. “They get acclimated from getting away from the telephones and the computers, and they get out and enjoy a little bit of nature. And they might learn to fish.”
To encourage the younger generation to come out, the brothers have plans for a kids’ fishing tournament in June 2018 called the Kid’s Catfish Rodeo.
Kids will have the opportunity to win cash and prizes. This is something the lake hasn’t seen in seven or eight years, Ted said. There will be other tournaments in the beginning of the summer that offer $1,500 in cash prizes, and these tournaments’ entry fees will help pay for the kids’ tournament later in the summer.
On Outdoor Alabama’s website, the Community Kids’ Fishing Program also focuses on building lasting fishing opportunities for young anglers and creating events geared toward this demographic.
“Today’s children are tomorrow’s anglers,” the site reads.
The two brothers have other strategies to bring the whole family out. The 2.5 mile trail that goes along the lake is free to the public, and Ted said that people can ride horseback on these trails or watch for birds.
Facebook is also a tool that Ted said gets people's attention. “We always have a couple of crazy jokes, and we always end the joke down at the bottom with ‘Yep, it happens,’” he said. “You get people’s attention and you retain people’s attention with a little humor.”
You can visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/pg/chamberscountylake.
The lake is open six days a week, being closed on Thursdays, and the brothers said that at least one of them is there at all times. Although Mike has a 30-minute commute to work, Ted lives right behind the front office.
“I wouldn’t trade living here for anywhere I’ve ever lived,” he said.
This is an assignment I did for my Magazine and Feature Writing class.