Bill Dance Brings His Signature Touch to the New Big Bay Lake
Big Bay Lake Development, LLC is pleased to announce that it has entered into a partnership with fishing legend, Bill Dance, to make the new Big Bay Lake a “Bill Dance Signature Lake.” Bennett York, who is now re-developing the 945-acre Big Bay Lake as well as the 1,000 surrounding acres said, “It is such an honor to have Bill’s involvement in the re-design and future management of Big Bay Lake. The lake was once a fabulous fishing lake, and with Bill’s expertise, we can make Big Bay Lake an angler’s paradise.”
During the past half-century, few people have benefited more from their association with the largemouth bass than Bill Dance. His friends with fins helped make Dance a tournament star during the 1960s and helped launch his television career almost 30 years ago. The popular “Bill Dance Outdoors” television show attracts three million TV viewers a week.
We Strive to Create Places Where Bass Naturally Want to Reside
“Anyone who knows me knows that bass have been awfully good to me,” said Dance, an Eads, TN resident. “We strive to create places where bass naturally want to reside - strategically located humps, ridges, rock piles, ledges, and channels; all with the proper cover. We also do this in a manner that gathers fish in places where they will be accessible and catchable.”
Big Bay Lake Dam Construction Nearing Completion
Construction of the dam is expected to be completed by early 2009. Then once Big Bay Lake begins to fill, a biologically sound fish-stocking plan will be devised that allows for maximum annual growth. Upon the stabilization of the Lake, Dance and program biologists will provide continued guidance for lake maintenance, enhancement and refinement. Regular electro-fishing studies will be conducted to determine the fish population and growth rates.
Big Bay Lake Development Project Manager, Brad Davis, said “The Bill Dance Signature Lake Program is unique in that it combines exhaustive biological research with the experience and insight of bass fishing’s most likeable superstar.”
Gray Swoope, Executive Director of the of Mississippi Development Authority, says that he is very pleased that Big Bay Lake will bear the Bill Dance Signature Lake logo: “Big Bay Lake’s official Bill Dance Signature status is a great accolade for Mississippi. Dance’s expertise combined with the York team’s proven excellence in community development is sure to make the new Big Bay Lake a true Mississippi success story.”
“Water is like a magnet,” said Dance. “Our goal is to create a world-class fish habitat that is an amenity, a centerpiece and value-added asset. Yep, no doubt about it . . . Big Bay is gonna be fantastic and a fun project to work on, and we're all very proud to be a part of it.”
