This excellent fishery is in large part due to the rejuvenation of the lake through the SCDNR staff that monitors the lake. Long recognized as a fertile body of water, a severe fish-overcrowding problem plagued the lake years ago. However, proper management has turned the entire situation around and now the lake offers exceptional fishing opportunities for several fish species.

When I fished this lake, Chris Thomason, SCDNR fisheries biologist working the lake, said Lake Brown receives a large amount of shoreline fishing primarily because of this easy access to potentially productive water.

"On nice days in the spring, summer and fall, it's common to see dozens of people lining the dike and most of them will be having decent luck with a variety of fish species," Thomason said.

A state road also bisects the lake and there are regulations regarding lake use on either side of that road.

Lake Brown is uniform in depth, ranging from 3 to 9 feet deep, with relatively little bottom contour or structure on the bottom.

If you wish to bass fish, the topwater lures and plastic worms are excellent choices. But for a more relaxed fishing style with the family, use live bait for best results. There are some very good-sized bream and catfish in the lake, so don't be surprised if you hook into a big fish or two along the way.

I know Lake Murray is getting a lot of publicity these days, but the bottom line is the lake is very productive. With the water back in the lake now for a couple of years, the shallow-water cover has been a real boon for panfish species. On any given day, especially if you have a boat, you can work around this shoreline growth with worms, crickets and minnows and literally catch a smorgasbord of bream, catfish and crappie. Plus, it's easy fishing for the most part.

In addition, Lake Murray has a big state park that offers great access to many shoreline fishing opportunities, as well as picnic areas. Also, there are many pubic-use areas that have very good shoreline fishing. Because of the regrowth of weeds while the lake was down, shoreline fishing can be a bit challenging from some areas. The key to the productivity of this lake is that it has a bumper crop of panfish species right now that make for great family fishing trips.

Lake Greenwood is another place I'd suggest for a family trip. Greenwood is a great crappie lake and also has plenty of bream and catfish to boot. Here, one option would be to go on a family fishing trip at night. This is one that is best if you don't have real young kids. But once the kids are 10 to 12 years old or older, this can be a great family adventure.

Younger children probably won't be able to stay up late enough during the summer for the lights to attract the fish to the bait. But kids in double-digit ages will generally stay fired up long after the sun goes down. If you have a big enough boat, or better yet, a pontoon, you can anchor along a steep shoreline or over the river channel and fish under the lights. Summertime can be a prime time to fish at night for crappie on this lake, and the simple excitement of nighttime fishing can be a real thrill for the entire family.