Stan McCrary still remembers the first day he took his grandson, Jefferey Turner, fishing at Barksdale Catfish Lakes in 2021.
The two found a quiet corner and went to work casting out Turner’s fishing line.
McCrary said he wasn’t sure if they were going to catch anything until suddenly the bobber sank beneath the water.
“I was telling him, ‘Watch the bobber. When the bobber goes under, count 1, 2, 3, and snatch it,’” McCrary told The Dispatch Saturday. “He was like, ‘Papa, Papa, look, look,’ and the bobber was dancing around and it went under. … He snatched back, he set the hook and the line started dancing around and he got excited, and a couple of people were not far away, they saw it too.”
Turner, who was 5 years old at the time, caught his first fish that day. In that moment McCrary said he created a memory he holds with him to this day. It’s one of several memories he has gathered over roughly three decades of fishing out on the lakes with his father, his children, his wife and his grandson.
McCrary is not the only one. Hundreds of families have fished the Barksdale Catfish Lakes over the years, and on Saturday, dozens returned to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the local fixture the best way they knew how – fishing.
The Barksdale Catfish Lakes were originally opened in 1956 by Keith and Ann Barksdale as a private catfish farm with three lakes, Bill Clark, the youngest son of Ann and Keith Barksdale, told The Dispatch. Over the years, the area’s purpose shifted from farming fish to a space where local families could enjoy fishing together.
“They started that probably having no idea how far it would have gone on,” Clark said. “We had the original lake, and we put catfish in it. And Daddy decided, ‘Well, why don’t we just open it up to let people fish?’ So they did, and originally it was just on the honor system. People would stop by the house and weigh the fish. … It was a (lot) of really, really good folks coming out to enjoy the place.”
After the Barksdales retired in the early 1990s, the lakes traded hands several times, sitting vacant from about 2005 to 2021 until Tony Hannah and his wife Jennifer purchased the land and reopened the lakes, Clark said.
Tony Hannah said he grew up fishing on the lakes and wanted to revive the space that had brought joy to so many over the years.
“Generation after generation has come, and we just want to continue that legacy that Ann and Keith started, and we want it to go another 70 years,” Tony Hannah said. “Because it’s a lot of folks that come out here, and they not only get to catch fish and carry them home and enjoy the fruits of their labor. But they’re teaching kids how to fish. This place is to come out and take a small child and teach them how to fish and let them catch fish, get them hooked on fishing and then they can have a lifetime of being able to fish themselves.”
Devarkas Ramsay, who has been fishing at the lakes for the last three years, said he enjoys taking his mom and children out to the lakes to spend quality time together. Once his children are old enough to fish on their own, Ramsay hopes their first catch is at the lakes.
“(They) enjoy seeing the fish being caught,” Ramsay said. “(They) enjoy touching the fish … but I can’t wait until it does get to the point where I can teach them how to fish and enjoy seeing them catch fish.”
‘It’s about the experience’
Since taking over the space, Tony Hannah has added a fourth lake and an office building, which cost him more than $100,000. He plans to construct another building near the main fishing area in 2027 as part of continued improvements to the property.
The lakes regularly host events for groups like the Columbus Air Force Base’s family learning center, local churches and businesses. The lakes also hosted roughly 400 disabled children during their Golden Triangle Outdoors Catfish Roundup event earlier this month, where staff taught the children the ins and outs of fishing on the lakes.
“(We teach) them how to fish, how to rig up a pole, rig up the lines, all the way to cleaning fish,” Tony Hannah said. “… If you don’t know what you’re doing, still come out. We can help you. I’ve got guys here that’s more than happy to go out and throw the rod for you (and) teach you how to catch them. Everything from start to finish. It’s not always about catching; it’s about the experience.”
Clark said he couldn’t have imagined better management to take over and bring back the joy of the lakes.
“I think it was just a natural progression for Tony to enhance what my folks originally started,” Clark said. “And to have that good, wholesome, safe atmosphere for people to enjoy. … I couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve done to our place.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
