The lake is small but mighty at only 66 acres. It resembles one of the area's strip-mined pits with a small dam and depths reaching 20 feet in the main-lake basin on the eastern end.

To reach the lake from Boonville, take state Route (SR) 62 east. Veer onto Walnut Street for about three blocks, then turn left onto Park Lane Drive and follow it to the park entrance. The park lies northeast of both Evansville and Boonville in southwestern Indiana.

An entrance fee is charged on a per-car basis. The public launch is located off SR 61. The park is open year 'round with cabins and campsites available in the park campground for the stout of heart. Visit www.scaleslakepark.com for rental prices.

For more information, contact the District 7 office at (812) 789-2724 or the Scales Lake Park at (812) 897-6200. The Evansville Convention and Visitor's Bureau can be reached at (800) 433-3025.

WESTWOOD RUN LAKE
"My recommendation for Indianapolis anglers would be to head over to New Castle, which is about an hour's drive from Indy," fisheries biologist Rhett Wisener said. "Anglers can take their pick of Province Pond at 60 acres, Summit Lake at 800 acres or Westwood Run Lake at 173 acres."

All three offer the chance to catch quality-sized bluegills, redears and crappies, Wisener said. Bass are abundant in all three, but what tops the pick are the yellow perch in Westwood Run.

According to Max Jordan of the LD Bait and Tackle shop, ice-anglers did very well on Westwood last winter.

"Ice-fishermen caught a little bit of everything," Jordan said. "They caught a lot of bluegills, crappies, redears and even a lot of catfish, all of them through the ice."

Lake of the Woods in Marshall County has been the scene of intensive walleye stocking for over 10 years and now is the time to reap the benefits.

There may only be two or three weeks of good ice, but when Westwood freezes over the bite is on. Jordan is certain that the bigger bluegills are caught during the coldwater months, while the smaller ones are more commonly taken in the summertime. Expect 'gills from 7 to 8 inches, while crappies will be in the 9- to 11-inch range.

The lake's weedbeds and slight dropoffs are the key locations. For anglers unfamiliar with the lake, just look for the power lines. The lines are right where the weedbeds stretch across the width of the lake.

Jordan recommends dropping bait until it touches the bottom and then lifting it about 12 inches. If the fish aren't hitting, adjust the depth until you start to connect with fish. Target the outside weed edges and below the top of the flats, along the gradual dropoff, to pick up fish that are holding below the weedlines. Holes in the ice and anglers will be a dead giveaway as to where the more productive spots are located.

Mousies and bee moth grubs are top producers on this lake, according to Jordan. Biting during the winter season isn't the norm for channel cats, but so many have been stocked into the lake by the DFW that when an angler sets the hook, a catfish might be on the other end of the line. Local ice-anglers who fish the lake frequently aren't surprised when they hook one.

"The anglers tell me that the cats tear up their equipment," Jordan said. "When you find a school of catfish, you can catch several of them at a time."

Most of the lake averages between 10 and 20 feet deep, but it plummets to 44 feet near the dam and in the main-lake basin.

Westwood Run Lake has a public boat ramp off county Road 275W on the southwest end of the lake. The lake is southwest of New Castle in Henry County.