Culp’s Lake was created circa 1950 as part of a nationally subsidized program of building small lakes and ponds for flood control and providing more public fishing opportunities. The federal government assisted with the engineering and design, and the landowner financed the cost of constructing the dam and clearing the land. By most accounts, Culp’s Lake had a thriving public fishing business duri
ng that era. A concession stand collected the fishing fees and sold soft drinks and snacks to lake customers. The concession was often managed by the late Hooten James (often referred to as “Uncle Hoot” by the Culp and James family), who was considered by some to be as big a draw for customers as the fishing due to his keen wit. The lakes and ponds that were created during this period of time played a significant role in providing public fishing opportunities, for some of the large reservoirs that exist today were not built before 1960. Guntersville Lake in northern Alabama was created in the late 1930’s, and Allatoona Lake came on line in the late 1940’s. However, the dam for Weiss Lake was completed in 1961, followed by Lake Eufaula and West Point Lake years later. As a result, the privately owned reservoirs such as Culp’s Lake filled a vital niche for fishermen during the 1950’s. Culp’s Lake was drained and restocked around 1960. When the lake re-opened for public fishing, the staffed concession was eliminated and replaced with a self-serve honor system for paying daily fishing fees. The daily fee remained at one dollar through the 1960’s and was raised to two dollars daily in the early 1970’s. Around 1980, the honor system for daily fees was scrapped. Some customers were not paying the fees, and it was not too uncommon for thieves to break into the old concession stand to steal the modest collections that had been deposited by honest customers. The honor system was replaced with an annual membership program where customers could pay $200 annually to fish in Culp’s Lake during February-October. The lake management endeavored to maintain roughly 20 memberships to defray operating expenses for the lake, and the membership system allowed management to maintain better oversight for public access to the lake. The $200 annual membership fee has remained in effect for over 30 years.
