POWERGRAMS

32 Lake Jackson is Florala's picture-perfect postcard. Alabama's largest natural lake straddles the state line into Florida, covering nearly 500 acres with its north shore surging against downtown Florala. Born from the ancient collapse of limestone caverns originally fed by freshwater springs, the lake took its name after future-President Andrew Jackson and his 1,200 soldiers camped overnight in 1818 on the way to Pensacola during the Seminole War. Little about the lake itself has changed in the two centuries since, as visitors continue to enjoy the clear, clean waters where plants and wildlife thrive. It's early morning, the sun's harsh summer rays just beginning to move overhead, as Larry Miller finishes his latest fishing excursion of the past 50 years. The local electrician has been pulling fish out of Lake Jackson since he was 7 years old. He likes to go out before or after tourists begin churning the water on skis and Sea-Doos. He says it is one of the best spots in these two states for late-night or early morning angling. "I know this lake like the back of my hand," he says while pointing out channel locations that can double the average 15-foot depth. Miller says the fish really bite in the spring when it's a little windy. Bass are jumping as he talks and bream can easily be seen swimming near the surface around the pier beneath his feet. "When you see the coots on the water, the bass are on the tear and the crappie on the bite," he says. "If you use anything less than 20-pound fish line, you're gonna get your feelings hurt. You better hold on to that rod and reel. Those fish will take a cane pole right out of your hands." Miller usually spends three or four hours on Lake Jackson to catch a "good mess" of five or six fish for frying later. As he talks, a boat with four fishermen is being pulled back to land, soon followed by a husband and wife launching their watercraft down the public ramp that requires a $2 deposit in a lockbox. The lake has three boat ramps, all on the honor payment system, which visitors say is a bargain based on the "excellent" supply of shell cracker, blue gill, catfish and bass. On Oct. 16, 2015, management of Florala State Park and Lake Jackson was transferred from the state to the city, after Alabama officials decided to close some of the least profitable parks. The result has been "highly successful, the revenues outstanding," says Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce Director Pat Strickland, who as a child learned to swim and ski in Lake Jackson. "It's well-maintained now," Strickland says. "It's in better shape than when the state had it, because of local management." The park includes 40 acres ideal for camping, swimming and recreation. There are 23 campsites, each with a picnic table and grill, and electric, water and sewage service, all adjacent to a pavilion, bathhouse, laundry facilities and boat launch. Waterside lots are $34.80 and nonwater sites $30.16 daily, cash or check only, on the honor system when the office is unoccupied. On a July morning, all but four sites are filled, all occupied by vehicles bearing Florida license plates. "It's family oriented, so people will pull a camper from Crestview instead of staying on the Gulf," Strickland says. "You have to be so careful nowadays with your children at the beaches. Lake Jackson is just a beautiful, safe and inexpensive place to visit." Metal and wooden picnic tables, most with a nearby charcoal grill, encircle the shores of Lake Jackson. There is plenty of playground equipment, lots of benches, as well as a 200-foot-long pier and several shorter piers with roofed structures out on the lake. Wooden walkways, some of them lighted for night use, enable visitors to easily traverse the wetlands that surround the lake. Most of the people using the free park facilities on a recent weekday afternoon were from Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida. "We saw the signs passing through and were amazed when the lake came into view," says Eugene Ward of Meridian, Miss., as his children waded in water just off the sandy beach. "We try to go to the lake on Sunday afternoons," says Lineman Judson Danner, who moved his family from Enterprise to Florala less than two years ago. Beyond the 11,500-square-foot park conference center, just down the nature trail frequented by joggers and bike riders, another treat awaits: the Wetlands Park. Built in 2000 with contributions by a coalition of partners including Alabama Power, Visitors from across the South enjoy Florala State Park's free piers.

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