Chesapeake - The sky's the limit when it comes to reeling in a prized beauty - at least when that prized beauty is a 50-pound fish at the end of the line.

At Sky Lake, located at 1543 County Road 32, the only thing bigger than the trout is the enthusiasm for spending an afternoon casting for them. The paid lake has been around for 10 years.

A lot of anglers have been flocking to plop down $10 for the chance at all-you-can-catch catfish or limit-10 trout from the get go.

"I've been coming out since it opened. It's a great place," Tim Spence of Huntington said.

Just ask any of the 20 or so guys who ventured out on a misty weekend to spend New Year's Day with friends and fish, and he's likely to tell a similar tale. Of course, the love for this lake might be in proportion to the size of the whopper that comes out of it on a hook.

For Spence, a 49.9-pounder "was the biggest I ever caught."

Of course, he had to engage in some good old natured ribbing with friend and Sky Lake employee William Maynard of Chesapeake. Maynard has been working at the facility for about a year now (and fishing there even longer), but has yet to snare anything quite as large during his time there.

"Well, let's see. I've been fishing for 63 years and I'm only 65," Maynard said. "I guess a 28-pound (fish) is the biggest I've ever caught hereŠbut the biggest I ever caught was 55 (pounds) and your dad (Spence's) beat me out the same day with a 72 (pounder)."

"Yeah, and there's the only two he's caught and it took him 63 years to get them," Spence said laughing and pointing to two small fish near Maynard's feet.

Maynard agreed saying, "Yep, that's how long it took for me to catch those two. Not really. These guys are just jealous."

The fisherman said he had a simple reason for working at the lake.

"The need for food," he said laughing heartily. "I'm retired and (live on) a limited income. Social Security only allows me to make so much money a year, so this works out well."

Sky Lake works for a lot of people looking for a fun family place at family-friendly prices. The attraction is open year-round and stocked with thousands of fish at its two lakes.

People are welcome to bring campers for overnight stays at Sky Lake. There are bathroom facilities, a game room and a restaurant serving everything from corndogs to pizza for those with a taste for something other than fish.

Currently, the lakes are stocked with trout and are open from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tickets good for 12 hours worth of fishing are available at the facility for $10. Later in the year, catfish will be available for the catching 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Bait is always available at the store.

The biggest draw for serious anglers: Sky lake sponsors $1,000 weekly contests for the biggest catch (10 slots at $100 prize per slot).

Such a contest begs to question: Do fishermen stretch the truth when it comes to reporting their catch?

"We do have a lot of fun, lie a lot. Well, they lie, I don't," Maynard said with a grin.

For more information about Sky Lake, call 867-FISH (867-3474).