• Lake Norman Fishing Report

    Fishin' With Gus
    (704) 617-6812 http://www.fishingwithgus.com/index.php Gus@LakeNorman.com
  • With Capt. Gus you will learn fishing techniques that will improve your fishing and allow you to catch more fish on you own boat. Light tackle is used to maximize the excitement of lake fishing. Guide boats can accommodate from one to six anglers. Fishing guides are available year round. They fish daily, including weekends and holidays.

  • Lake Norman Fishing Report

    Lake Norman’s water level is about 2.5’ below full pond and 2.1’ below full on Mountain Island Lake. The surface water temperature is in the forties and fifties in water not affected by the power generation on Lake Norman.


    Hot Spots of the Month: Bass fishing is excellent in Ramsey and McCrary Creeks where water temperatures are warm enough to begin the spring spawn. Pre-spawn bass are being caught on A-Rigs, while staging in the mouths of pockets and coves. Crappies are hitting jigs and minnows around bridge pilings, docks, stumps and woody debris. White perch are transitioning from deep to shallow water; many are still being caught under diving seabirds.

    When fish are shallow, they’re easier to catch. And that is where they will be for the next few months, so break out your shallow running plugs, top water lures and floating worms, and enjoy what is expected to be a great spring fishing season.

    Below are some tips that might improve your catch, regardless of the type of fish you target.

    Bass:
    * Casting or trolling the Alabama Rig has become one of the most productive methods for catching bass in recent years.
    * Look for spawning bass during full and new moons from March through May.
    * While artificial lures catch the majority of bass, live minnows and shad, herring and small pan fish can be quite productive.
    * The daily creel limit is a combination of five largemouth or spotted bass that measure fourteen inches or larger.

    Crappie:
    * Light spinning tackle (4 to 6 pound test line) and a 1/32 to 1/8 ounce jig fished around woody debris, will produce limits in the spring.
    * Crappies spawn near submerged hardwoods, such as Christmas trees, bamboo, and brush piles. Many submerged brush piles have been planted by fishermen.
    * When fishing is slow, tip the jig with a small minnow.
    * The daily creel limit is twenty, 8” or larger crappies per person.

    White Perch:
    * Perch spend the spring in shallow water spawning and eating the eggs and fry of other species.
    * Best baits to use are 1/8 to 1/4 ounce spoons, jigs, Roadrunners and Rooster Tails.
    * Popular colors are white, silver and chartreuse.
    * There is no size or daily creel limit for white perch. Keep all you want, and enjoy their tasty flavor when fried.

    Catfish:
    * Best baits:
    Channel Cats – Prepared stink baits, chicken livers, table scraps
    Arkansas Blue Catfish – Fresh cut bream, perch, shad, herring, and chicken breasts
    Flathead Catfish – Live shad, herring, bream and perch
    * The whiskers (barbells) around a catfish’s mouth do not sting. It’s the barbs at the end of the dorsal and pictorial fins that inflict pain and toxic poison.
    * Catfish do not have a size or daily creel limit, with one exception. On Lake Norman and Badin Lake, only one blue catfish greater than 32” is allowed per day.

    General:
    * Purchase or renew fishing license online at www.ncwildlife.org.
    * Fish length is determined by measuring along a straight line, the distance between the tip of the closed mouth to the tip of the compressed tail fin.
    * Re-spool reels with quality line.
    * Replenish terminal tackle lost last season.
    * Check and fill fluid levels in boat batteries. Replace batteries if more than two years old.
    * Replace water filter on boat’s gas line.

    March Events:
    “How to Navigate Lake Norman Day or Night” is a free safe boating class to be held at Morning Star Marina at Kings Point, Exit 28, Cornelius, NC on March 12th at 6:30 p.m. Becky Johnson and I will cover topics that include “Understanding LKN’s Channel Marker and Buoy System”, “How to Avoid Shallow Water”,” The Ten Most Dangerous Spots”, and “Interpreting Lake Maps”. For more information, call Ashley at 704 892 7575.

    Free Fishing Seminar - “Introduction to Sonar, Down Scan and GPS” – “How to use Electronics to Catch Bass, White Perch, Crappie and Catfish on Lake Norman.” Jake Bussolini and I will conduct this ninety minute seminar beginning at 6:30 p.m. on March 19th at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, Mooresville, NC. For additional information, call 704 658 0822.

    Tips from Capt. Gus! Be on the lookout for surface swirls in back coves. More than likely, they indicate that bass are chasing bait fish to the top.
  • Search Fishin.com

  • Recent Articles