• Lake Norman Fishing Report - NC

    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 - NC

    This week’s column will attempt to answer some fishing questions on the minds of Lake Norman newcomers.

    Fishing is the best it has been in recent years. Bass fishing has improved dramatically since the introduction of spotted bass in the late nineties. It is so good, in fact, that Lake Norman is a featured stop on many major fishing tournament trails. Waters also teem with crappie, white perch, hybrid striped bass and some of the largest catfish in our state.



    Before you make your first cast, it is important to obtain a North Carolina fishing license. Anyone sixteen years or older who fishes public waters must have one. Licenses can be purchased online at www.ncwildlife.org, by phone at 888 248 6834 or at Gander Mountain, Dicks, Wal-Mart and many bait and tackle shops that surround the lake. Be certain to study the rules outlined in the 2014-2015 Inland Fishing Regulations Digest, free and available where licenses are sold.

    Note: Since there is no closed season, fishing is allowed twelve months of the year.

    The lake is home to many species, with white perch being the most plentiful, black (spotted and largemouth) bass the most frequently targeted, crappie and sunfish the best to eat, and hybrids and striped bass having the reputation for being fierce fighters. If it’s big fish you’re after, catfish up to eighty-five pounds have been taken from Lake Norman. Trout, walleye and smallmouth bass require colder water than Norman provides, but can be caught in the Smoky Mountains a short drive away.

    Coastal anglers are surprised when they learn that saltwater striped bass and white perch live in area lakes. While neither species grows as large as their saltwater cousins, they have been swimming in freshwater impoundments for decades.

    Getting started is simple. The same fresh water rods, reels and terminal tackle used in other parts of the country will catch fish here. Since the majority of fish taken will be less than five pounds, light-to-medium spinning tackle is recommended. Begin with a 6’ to 7’ rod and a matching reel with 8 to 12 lb. test line. Children find 5’ to 5½’ closed faced spin-casting tackle to their liking, since it is easy to cast.

    While the majority of fish are taken by anglers casting from boats, others are caught from the shoreline, or from piers and boat docks. Public fishing is allowed at the McGuire Nuclear Plant off Highway 73 in Huntersville, NC, the Marshall Steam Plant off Highway 150 in Terrell, NC and at the Lake Norman State Park near Troutman, NC.

    Popular artificial lures are soft plastics and crank baits for black bass, and bucktail jigs and spoons for striped bass and hybrids. Crappie and perch can be taken on live minnows, while catfish prefer sink baits and fresh cut baitfish. The baits of choice for kids fishing from docks are worms, bread balls, hot dogs and chicken parts.

    There are some Fish Consumption Advisories listed on page 33 of the 2014-2015 Inland Fishing Regulations Digest or online at www.ncwildlife.org. Read them before eating fish taken from North Carolina Lakes.

    Hot Spots: Larger than normal white perch are hitting minnows and Sabiki rigs on drops to thirty five feet. Quick catches of fifty fish or more are being reported when suspended schools are located. Davidson and Mountain Creeks are the hot spots for hybrid striped bass. The best bite is at dawn and dusk with secondary feeding periods throughout the day. Spotted bass continue to fall victim to anglers casting to deep points and drop-offs. Shaky heads, bucktails and deep diving crank baits are baits of choice. Falling water temperatures have crappies moving to shallower water. Best bets are suspended fish around bridge pilings and around covered docks over deep water brush piles.

    Upcoming Events: Free Fishing Seminar - “Deep Water Winter Fishing for Hybrids, Bass and White Perch”. I will discuss using live baits, shaky-heads, drop shots, Alabama and Sabiki rigs to catch cold water fish. This all new ninety-minute session will begin at 6:30 p.m. on November 12th at Gander Mountain, Exit 36 in Mooresville, NC. For additional information, call 704 658 0822.

    Lake Conditions: Surface water temperature varies by location, but is mainly in the high sixties and low seventies in open waters not affected by power generation. The water level is about 1.6’ below full pond on Lake Norman and 3.8' below full on Mountain Island Lake.

    Capt. Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is an outdoor columnist and a full time Professional Fishing Guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his website @ www.Fishingwithgus.com or call 704-617-6812.
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