The best times to catch bedding bass are during the new and full moons in April and May. Those not bedding, the pre and post spawn fish will be holding in pocket openings, near shallow points and on the shady side of boat docks. Best baits to use in April are football jigs, soft plastics, spinner baits and Alabama rigs.

April is the month that bass, hybrids and crappie will be swimming along shallow shorelines. They’ll either be spawning or feasting upon a spring buffet of minnows, fish larvae, insects, small birds and aquatic animals. Cast for bass and crappie along banks lined with brush, overhanging branches and willow trees. Boat docks are year round haunts for big fish. Catfish, some over thirty pounds, roam the shallows from dusk until dawn. They’re easy to catch on a variety of stink baits, chicken parts and fresh cut bait. Other cats can be taken throughout the day in deeper water.

Photo of Capt. Gus holding a spring crappie


Large bass and stripers will be particularly aggressive after dark. Fish top water lures near lighted boat docks. The best fishing begins a couple hours after sunset, so give the fish time to adjust to the darkness and for the lake to settle. When conditions are favorable, the bite can last for hours.

White perch fishing improves toward the end of the month with the best catches coming from live crappie minnows fished near the bottom in fifteen to twenty feet of water. The same brush piles that hold crappie will attract perch. As a reminder, Lake Norman doesn’t have a size or creel limit on white perch, so you can keep all you catch.

A combination of warm weather and great catches make April one of the best months to fish on Lake Norman. Regardless of the method you use, whether casting artificial lures or drifting live and cut baits, sooner or later a fish will most likely hit your line.

Tips from Capt. Gus! A cup or two of dry dog food thrown around the dock each day will not only feed the ducks, but serve as chum to attract fish. To prevent the pieces from floating away, first allow the food to soak in water for a few minutes.

Hot Spots of the Week: Anglers seeking big bass are casting the shallows for bedding fish. Those hoping for a quick limit of smaller bass will use jerk baits and Alabama rigs off river and creek channel points. Crappie fishing has improved. Twenty fish limits are being taken from a wide range of depths, but mostly from water less than five feet deep. White perch are also feasting on spawning threadfin shad in shallow water. Best lures to use are small spoons and rooster tails.

Upcoming Events: Free Fishing Seminar – Corey Oakley, Inland Fisheries Piedmont Research Coordinator for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will discuss the changes in Lake Norman’s fish population leading up to the introduction of hybrid striped bass. This ninety minute session begins at 6:30 p.m. on April 15^th at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, Mooresville, NC. For more information, call 704 658 0822.

Free Safe Boating Class - “How to Navigate Lake Norman Day or Night” will be held at The Peninsula Yacht Club, 18501 Harbor Light Blvd, Cornelius, NC at 6:30 p.m. on April 23^rd. Becky Johnson and I will cover “Understanding LKN’s Channel Marker and Buoy System”, “How to Avoid Shallow Water”, “Ten Most Dangerous Spots”, and “Interpreting Lake Maps”. For more information, call Ashley at 704 892 7575.

Norman’s water level is about 2.5’ below full pond and 3.2’ below full on Mountain Island Lake. The surface water temperature is in the high fifties and low sixties in water not affected by power generation on Lake Norman.

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.