Fishermen are a strange lot!

They’re always bragging about the number of fish they catch, but seldom will they divulge what they used for bait. For those who don’t know which baits are best, here are some tips to get you started.

Black Bass, both largemouth and spotted,are caught on a variety of live and artificial baits. Best live baits are night crawlers, minnows, small bream, shiners, shad and herring. There are tens of thousands of bass lures to choose from, which often confuses those new to the sport. But, some of the best lures to use are soft plastic worms, spinner baits, crank baits (Shad-Rap), top water baits (Zara Spook) and the Alabama Rig (A-Rig).

Striped and Hybrid Striped Bass swim in schools that hunt and feast upon shad and herring. Other popular live baits are trout, shiners and bloodworms. Popular artificial lures include umbrella rigs (a larger version of the A-Rig), bucktail jigs, spoons, roadrunners, top water lures (Striper-Swiper) and various deep diving lures.

Catfish depend on the sense of smell to locate their meals. So it goes without saying, “The smellier the bait, the better”. Channel catfish are easy to tempt with prepared stink and dip baits along with chicken livers, shrimp and night crawlers. Arkansas Blue Catfish prefer fresh cut perch, bream, mullet and chicken parts. Flathead Catfish, the predator of the species, like live bream, bass, perch and small catfish.

Crappie can beenticed to bite small minnows and jigs, adorned with colorful skirts made of plastic and Malibu hair.

White Perch hit minnows, worms and small pieces of fresh cut bait, as well as, spoons, jigs and flies. The most popular multi-hook set is called a Sabiki Rig. It is made of a string of flies attached to a weight or jigging spoon.

Sunfish, the fish of summer, bite worms, crickets and small pieces of shrimp. They also strike wee size popping bugs, rooster tails and beetle-spins.

Note: The Alabama Rig is a wire harness that allows the use of multiple lures. The original A-Rig had five leads with attached baits. Subsequent versions have been designed to accommodate two or more baits which, when retrieved, simulate a school of forage fish swimming in formation.
Tips from Capt. Gus! To catch more fish, experiment with a variety of live baits in different sizes. Be sure to match the size of the hook to the size of the bait. Oversized hooks prevent baitfish from swimming naturally and reduce the number of bites.

Hot Spots of the Week: Diving seabirds continue to lead anglers to schools of feeding spotted bass, hybrids, perch and stripers. Creek arms with the most activity in recent days have been Ramsey, Reed, Little, Mountain, and Stumpy creeks. Best methods are slow trolling live bait while casting Alabama Rigs or slow trolling Alabama Rigs and casting buck tails. Anglers who vertically fish jigging spoons and Sabiki Rigs are also doing quite well. Not everyone fishes deep water. Spotted and largemouth bass are also taken in the shallows by using soft plastics and square lipped crank baits. If you haven’t been fishing in a while, go! Fishing has been great!

Upcoming Events: Free Fishing Seminar – “Winter Fishing for Bass, Perch, Hybrids and Stripers” - Jake Bussolini (author) and I will conduct this all new session on January 15, 2014, 6:30 p.m. at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, Mooresville, NC. For additional information, call 704 658 0822.

The water level on Lake Norman is about 3.5’ below full pond and is 2.1' below full on Mountain Island Lake. The surface water temperature is in the fifties in water not affected by power generation on Lake Norman.


Photo courtesy of Capt. Gus
Charles and Cameron Ledoyen each holding a spotted bass caught on a Lake Norman fishing trip.