PIEDMONT FISHING REPORT -
APR - MAY 2013
By Mike Marsh

Mike Marsh’s new book, Fishing North Carolina details fishing opportunities at 100 rivers, lakes, sounds, piers and beaches. Fishing North Carolina ($26.60 ppd.), Inshore Angler – Coastal Carolina’s Small Boat Fishing Guide ($26.20) and Offshore Angler - Carolina’s Mackerel Boat Fishing Guide ($22.25) are available by check or M.O. to Mike Marsh, 1502 Ebb Dr., Wilmington, NC 28409. For credit card orders or more hunting and fishing information visit www.mikemarshoutdoors.com.

Jerry Neeley (Carolina’s Fishing Guide Service, 704-678-1043) said April is best month for catching every fish that swims.

“Bass should move to the secondary points in April,” he said. “Carolina rigs with Zoom lizards are the best rigs. A Rapala fished on 10-pound test is also good for casting along the banks. If the water gets muddy, I switch to a spinnerbait. If it’s really dingy, I use a Colorado blade instead of a willow leaf spinnerbait blade.

In May, when the fish move to the rocky points and piers, a shaky head worm or jig is a good bet. Tripping the top with a topwater lure early and late is also a great tactic.

Crappie will school in four feet of water. Casting a float rig with a jig to brush tips or along the banks is a good way to catch crappie.

Blue catfish will swim upriver to spawn along the rocky banks in May. Cut bream or crappie fished on the bottom is the best bet for big blues.

Lake Hickory

David Williams (Riverview Sports, 828-632-7889) said striper action would be excellent.

“The stripers will be heading upriver for spawning,” he said. “You will catch them on the main lake points by casting bucktail jigs and swimbaits. Another good way to catch them is by trolling live bait.”

Based on early reports, it will be an excellent spring for catching crappie. The fish will be moving to the brush piles in five feet of water or less in April as they prepare to spawn.

Bass anglers will have good results using Alabama rigs as the fish move onto their beds in April. Other good lures include soft plastic flukes and floating worms. Topwater lures will work well as bass come off the beds by the end of May.

Chris Nichols (Carolinas Fishing Guide Service, 704-868-2298) said bass should be easy to catch when they move shallow.

“Fish visible cover for the spawning bass,” he said. “A black buzzbait or floating worm works best in early morning. I switch to a lizard when the topwater bite ends.”

In May, the fish move off the beds and head for primary points at the mouths of the covers. Poppers, buzzbaits and Carolina-rigged soft plastics work best along the rocks and riprap.

Crappie will be along the banks in April, where anglers should target sunken evergreens, bushes and downed tree limbs. Jigs and minnows fished on long poles are the best bet when the fish are holding tight to the structure.

Capt. Gus Gustafson (Fishing with Gus, 704-617-6812) said April and May are peak months for bass.

“The largemouth bass will be on the beds back in the nooks and crannies wherever there is shallow water with a sandy bottom and sun exposure,” he said. “Shaky head worms will work best, but buzzbaits are also good for bass fishing early in the morning. Alabama rigs will also work well.”

Spotted bass will be biting around crappie beds placed in 18 to 20 feet of water. Anglers should cast crankbaits to catch them.

The lake should present the best crappie season that has ever occurred, with anglers catching lots of big fish. Anglers should find crappie at submerged brush, boathouses and bridge pilings.

White perch will be feeding on fish eggs along the banks. Inline spinners, such as a Rooster Tail or Shyster, will catch them when cast 20 feet off the banks.

A few stripers remain after last summer’s die-off. If anglers can find the fish, they will be in shallow water early in the morning. Live shad and herring are the best baits for catching stripers.

Chris Nichols Carolinas (Carolinas Fishing Guide Service, 704-868-2298) bass will be in the grass.

“In April, the fish are spawning in the grass beds,” he said. “Casting a floating worm or lizard or a buzzbait into the grass is the best way to catch them.”

Fish move to the shady structure after they spawn. In May, anglers should cast spinnerbaits, crankbaits, shaky head worms and jigs to the piers and logs.

Crappie will be shallow in April, where anglers can catch them using a cork rig with a jig. Spider rigging with 6 to 10 rods will also work when fished at the creek mouths and channels. In May, crappie will move back out to the points, where anglers can catch them by casting and reeling jigs.

Yadkin/Pee Dee River Reservoirs

High Rock Lake

Maynard Edwards (Yadkin Lakes Guide Service, Extreme Fishing Concepts, 336-249-6782) said crappie should head for the beds in April.

On any piece of brush and after they get off the brush, they head to the rocks. Use minnows or jigs, casting to the bank and swimming it back. A green curly tailed grub on a jig head is a good bet. For fishing the brush, dunking minnows on float rigs is a better tactic.

Stripers will be upriver if the water is high. By late May, they will move back down the lake. Fishermen should head for the high spots and flats in the river and slow troll live baits.

Bass will be in the pre-spawn mode at the corners of the covers. Shallow to medium crankbaits cast to the banks will entice them to strike. The first part of May they will be easy to catch because they will be on the beds. By Mother’s Day, they move out to the secondary points in four to 10 feet of water and they form hungry schools so anglers should be able to make multiple catches at one location.

Tuckertown Lake

Maynard Edwards (Yadkin Lakes Guide Service, 336-249-6782) said grass beds are key to catching fish at Tuckertown.

“The crappie get close to the grass,” he said. “Riles Creek is a good place to fish because it has a deep channel with lots of turns, humps and other structure. Trolling the channel with jigs and minnows in April and when they move shallow is a good way to catch them. When they go to the grass, just drop a float rig baited with a minnow in the edge of the grass.

Tuckertown is one of the best bass lakes in the Yadkin chain. The fish are relating to any green grass, so anglers should avoid fishing the dead grass beds. Flipping a jig, ripping a spinnerbait, or rippling a floating worm over the top of the grass will entice lots of bass.

Badin Lake

Maynard Edwards (Yadkin Lakes Guide Service, Extreme Fishing Concepts, 336-249-6782) said Badin’s crappie fishing would be good.

“The crappie will go to the banks to spawn,” he said. “There are not as many crappie as in the other lakes, but they are bigger. They are also in deeper water because it’s clearer.”

Crappie fishermen should fish jigs in eight feet of water. By May, after they spawn, crappie will head to the middle of the coves.

Bass will be at the shallow points. A crankbait such as a Shad Rap is a good lure.

Stripers will move upriver to Tuckertown Dam in April. Most of the fish will be in the river channel and anglers should fish around the baitfish concentrations. By May stripers anglers should be fishing within sight of the dam, trolling or casting bucktail jigs tipped with grub tails, spoons, Alabama rigs and crankbaits.

Lake Tillery

Joe Aldridge (Joe’s Bait & Tackle, 704-982-8716) said crappie action would be good along the banks.

“Jacob, Mountain and Woodrun creeks on the upper lake and Horseshoe Bend and Randall Church at the lower end are the best place to catch crappie,” he said. “Docks and brush piles will hold the fish. Drifting techniques work better in April, before the fish move shallower to spawn. Good jig colors include acid rain, yellow jacket, John Deere green and black/chartreuse tail.”

Bass fishing will be good along the banks. Anglers should fish crankbaits along the shoreline, around the docks and at the grass beds. Spinnerbaits are better lures later in the day. By the end of May, casting buzzbaits and other topwater lures is a good tactic.