Dec. 2011 - Jan. 2012 Fishing Report
By Mike Marsh

Mike Marsh’s new book, Fishing North Carolina, unlocks fishing secrets at 100 lakes, rivers, ponds, sounds and piers. To order Fishing North Carolina ($26.60), Inshore Angler – Carolina’s Small Boat Fishing Guide ($26.20) and Offshore Angler – Coastal Carolina’s Mackerel Boat Fishing Guide ($22.25) mail check or MO to Mike Marsh, 1502 Ebb Drive, Wilmington, NC 28409. For credit card orders, visit www.mikemarshoutdoors.com.

The weather may be cold, but the striper fishing is red hot. Striped bass are more active in winter, but cold water also gives anglers an added advantage by concentrating shad on which stripers feed. Find the warmest water in the lake and you’ve found the shad schools and the stripers.

Anglers should watch for birds diving, shad schools surfacing and stripers churning the water surface. If there are no visible signs a savvy striper seeker searches channels and flats using the underwater eyes of an electronic depthfinder.

Catawba River Reservoirs

Lake Wylie

Jerry Neeley (Carolina’s Fishing Guide Service, 704-678-1043) said December should move big catfish into deep water.

“The blue catfish will be in 35 to 45 feet of water down the main channel, or on the adjacent flats if they don’t bite in the channel,” he said. “Cut fish will make good baits for the big blues, which can run to 35 pounds or more.”

Bass fishing will be good in the middle of the day when the water warms. The best bet is fishing a black and blue jig very slowly on 8-pound test line. The mouth of the South Fork River where it enters the Catawba River will have good bass fishing along rocky banks where the water temperature can reach the 60s when the power plant is generating.

Crappie will be schooling around deep docks with brush beneath them in 12 to 20 feet. Hair jigs fished on 4-pound test line are best for shooting the docks.

White perch will school on flats in front of Mill and Beaver Dam creeks at 20 feet. Sabiki rigs trolled slowly will catch them.

Lake Hickory

Shannon Lyndon (Riverview Sports, 828-632-7889) said striper action is excellent.

“Striper fishing will be good on the main lake points,” he said. “Fish a bucktail tipped with a white grub and fish it slow because the water is cold and stripers are not as active.”

Bass fishermen should cast jigs along the main lake points. Another good tactic is slow-rolling a spinnerbait with big Colorado blades along a clay bank or rocky bank.

Crappie anglers should fish brush piles at 18 to 20 feet using a brown/chartreuse or purple/chartreuse jig.

Catfish action will occur at the main lake channel drop-offs and deep holes. Best catfish baits are cut bream and frozen shad.

Mountain Island Lake

Chris Nichols (Carolinas Fishing Guide Service, 704-868-2298) said striper action would be excellent.

“Stripers will school early in the morning on the main lake flats in 10 to 15 feet,” he said. “They will be chasing shad. Sometimes you will see birds, but most of the time you only see shad and stripers.”

Storm Wild-eye soft plastics, bucktail jigs or Hopkins spoons are the best lures. A Rooster Tail spinner works well for small stripers.

Once the sun gets up, shad move down to 20 or 30 feet, so anglers should use a depthfinder to find the fish on humps or channel breaks. Another way to catch deeper fish is by fishing shiners or shad on Carolina rigs. Baits should be dropped to the bottom and cranked up a few turns.

White perch will feed on shad in the same places as the stripers. To catch them the best rig is a Sabiki rig tipped with live minnows, worms or cut bait.

Crappie will be biting at brush piles and docks in 15 to 25 feet of water. The coldest months are the best time to catch the biggest crappie of the year.  

Lake Norman

Capt. Gus Gustafson (Fishing With Gus, 704-617-6812) said winter has outstanding options.

“You can fish either hot hole and catch catfish, bass, white perch and stripers,” he said. “You can also catch bass in McCrary Creek near the Marshall plant or in Ramsey Creek near the McGuire plant.”

Plastic flukes work well, especially if fish are breaking. Road Runners are excellent choices for catching white perch.

Anglers can fish jigging spoons and bucktail jigs to catch spotted bass and stripers along the river channel. The fish suspend at 30 to 50 feet in water 70 to 80 feet deep. The brighter the day, the deeper the fish will school. Once fish are located, an angler can return day after day to catch them in the same spot.

Crappie will school at brush piles in 25 to 30 feet and at bridges. Minnows are the preferred bait.

Lake Wateree

Andy Owens, (Vengeance Tackle and Guide Service, 803-669-2624) said a slow presentation is key.

“Bass will be on the rocky points with sun shining on them,” he said. The main lake is the best bet. There will be only a few bites, but the bass will be big.”

Crappie will swarm in the mouths of Beaver, Colonel and June creeks, as well as other main creeks. Best bets are live minnows fished on jigs.

Yadkin/Pee Dee River Reservoirs

High Rock Lake

Jerry Hill, (Jerry’s Guide Service, 336-247-1265) said stripers will school in the creeks.

“High Rock offers some of the best striper fishing in the piedmont, with fish weighing into the teens and 20s,” he said. “Look for seagulls and the bait will be under the birds.”

Second, Crane, Abbott and Flat Swamp creeks are good places to fish. At High Rock, stripers seldom break the surface so anglers should fish deep, trolling a 3/8-ounce bucktail, or Sassy Shad on a jig at 15 feet.  The best rig is a double rig with a three-way swivel and two leaders. The top leader should be 30 inches long and the bottom leader about eight feet long.

Anglers should troll at two knots because the fish are lethargic. Another good slow-trolling tactic is using a trolling motor to move a live shad along.

TuckerTown

Maynard Edwards (Yadkin Lakes Guide Service and Extreme Fishing Concepts, 336-249-6782) said stripers would be going high.

“Stripers go to the water with the higher oxygen content upriver,” he said. “Creek areas close to the dam will hold the most fish.”

Bass will be farther down the river on the rocky bluffs. A small crankbait fished parallel to the steep banks on the river will be the best way to catch them. Riles creek is another good place. Riprap around the banks at the bridges will also attract the fish. Jigging spoons and jigs fished in 20 feet of water at the steep rocky areas are also good bets.

In December the crappie will be at 8 to 10 feet in the creek channels. Anglers should look for the fish and baitfish with a depthfinder. Once the fish have been located a two-hook dropper rig or jig head baited with live minnows will catch them.  

Badin Lake

Jerry Hill (Jerry’s Guide Service, 336-247-1265) said Badin’s striper fishing has fallen dramatically, with only small fish available.

“Badin’s striper fishing has gone downhill, but if someone wants to try catching them, they should fish Tuckertown Dam,” he said. “If any schooling show up you should be able to find them by watching for birds.”

A ½-ounce bucktail in white or chartreuse with a Sassy Shad trailer is a good lure. Live shad and white perch will also catch stripers.
The lake has plenty of white perch and crappie, which will strike smaller jigs.  

Lake Tillery

Joe Aldridge (Joe’s Bait & Tackle, 704-982-8716) said striper anglers should follow the birds.

“The best place to look is below the N.C. 24/27 Bridge,” he said. “Stripers will be below the birds.”
The stripers will school along breaks and deep points. If the fish are near the top, using a noisy topwater chugging lure is the best bet. Another tactic is jigging a ¾-ounce Hopkins spoon or bucktail jig.

One of the best ways to catch stripers is by slow trolling white perch or shad. The fish may be down 40 feet, so anglers should locate them using a depthfinder.

Crappie fishermen can catch fish at brush piles in 20 feet of water using an ice fly or a spoon.