eagleclaw
05-30-2008, 12:11 PM
Bass swarmin' at Norman
Limits of striped bass are being caught at Lake Norman, along with large blue catfish.Guide David Clubb of Mooresville said the stripers are "schooled-up good" 30 to 40 feet deep in the creek arms and hitting live baits fished on down-rods.
Catfish are feeding actively, too, according to guide Mac Byrum of Lincoln County. They're hitting bluebacks, herring and white perch.
Offshore trolling rates are good to excellent, especially for dolphin and wahoo, from Oregon Inlet to Hilton Head, when sea conditions are favorable. Fishing Forecast | Tom Higgins
The Report
1. LAKE NORMAN: Plentiful stripers in the 5-pound range. Catfish on cut baits, crawlers. Largemouth, spotted bass on artificial worms, crankbaits, topwater lures. Scattered crappie 20-30 feet down, mainly on minnows.
2. LAKE WYLIE: Excellent for spawning bream during the full moon period on crickets, earthworms. Crappie at night around docks and cover 20 feet deep on minnows. Largemouth on the ledges on artificial worms, crankbaits, skirted spinnerbaits. Catfish on mussels, shrimp, stink baits.
3. LAKES BADIN, TILLERY, BLEWETT FALLS: Lots of bedding bream on crickets, earthworms. Catfish on traditional baits. Scattered crappie in deep brush on minnows.
4. HIGH ROCK LAKE: Good action for both bream and catfish. Some largemouth on artificial worms, spinnerbaits, pig-and-jig combinations.
5. LAKES HICKORY, RHODHISS: Continuing limit catches of crappie at Rhodhiss on both minnows and small grubs, jigs, sliders and minnows. Also crappie at Hickory, mostly on minnows. A few stripers up lake at Hickory on live baits.
6. LAKE JAMES: Smallmouth bass off points on shiners, small crankbaits and twister-tail grubs. Walleye off clay points and shoreline and around sunken trees on crawlers.
7. FONTANA LAKE: Limits of walleye at night on crawlers fished 35 feet deep off clay points under floating lights. Smallmouth around rocky points and shoreline on jerk baits, shiners.
8. LAKE WATEREE: Catfish to 40 pounds on cut baits, crawlers, stink baits and shiners worked around the edges of deep holes. Lots of bream on crickets, earthworms. Crappie, mainly in the June Creek area, on trolled jigs. Scattered largemouth.
9. LAKE HARTWELL: Stripers, hybrids on free-lined live baits off points. Largemouth along the shoreline on topwater lures, soft plastic baits. Crappie at night around bridge pilings.
10. LAKE JOCASSEE: Trout, especially during early morning, on spoons trolled from just under the surface down to 65 feet. Quite a few trout in the 4-pound range have been boated. Largemouth, smallmouth and redeye along the shoreline on artificial worms, crankbaits and grubs.
11. LAKE KEOWEE: Largemouth and spotted bass on soft artificials, including crawdads, shallow-running crankbaits, topwater lures and shiners. Crappie 15-20 feet down around bridge pilings at night.
12. LAKE MURRAY: Largemouth on artificial worms, lipless crankbaits and surface lures cast to the points. Smallish stripers 30-60 feet deep on live baits and trolled umbrella rigs. Lots of shellcrackers very shallow along the shoreline on crawlers, earthworms.
13. LAKE THURMOND: Stripers, hybrids at the mouths of creeks on cut baits. Largemouth off points on spinnerbaits and topwater lures. Bedding shellcrackers on crickets, earthworms.
14. SANTEE-COOPER RESERVOIR: Lake Marion: Catfish to 53 pounds on cut herring. Largemouth at both the upper and lower ends of the lake on soft plastic lures, topwater plugs. Crappie around bridges and piers on jigs, minnows. Bream, shellcrackers in numbers along the banks. Lake Moultrie: Largemouth on a variety of lures in areas where grass grew while the lake was down during the drought. Catfish, especially flatheads, on cut herring and mullet fished only 5-10 feet deep. Shellcrackers in the 2-pound range around cypress trees and lilies on crickets. Slow for stripers.
15. OUTER BANKS: Nags Head area: Scads of bluefish at piers and in the surf, along with whiting. Black drum, puppy drum, trout at the Little Bridge near Manteo. Oregon Inlet: Gaffer-sized dolphin offshore along with yellowfin tuna to 95 pounds and averaging about 50 pounds. Hatteras Island: Blues, croaker, spot and whiting in the Avon surf; blues, puppy drum in Frisco surf; Hatteras Village: gaffer dolphin, wahoo, yellowfin tuna offshore, red drum in the sound; Ocracoke Island: blues, cobia, puppy drum and whiting in the surf; Morehead City area: dolphin, king mackerel wahoo and yellowfin offshore; blues, flounder, kings at the artificial reefs; gray trout, reds, whiting in the Turning Basin; blues, puppy drum, sheepshead, spots and whiting at piers; flounder inside Shackleford Banks.
16. SOUTHEASTERN N.C. COAST: Plenty of dolphin offshore at spots such as the Black Jack and McMarle'n Ledges when sea conditions are favorable. King mackerel at the Lighthouse Rocks off Ocean Isle and Southport. Blues, Spanish mackerel along the beach. Reds, speckled trout around creek mouths, docks and jetties. Black drum, blues, pompano and Spanish mackerel at piers.
17. S. C. COAST: Flounder from Little River to Beaufort in the inlets and creeks on mud minnows. About half the flounder being caught are of keeper size. Sheepshead to 9 pounds around jetties on fiddler crabs. Blues to 10 pounds at piers and in the surf in the Grand Strand area. The piers also are producing king mackerel to 35 pounds, croaker, flounder, pompano, Spanish mackerel and whiting when high wind doesn't muddy the water. Blackfin tuna, dolphin, sailfish and wahoo offshore when sea conditions are favorable.
Limits of striped bass are being caught at Lake Norman, along with large blue catfish.Guide David Clubb of Mooresville said the stripers are "schooled-up good" 30 to 40 feet deep in the creek arms and hitting live baits fished on down-rods.
Catfish are feeding actively, too, according to guide Mac Byrum of Lincoln County. They're hitting bluebacks, herring and white perch.
Offshore trolling rates are good to excellent, especially for dolphin and wahoo, from Oregon Inlet to Hilton Head, when sea conditions are favorable. Fishing Forecast | Tom Higgins
The Report
1. LAKE NORMAN: Plentiful stripers in the 5-pound range. Catfish on cut baits, crawlers. Largemouth, spotted bass on artificial worms, crankbaits, topwater lures. Scattered crappie 20-30 feet down, mainly on minnows.
2. LAKE WYLIE: Excellent for spawning bream during the full moon period on crickets, earthworms. Crappie at night around docks and cover 20 feet deep on minnows. Largemouth on the ledges on artificial worms, crankbaits, skirted spinnerbaits. Catfish on mussels, shrimp, stink baits.
3. LAKES BADIN, TILLERY, BLEWETT FALLS: Lots of bedding bream on crickets, earthworms. Catfish on traditional baits. Scattered crappie in deep brush on minnows.
4. HIGH ROCK LAKE: Good action for both bream and catfish. Some largemouth on artificial worms, spinnerbaits, pig-and-jig combinations.
5. LAKES HICKORY, RHODHISS: Continuing limit catches of crappie at Rhodhiss on both minnows and small grubs, jigs, sliders and minnows. Also crappie at Hickory, mostly on minnows. A few stripers up lake at Hickory on live baits.
6. LAKE JAMES: Smallmouth bass off points on shiners, small crankbaits and twister-tail grubs. Walleye off clay points and shoreline and around sunken trees on crawlers.
7. FONTANA LAKE: Limits of walleye at night on crawlers fished 35 feet deep off clay points under floating lights. Smallmouth around rocky points and shoreline on jerk baits, shiners.
8. LAKE WATEREE: Catfish to 40 pounds on cut baits, crawlers, stink baits and shiners worked around the edges of deep holes. Lots of bream on crickets, earthworms. Crappie, mainly in the June Creek area, on trolled jigs. Scattered largemouth.
9. LAKE HARTWELL: Stripers, hybrids on free-lined live baits off points. Largemouth along the shoreline on topwater lures, soft plastic baits. Crappie at night around bridge pilings.
10. LAKE JOCASSEE: Trout, especially during early morning, on spoons trolled from just under the surface down to 65 feet. Quite a few trout in the 4-pound range have been boated. Largemouth, smallmouth and redeye along the shoreline on artificial worms, crankbaits and grubs.
11. LAKE KEOWEE: Largemouth and spotted bass on soft artificials, including crawdads, shallow-running crankbaits, topwater lures and shiners. Crappie 15-20 feet down around bridge pilings at night.
12. LAKE MURRAY: Largemouth on artificial worms, lipless crankbaits and surface lures cast to the points. Smallish stripers 30-60 feet deep on live baits and trolled umbrella rigs. Lots of shellcrackers very shallow along the shoreline on crawlers, earthworms.
13. LAKE THURMOND: Stripers, hybrids at the mouths of creeks on cut baits. Largemouth off points on spinnerbaits and topwater lures. Bedding shellcrackers on crickets, earthworms.
14. SANTEE-COOPER RESERVOIR: Lake Marion: Catfish to 53 pounds on cut herring. Largemouth at both the upper and lower ends of the lake on soft plastic lures, topwater plugs. Crappie around bridges and piers on jigs, minnows. Bream, shellcrackers in numbers along the banks. Lake Moultrie: Largemouth on a variety of lures in areas where grass grew while the lake was down during the drought. Catfish, especially flatheads, on cut herring and mullet fished only 5-10 feet deep. Shellcrackers in the 2-pound range around cypress trees and lilies on crickets. Slow for stripers.
15. OUTER BANKS: Nags Head area: Scads of bluefish at piers and in the surf, along with whiting. Black drum, puppy drum, trout at the Little Bridge near Manteo. Oregon Inlet: Gaffer-sized dolphin offshore along with yellowfin tuna to 95 pounds and averaging about 50 pounds. Hatteras Island: Blues, croaker, spot and whiting in the Avon surf; blues, puppy drum in Frisco surf; Hatteras Village: gaffer dolphin, wahoo, yellowfin tuna offshore, red drum in the sound; Ocracoke Island: blues, cobia, puppy drum and whiting in the surf; Morehead City area: dolphin, king mackerel wahoo and yellowfin offshore; blues, flounder, kings at the artificial reefs; gray trout, reds, whiting in the Turning Basin; blues, puppy drum, sheepshead, spots and whiting at piers; flounder inside Shackleford Banks.
16. SOUTHEASTERN N.C. COAST: Plenty of dolphin offshore at spots such as the Black Jack and McMarle'n Ledges when sea conditions are favorable. King mackerel at the Lighthouse Rocks off Ocean Isle and Southport. Blues, Spanish mackerel along the beach. Reds, speckled trout around creek mouths, docks and jetties. Black drum, blues, pompano and Spanish mackerel at piers.
17. S. C. COAST: Flounder from Little River to Beaufort in the inlets and creeks on mud minnows. About half the flounder being caught are of keeper size. Sheepshead to 9 pounds around jetties on fiddler crabs. Blues to 10 pounds at piers and in the surf in the Grand Strand area. The piers also are producing king mackerel to 35 pounds, croaker, flounder, pompano, Spanish mackerel and whiting when high wind doesn't muddy the water. Blackfin tuna, dolphin, sailfish and wahoo offshore when sea conditions are favorable.