Ranger Boats of Lake Norman: Cut Banks and Soft Baits in Summer

This post contains some great advice on fishing the steep cut banks of Lake Norman and Mountain Island lakes!



Ranger Boats of Lake Norman: Cut Banks and Soft Baits in Summer: Pick Spots Based on Current Conditions The water temperatures have dropped to the low to mid-eighties thanks to the cooler weather ...

The Lake Norman Fishing Report - June

It is one of those times of the year that I look forward to - the chance of frost is long past, but the nights can still get cool, and the days of May and June are often more than comfortable - they are, some of them, very nearly perfect.

What could be better than experiencing the miracle of nature, and what better way to do it than fishing? Thoreau said:

"Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after"

but I think that Thoreau underestimated the average angler - hunters and fishermen appreciate the natural world, most of them, with a deep and residing respect. Most of them are the last to litter, and the first to pick up the litter from others.

Lake Norman near Marker 3, just south of Governor's Island (or as us old timers call it, Goats Island!)

No Matter what Thoreau had in mind, though, one of the things we ARE after is fish, and the fishing has been pretty good on Lake Norman this spring. The water is now ranging from between 78 to 81 degrees as the fine month of June rolls in. Soft baits are working well, and Spring time is always great for crank baits – this striper, which John Thompson caught while towing a rattle crank off of a shoal was a great catch, right at the end of the day when the sunset above was taken.

Oddly enough, that was it for that day – we got not a bite after that, even with live minnows. A few mornings later they were a bit more active, but in the spring time, after the spawn they are liable to be all over the place; I was catching some at 13 – 15 feet of water, like this guy:

Who hit a work which I had allowed to sink straight down at the end of this dock – when I went to pull it off the bottom, the fish was already on my line. The technique has worked for me often enough that I try to let at least one worm sink straight down at the end of every dock I pass, and this spring has been no exception.

The bass are also holding shallow, though – perhaps trying to catch little guys like this!

This largemouth hit my softbait several times, and this one is a lesson in persistence. I could tell it was a decent sized fish, and when you don’t hook a fish it does not always spook them. He hit the worm I was using twice, and tore the back half of the worm off; I then switched to a shad rap crank bait, and this time he hit it and did not get away; at least, not until I took a few photos and threw him back in. He was perched in very shallow water, right where the dock joined the land.

Don’t let these beautiful days of spring pass you by – get out there, and whether you catch fish or not, enjoy your friends, and the amazing beauty of the place that we live in!