The Spring Is Here, The Spring Is Here!

Ahhh, the weather is warming, and so is the water! On April the 2nd, the average water temp on lake Norman was around 58 - 59 degrees (as high as 61 in some small coves) and the fish were biting nicely; by the time April 6th had come around, the temp was above 60 degrees, and as high as 63!

Fishing over the winter month's can be especially trying (the fish are just so often not cooperative), but the warm weather stirs their ancient instincts and increases their hunger - and the breaking of Spring is a great time to break out the crankbaits!

There has been good activity around the end of docks in 10 - 15 feet of water, and this monster was caught in a shallow cove in the northern sections of Lake Norman at the Duke Power State Park.

This one hit the Rapala Shad Rap (the three inch, deep diver in blue and green accents with a white underbelly) lightly the first time, and smashed it hard when I sent the lure back for a second run - never think that a missed strike spooked the fish! John Thompson helped land this little monster and took a great picture. You can see the fish is already showing eggs; as always I set her free, and was careful not to lip her. Especially with big fish, handle them gently and support the body with another hand to keep the fish from being injured!

The water in this cove was a nice 61.5F; we also caught a little white bass on a segmented Rapala crank, also in natural colors, so take the time to get onto the water, and don't be discouraged if you see someone fishing your favorite hole - at least three boats had been in this cove before we got there (we saw them leaving on the way out).

Springtime is also the gear time of year, whether it is stocking up on new lures and soft baits, or getting a new rod and reel combo, but if you are like me sometimes you just don't want to pay new prices for essential gear. With a little effort, you can make some great finds and save a LOT of money;l in fact, it often takes less effort than find a nice bass on the end of your line, though sometimes i does take just as much patience.

Craigslist is always a good resource for finding good gear cheap, as well as flea markets, and yard sales are always a great place to stop - but hit the yard sales early if you expect to find the good stuff. Putting some pawnshops into your shopping rotation can also net some great deals on rod and reel combos, as well as some fantastic deals on complete tackle boxes. Pawnshops generally do not like to break gear like that into small pieces, and buying a complete tackle box can net you a lot of lures, sometimes as cheaply as 2 - 3 bucks per lure or less.

Another great resource I have seen this year is the Mystery Tackle Box - for just $14.99/month these folks will send out a great selection of lures and other gear, along with a breakdown of what you received and the retail prices of those items. It is a great way to expose yourself to new products, or things which you normally would not purchase in a store, and the first month is only $4.99 when you use the promo code get499; you can also cancel at any time. I will be writing reviews of the boxes they send me in the coming months and let you know what we think of this deal (if it is as good as their commercials, it will be worth the money and then some!).

The important thing is to get on the water, and to take a friend and family with you. Whether you catch fish or not, getting close to nature is a reward in itself and should never be downplayed - so get out on the water, and let us know how the fishing is and what works for you!

And, for great tackle, guns, Buck knives and lots of other stuff go to Gaston Music & Pawn, one of the pawn shops Gastonia relies on for great deals and service