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!

The First Mystery Tackle Box Review!

I signed up for Mystery Tackle Box last month, and got my first shipment right on schedule – it consisted of the Dahlberg Diver Frog from River2Sea, a green Culprit Spinnerbait, a set of 5” BioSpawn ExoSticks in deep blue, a set of KVD Fat Baby Finesse Worms by StrikeKing, the Raptor Tail Chunk Craws from Xcite Baits, and a 2 pack of VMC 7316 Wide Gap Hooks in 5/0 (all of the items are pictured except the hooks).

The plastics come in small sample packs (usually 2 – 4 baits), and there is always one or two nice crank baits or other another more expensive lure. This month the premium bait was the Dalhberg Diver Frog, one of the nicest frog baits I have seen or fished. The lip is clear plastic and serves double duty, propelling the frog underwater; it also acts as a weed guard for the hook, and unlike many frog baits this one has legs. The legs are made of a nice, supple soft plastic and are replaceable – there is an extra set with each lure.

As seen in this lure, the legs can achieve a very neat action, actually looking like they are propelling the frog with a steady crank – twitch action from the rod. With the rod tip up, the lip makes a bit of a splash; with the rod tip down or submerged the frog dives under the water. The website says it doves down to 30”, but it did not look like it was going quite that deep on the style of retrieve I was using the first time out.

Unfortunately, I did not catch any fish on this outing but I did try out all the baits. The next up was the Strike King Perfect Plastic KVD Fat Baby Finesse work. I rigged this worm in a hybrid manner, sticking it on a weighted swimbait hook. The paddle tail provided excellent swimming action, but you do have to hook a substantial amount at the front of the worm to get it to slide over the hook weight without tearing the worm.

I tried rigging the Raptor Tail Chunk Craw a couple of different ways, but my favorite was putting it on a weedless shaky head jig. A nice, soft pump and retrieve action , bouncing it along the bottom looked great, especially since the claws are ridged and formulated to make them float.

The BioSpawn Bait, the ExoStick in blue, was another of my favorites from this month’s Mystery Tackle Box – I used the VMC hooks and rigged this bait Carolina style with a ¼ ounce weight. It looked great on the fall, as well as being pulled through the water with a variable speed retrieve, and as a jerkbait with a quick, pumping retrieve. The color was excellent in the shallow murky waters of some of the coves pictured below, and the rubber was supple but very durable, unlike the StrikeKing KVD bait, which would probably need to be replaced every fish or two (not that that is a bad thing).  

The Culprit is a classic spinner bait, 2 bladed with a bright green skirt – these are versatile baits, can be fished shallow with a steady retrieve, or worked like a jig, allowed to fall and then bounced along the bottom; they are also excellent thrown at the base of bushes and worked around shallow cover like the fence and the logs.

I will be covering all these lures in greater detail in future posts – it is my goal to catch a fish on each one. Last year I was concentrating on improving my soft bait game; my short term goal for this June is to catch a fish on the new Diving Frog, and to work with the included soft baits. The value for lures is there; even though with careful local shopping you can buy as many or more lures for the same money as the Mystery Tackle Box, one of the big draws is exposure to baits you would not normally see, especially (for me) soft baits.

Lake Norman on a Fine May Morning

I catch these views whether or not I catch fish - and it makes it all worthwhile!

The other think I really like about the Mystery Tackle Box set-up is the emails I have been receiving; they are a good mix of fun emails and very informative articles based on hard science, like the article seen here about whether the color of lures really matters. Color is not that important, but the rule of using lighter colored lures in clear water and darker colored rules in dark or murky water does seem to be valid – I will be putting that to the test in the coming weeks too!

I will be reviewing the next few Mystery Tackle Boxes and other aspects of the membership in the coming months; so far, I am quite happy with the money I have spent, and the lures I have received!

This post has been brought to you by Gaston Music & Pawn - remember, when you want good used fishing gear, come to the pawn shop Gastonia residents have depended on for over 25 years!