OK, so I'm getting emails asking what's going on with Norman lately so here's what I know as of today. Check it out;
Date Fished: 4/22/2008
Water Temperature: 65
Water Clarity: 4 feet or greater
This lake is still in all 3 stages of the spawn depending on where you are on the lake with the North being colder naturally as the Catawba brings cooler mountain runoff into the main lake. I'm targeting pre and post spawn bass and finding them in 12-15 feet of water near docks, Mid Creek, and in the backs of pockets where there is a noticeable break line/contour line that presents a decent depth change like that in front of my dock here on Lake Norman up in Davidson Creek.
My 2 cents on the Spinner Bait bite is that it's a bit off from what it was a few weeks ago but they'll still chase them but are not eating them as much as they are following unless you find the most aggressive ones. I usually only catch small cookie cutter sized bucks on that rig as of late so I quit throwing it for now. Buzzbaits are working around cover early and late as usual as are jigs and shakey heads which are good all day long and produce year round on this lake. Spots are deep in Ramsey Creek and can be taken in 25-30 feet of water with shakey head jigs and C rigs. Natural colors still prevail as usual here minus the buzz baits where white on white rules the day and flukes where white also as of late seems to be doing great.
Crank baits around docks, rocks, and stumps are working now as the fish are a lot more lively here in the past few weeks despite this weeks cooling trend and cold North East winds. They were chasing the cranks all of last weekend for me which are my favorite thing to throw on this lake as I like to cover a lot of water. Square bills are working, so are lipless with rattles, as are narrow balsa baits without rattles which I find are particularly good in this clearer water. Something with chrome & blue seems to be doing great, it's got to be something to do with the relatively new blueback herring population that was introduced here. I pitch them and fish them under the corners of docks just like I would a swim bait and have some good luck with that.
I love skipping boat docks so I love flukes and senkos big time. White Zoom Super Flukes skipped under docks are producing for me. Not doing so well with the pearl, green pumpkin, or glitter colors for some reason but white is working real nice. Rigged weightless with a 4/0 or 5/0 EWG red hook. It never hits the bottom before it gets picked up when I put it back there deep under a dock.
Same thing goes for Senkos, they still produce. Particularly when wacky rigged with a weedless 2/0 or 3/0 wide gap finesse hook in natural colors.
Same thing goes for the sweet beaver or Yum Woolie Booger TX rigged with a 1/16 oz T Tungsten pegged bullet weight. Flippin and pitchin to docks for those late bedding fish or the still hanging around the bed vicinity females will get you bit on that rig right now too; at least it is me. It's the salt on the Yum bait I'm convinced, the fish just hold on to that thing.
The big fish are here, as usual we are having to work through a ton of the smaller ones to get to them but our weekend series and clubs have been weighing in some nice bags of fish (15 - 17+) and I don't know what won the rotary tourney last weekend but I'd bet it was 16+ so as usual we try to get our limit early and start looking and hoping to find those kicker fish. I just caught 6 off of my dock while practicing my flipping and pitching presentations again with a 1/2 oz black football head jig and Yammamoto 5" hula grub in smoke with black fleck. Man they hate that thing...
Anyone coming to fish Lake Norman over the next few days or week, I hope this helps you some. These patterns should be steady for a while until we head toward our Summer patterns which will hopefully be sooner than later once this cooler North East wind gets on out of here and I can get back to fishing in shorts and a short sleeved shirt comfortably. Good luck to you who will be on the water this weekend, hope it helps. The good Lord knows we can all use a little direction now and again.
Praise God and thank Him for your ability to go fish. Thank a veteran that you don't have to read or speak another language other than English to do it on our soil either.
-LKNBASSMAN
Anglers Choice Marine; Martinsville VA
Modified by lknbassman at 2:29 PM 4/23/2008
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