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Striped bass gathering in creeks at Lake Norman
Anglers in the Piedmont of North Carolina and nearby counties in South Carolina shouldn't have to drive very far to find fishing action.
Striped bass at Lake Norman have concentrated in large schools at the mouths of major creeks and are hitting live baits readily. The stripers are suspended 10-15 feet deep in 50 feet of water.
The most productive locations appear to Stumpy Creek, Skipper's Cove and Hick's Creek, near Lake Norman State Park.
The report:
Lake Wylie: Best for catfish at creek mouths on cut baits and shrimp. White perch 25 feet down on minnows and silver spoons jigged just off bottom. Largemouth along the shoreline on surface lures. Crappie around brush 18-20 feet deep.
Lakes Badin, Tillery, Blewett Falls: Mainly catfish and bream on traditional baits such as cut shad and crickets, respectively.
High Rock Lake: Catfish are hitting best, but as the weather cools, stripers are starting to show increasingly in the catch.
Lakes Hickory, Rhodhiss: Little activity reported at Hickory, but fair-to-good catches of crappie at Rhodhiss on minnows around deep cover.
Lake James: Smallmouth bass on shiners fished around deep points. Walleye on Rapala Ice Jigs worked 30-60 feet deep at the two dams.
Fontana Lake: Few are fishing because of tough wind conditions, but those who are going out are boating smallmouth on Andrew Minnow artificial lures and shiners.
Lake Wateree: Catfish on cut bream and gizzard shad on the bottom off creek mouths. Scattered largemouth on artificial worms along the creek banks.
Lake Hartwell: Hartwell is low because of the drought and officials are discouraging anglers from fishing there.
Lake Jocassee: Scattered trout near the dam on minnows and spoons fished 80-90 feet deep.
Lake Keowee: Largemouth and spotted bass in surface-feeding schools during early morning on topwater lures like Spooks and Pop-Rs. Crappie around brush 8-12 feet deep.
Lake Murray: Fairly good for largemouth early in the morning on topwater lures, then on shallow-running crankbaits. Catfish up to 15 pounds in 30-50 feet of water on cut baits. Crappie around brush 10-20 feet down. Scattered striped bass on free-lined live baits.
Lake Thurmond: Little activity due to low water at the boating access ramps. Those anglers getting on the lake are catching good numbers of stripers, hybrids and white perch. The Dorn Fishing Facility likely will open in a few days to provide access.
Santee-Cooper Reservoir: Lake Marion: Excellent for catfish on cut bait worked around stumps and other submerged structure–and also by drift-fishing in 15-35 feet of water. Bream and crappie around brush piles 10-35 feet down. Largemouth on artificial worms and crankbaits. LAKE MOULTRIE: Some of the year's best catches of bream around stake beds 12-35 feet deep. Catfish 18-55 feet down during the day, then on shallow flats at night on cut baits and stink baits. Largemouth on artificial worms and crankbaits worked along the marsh grass.
Outer Banks: Nags Head area: Puppy drum in the surf and at piers. Oregon Inlet area: Limit catches of blackfin tuna, yellowfin tuna offshore when sea conditions are favorable. Smallish striped bass starting to show at Oregon Inlet's Bonner Bridge. HATTERAS ISLAND: Black drum, puppy drum, whiting in the surf and at piers from Avon Beach to Hatteras Inlet, which also is yielding small flounder. Trout at the jetties behind the Buxton motels. Ocracoke Island: flounder, whiting in the surf: MOREHEAD CITY AREA: King mackerel on the east side of the Cape Lookout jetties when sea conditions are favorable. Several bluefin tuna spotted but not hooked Black drum, other bottom-feeding species at piers.
Southeastern N.C. Coast: Gray trout, puppy drum at the near-shore artificial reefs and the rock jetties at Fort Fisher. Trout at the Masonboro Inlet jetty, Carolina Beach Inlet and around the swinging Bridge at Sunset Beach. Black drum, speckled trout and whiting in the surf and at piers.
S.C. Coast:-Little River area: Large spottails at the jetties on cut bait, live mullet and menhaden. Black drum in Dunn Sound on cut shrimp. GRAND STRAND: Trout in Murrells Inlet on live shrimp and artificial lures. Sheepshead at the jetties on fiddler crabs. Plentiful spots in Murrells Inlet. A few large flounder in Murrells Inlet on mud minnows and finger mullet. CHARLESTON AREA: Good to excellent for both spottails and trout in the backwaters on traditional baits and lures.
