Fishing Forecast: High winds disrupt start of fall fishing season on coast
Hard-blowing northeast winds generally have disrupted fishing along the Carolinas coast this week just as the highly anticipated fall season was getting started.
Gusts to 35 mph at the Outer Banks have created very rough sea conditions.
Before the foul weather angling action rated good in the backwaters and surf and excellent offshore.
There also is a problem on many of the Piedmont lakes, including Norman and Wylie, and it’s not that the fish aren’t hitting. It’s that anglers can’t launch boats to reach them because the on-going drought has dropped lake levels and some access ramps are closed.
Lake Norman: Good during very early morning for largemouth and spotted bass on topwater lures cast to the shoreline well back in coves. When it’s windy, spinnerbaits and soft plastic lures are working best. Above average for catfish 10-30 feet deep on cut baits, especially gizzard shad.
Lake Wylie: Continuing fair to good for crappie, mainly by anglers fishing from the bank.
Mountain Island Lake: Fair to good for largemouth on crankbaits, with some early-morning surface schooling reported.
Union County Lakes: Good for largemouth at Lake Lee. Limits of crappie at Cane Creek Park. Bream and catfish at all four – Cane Creek, Lee, Monroe and Twitty.
Yadkin/Pee Dee River Lakes: Continuing good for white perch, locally known as Waccamaws, at Badin and Tillery on Shad King lures and Ice Flies. Fair for bream, crappie and catfish the length of the chain that also includes High Rock, Tuckertown and Blewett Falls.
Lakes James, Rhodhiss, Hickory: Very good for smallmouth bass at James on spoons trolled in and near the canal connecting the Catawba and Linville arms. Continuing catches of striped bass on shad in the Lovelady area of Hickory. Bream and catfish at Rhodhiss.
Rankin Lake: Fair to good at the Gastonia municipal reservoir for bream and catfish.
Hampton Lake, Yadkin County: Still fair to good for bream and catfish.
Fontana Lake: Very good from late afternoon until dark for smallmouth and spotted bass on a variety of lures and shiners cast to points.
Lake Wateree: Continuing fair for crappie on minnows worked around brushy cover 15-25 feet down.
Lake Murray: Fishing remains good for striped bass in surfacing schools from Bomb Island to the dam. When the fish aren’t schooling, they’re taking live herring 30-60 feet deep around the power towers.
Lake Thurmond: Good for hybrids and stripers during early morning on live baits worked 40-45 deep around humps. Surface action continues in the Parksville and Shriver areas.
Santee Cooper Lakes: Continuing slow in the main bodies of Marion and Moultrie, but still fair for largemouth in the Cooper and Santee rivers.
Lake Keowee: Largemouth and smallmouth on a variety of lures cast to surface-feeding schools.
Lake Jocassee: Fair for trout on live bait drift-fished or slow-trolled 60-80 feet deep during the day, then around the intake towers 30-40 feet deep at night.
Lake Hartwell: Crappie 15-25 feet deep around bridge pilings.
Outer Banks: Nags Head area: Rough seas. Oregon Inlet: Blues and Spanish mackerel inshore, but no offshore activity. A fine night-time red drum bite in the backwaters. Hatteras Island: Excellent in Pamlico Sound for trophy-sized red drum, but ocean waters too rough to fish, even in the surf. Ocracoke Island: Rough seas. Morehead City area: Rough conditions, but before the bad weather moved in excellent catches of blues and Spanish mackerel at the Cape Lookout shoals. And flycasters were experiencing fine fishing for false albacore, especially at the artificial reefs and wrecks.
Southeastern N.C. Coast: Excellent when sea conditions are good for big red drum at the Little River jetties and nearby locations. King mackerel and wahoo offshore when seas are favorable. Black and red drum in the bays and creeks at Bald Head Island and in the Cape Fear River from Southport to Wilmington. Blues and Spanish mackerel at piers, along with drum.
S.C. Coast: Little River area: Fair for croaker, pompano and whiting at the pier. Grand Strand area: Good for “bull” red drum at the Murrells Inlet jetties on blue crabs and large mullet when weather conditions are favorable. Tarpon near Georgetown in North Inlet, Winyah Bay and at the jetties, along with reds and trout. Fair for blues, Spanish mackerel and whiting at piers. Charleston area: Tarpon are hitting very well in the inlets during the midst of a heavy run of mullet. Flounder, reds and trout in the backwaters. Beaufort/Hilton Head area: Continuing good for tarpon in Port Royal Sound.
This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Fishing Forecast: High winds disrupt start of fall fishing season on coast."