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  Fishin' with Capt. Gus! ~ Family Fishing Fun
March 14, 2010
Spring is a great time to take children fishing. If you haven’t been in a while, and don’t know where to go or how or what to do, read on.
Where to Fish
Shorelines, docks and piers are good places to spend a few hours wetting a line. The Lake Norman State Park, (704 528 6350) in Troutman, NC has a long wooden fishing pier and also allows bank fishing in many areas. Ramsey Creek Park (704 336 3586) in Cornelius, NC also has a fishing pier.
If you have a boat, anchor or drift your baited hooks in the back of any cove, and fish in water from ten to fifteen deep.
What’s Biting?
A variety of panfish, along with bass, crappie, perch, catfish and stripers are among the most sought after fish in Lake Norman. They range in size from sunfish a few inches in length to catfish up to eighty-five pounds. Most fish weigh about a pound - the perfect size for kids of all ages to catch.
Fishing Tackle
A simple rig is a pole (cane pole), attached to a section of line the same length as the pole, a bobber (float), a small clamp-on weight (split shot), a hook (#6, J-hook) and a worm or minnow. The distance between the bobber and hook will vary depending on the depth of the water. The same rig can be used for bottom fishing by removing the bobber.
A step up involves the same basic terminal tackle, but instead of a pole, a rod and reel are used. Many children begin fishing with a spin-casting reel, attached to a matching fishing rod. Its push-button design makes it easy to cast and almost tangle free.
Best Baits
Artificial lures are preferred by many, but for starters, earthworms, night crawlers and red wigglers will catch just about anything that swims. If you don’t want to dig up your garden, these baits can be purchased at convenience stores and tackle shops. Minnows are also popular. They can be used dead or alive and make great bait for bass, crappie and perch. Crickets are good baits for catching sunfish. Other baits that work well for kids are table scraps, including hot dogs, macaroni, corn, peas and shrimp.
Don’t Forget- A personal floatation device (life preserver) for each child under the age of thirteen and for anyone else who can not swim
- A knife and needle nose pliers
- A cooler filled with ice and lots of food and drinks
- A bucket for odds and ends
- A landing net
- A camera, sunglasses, suntan lotion
A Free Seminar on “How to Catch Trophy Flathead and Arkansas Blue Catfish while Fishing for White Perch” will be held at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 24, 2010. Lake Norman Fishing Guide Mac Byrum and I will conduct the two hour session. For additional information, call 704 658 0822.
Tips From Capt. Gus:
It’s hard to wait, but when a fish begins to nimble, give it plenty of time to swallow the bait before reeling or setting the hook.
Hot Spot of the Week:
Bank fishermen are catching perch, bass and stripers in both hot holes. Cut bait and bloodworms fished on the bottom are taking stripers, and top water lures are catching surface feeding fish. Live bait fishing for stripers is good in most major creek arms. Mountain, Little and Reeds creeks are good places to start.
Schools of spotted bass are chasing bait to the surface throughout the day around the islands at the mouth of Ramsey Creek. The water surface temperature is in the forties and fifties. The lake level is about four and a half feet below full pond and is clearer than it has been in several weeks.
Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is licensed by the US Coast Guard, a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, and is an outdoor columnist and a full time professional fishing guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his web site, Fishin' With Gus! at www.FishingWithGus.com or call 704.617.6812.
For additional information e-mail Gus at Gus@LakeNorman.com
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