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  Fishin' with Capt. Gus! ~ May Fishing On Lake Norman
May 2, 2010
Historically, the second and third weeks of May are gang busters for Lake Norman anglers. This is usually the time when all fishing conditions are right. What could be better than nice weather, fish jumping on the surface, and rods bent double with stripers, bass and catfish?
Fish will stay in the shallows throughout the month. Some larger stripers will be up river between the railroad bridge and the Lookout Shoals Dam. Moving water energizes river fish and makes them easy to catch. Lures, live drifting baits or bottom bumping cut baits are good bets. On most days, major feeding periods coincide with sunrise and sunset.
Down river, Lake Norman anglers will find fish almost anywhere in shallow water. Reed and Mountain Creek fishermen will see some of the best action. The island area north of the State Park is also a good place to fish, if you choose to stay above the Highway 150 Bridge.
As June approaches, fish will locate farther from the bank and will begin to move toward deeper water. Live baits should be pulled slowly behind a drifting boat or one maneuvered by an electric trolling motor. Daily limits of twenty to twenty-three inch striped bass will be common.
Bass anglers like to cast a variety of hard and soft artificial lures toward the bank where largemouth and spotted bass will be eagerly waiting to attack. Spotted bass will concentrate around rocky points, rip-rap and underwater humps. They bunch up, as do stripers, to hunt feeder fish in schools.
Crappie fishermen can find excellent results this month around docks and brush piles. Small jigs and minnows will attract stringers of fish. As a reminder, the daily creel limit is twenty crappie (8" or longer), per angler.
Cat fishing is becoming more and more popular with Lake Norman anglers. Catfish move freely up and down river & creek channels as water temperatures, food supply and spawning urges dictate.
During the spring spawn, catfish are typically found in very shallow water. Post spawn fish tend to remain in shallow to medium depths. As the lake water warms, they move deeper. Find a school of white perch, and flathead cats should be near by. Flatheads stalk schools of perch in hopes of snatching an unsuspecting stray or a wounded baitfish they might have missed.
White perch are fun and easy to catch. Their tasty white meat makes excellent table fare. Perch swim in large schools and are easy to locate with a fish finder. If you don’t have one, simply drift until they begin to bite. During the day, they settle over humps, points and brush piles at depths to thirty-five feet. At night, they migrate to the shallows near lighted docks and piers. They can be caught on worms, threadfin shad and small minnows. Because of their aggressive nature, they will also attack artificial lures. Small spoons, crappie jigs and spinners will produce strikes.
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, May 20, 2010, Light House Marine Services is offering an instructional course entitled, “How to Safely Navigate Lake Norman.” Topics to be discussed will include “Understanding LKN’s Marker and Buoy System”, “Identifying and Learning how to avoid LKN’s Most Dangerous Shoals” and “How to Use and Interpret Lake Maps”. Registration fee is $25.00 for this two and a half hour course conducted by Capt. Gus. The class begins at 6:30 p.m. at Gander Mountain, Exit 36 Mooresville, NC. To register, or for more information, call Lt. Scott Spivey – 704 587 0325 or visit www.lmservice.org.
Saturday, May 22, 2010, Light House Marine Services will offer a Boater Safety and PWC Class. Registration fee is $49.00 for the eight-hour session beginning at 9:00 a.m. The class will be held at North Point Watersports, Exit 36 in Mooresville, NC. To register, or for more information, call Capt. Scott Spivey- 704 587 0325 or visit www.lmservice.org.
Tips from Capt. Gus:
Look for open shells along the bank. More than likely they were opened and eaten by muskrats. The discarded shells are a sign of a mussel or clam bed just off shore. These tasty mollusks are a favorite food of blue catfish.
Hot Spots of the Week:
Fishing is good to excellent for bass, stripers, crappie and perch. Choose your favorite fishing hole and cast your favorite lure. Best bets are North of Highway 150 for bass and stripers, Mountain Creek for crappie and Reed Creek for white perch and spotted bass.
The lake level is about two feet below full pond and the water surface temperature is in the seventies.
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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