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  Fishin' with Capt. Gus! - Fish Magnets (Part I)
June 3, 2007
Saltwater anglers know that fishing is usually better around rock jetties, shell beds, piers and grass lines. Inland impoundments also have similar areas that serve as magnets and attract a variety of fresh water fish. Any object or structure that provides shade, cover or an eddy works like a magnet. Better areas not only attract fish, but become temporary homes during certain seasons. A really good magnet will attract a new fish after the original has been caught or moves on.
Boat docks and old boat houses are the most obvious fish magnets on Lake Norman. Thousands of docks attract forage and predator fish, along with a steady stream of bass and crappie fishermen tossing live and artificial baits. Docks with bright lights that shine in the water at night will attract everything that swims, including catfish, perch and striped bass.
Rip-rap (rocks that protect the shoreline from erosion) also provides protective habitats for aquatic insects, crustaceans and feeder fish. Anglers should cast parallel to long straight stretches of rip rap, and then cast across humps and points formed by bottom contour changes.
Sunken brush is a magnet for crappie and other pan fish. Anglers often replenish favorite brush piles in the winter with discarded Christmas trees. If you don't have a secret hole of your own, scour the lake in search of someone else's! It's easy, just watch your depth finder for brush piles and mark the spot on your map or waypoint it on your GPS.
"Blow downs" are trees that still have branches and leaves when they fall into the water. The larger the tree, the farther it extends and the more cover it provides. Blow downs attract a variety of fish. Bass love the cover and are tempted by spinner baits and other weedless lures.
Lake Norman has over one hundred and fifty channel and shoal markers that serve as aids to navigation. They are positioned in relatively shallow water and indicate the presence of a rise or a drop off in the lake bottom. Not only does the sign's pole provide underwater structure, it offers shade and a place for fish to congregate.
Bridges, hot water discharge canals, launch ramps, stump fields, roadbeds and other places that serve as fish magnets, will be discussed in the second part of this column.
Tips from Capt. Gus!
Lake Norman is void of vegetation, so fish relate mainly to natural and man made structures. Since some structures are not always obvious, a topographic map is needed to better understand the lake bottom. Regular maps and GPS maps are available for study and interpretation online or at local tackle shops.
The Hot Spot of the Week - Bass are chasing bait to the surface early and late near bridges and along banks with rip-rap. As surface water temperatures approach eighty degrees, stripers are moving into the deeper sections of major creeks. Best bets for stripers are Hicks, Mountain and Davidson Creeks.
The lake level is 3.2' below full pond and the water temperature is in the high seventies.
Upcoming Events:
Fishing 101 - Mitchell Community College, Mooresville Campus - Call 704 878 3223 to register. This six hour course is divided into three two hour segments on consecutive Wednesday evenings beginning June 13, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. Captain Gus will cover in much detail, the how to's of recreational angling on Norman and other area lakes.
The Carolina Catfish Club's monthly meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13, 2007, in the Lodge at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, Mooresville, NC. Fishing guide, Captain Darryl Smith will discuss the techniques he uses to catch record catfish on the Lakes of Santee Cooper in South Carolina. Prospective members are welcome.
Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. 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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