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  Fishin' with Capt. Gus! - Fish Magnets (Part II)
June 10, 2007
Fish magnets are not metal objects, but are places on the lake that attract fish. Some anglers refer to them as holes and hot spots. The best ones are kept secret. In addition to the boat docks, rip-rap, sunken brush, blow downs and marker poles mentioned in Fish Magnets Part I, there are other magnetic places to consider.
Bridges are very powerful fish magnets and Lake Norman has about twenty of them. Regardless of size, their pilings and superstructure attract a year-round fish population. In addition to shade and cover, bridge pilings and approaches to causeways act as dams to alter the flow of water. Eddies they create are vantage points for attacks from predator fish. The best bridge fishing is during periods of light boat traffic and at night when lights are used to attract fish.
Lake Norman has two warm water canals associated with power production. Their steady flow of warm water serves as an incubator for young forage fish. Small shad attract bass, stripers and other predators. At times there are so many boats fishing the hot holes that one could almost jump from boat to boat across the canal without getting wet.
Launch ramps are everywhere on the lake. Most are private ramps built by the original settlers back in the 60's and 70's when Norman was a weekend retreat. Over the years, the cement has cracked and erosion has created numerous hiding places for crayfish and other aquatic life. Ramps are favorite place for bass fishermen, particularly in the cooler months when the sun warms the cement faster than surrounding banks.
Stump fields are magnets for various freshwater fish. Bass and crappie can't resist them. The problem with Lake Norman is that most of the stumps where cleared when the lake was built, so finding them isn't easy in high water. When the lake level drops, cruise the shoreline and note any stumps or other exposed structure, to fish when the lake level rises.
The roads used before the lake was built are still in place, but are now covered with water and over forty years of silt. Those with well defined drainage ditches have attracted fish for decades. Fish follow, feed and swim the ditches much like the way they will follow a creek or river channel. Old road beds are clearly identified on good topo maps. Some of the best covered road beds are in Reeds, Mountain and Burton Creeks.
Tips from Capt. Gus!
Big bass feed on bream (sunny's) that nest throughout the summer along sandy banks. Both bass and bream are easy to see with polarized sun glasses
The Hot Spot of the Week - Stripers are moving to deep creeks and over river channel points and drop offs. The majority of fish are being caught on live baits and lures fished at depths to thirty feet. Heavy pleasure boat traffic makes fishing difficult past mid-morning, so get an early start. Cat fishing continues to improve as water temperatures rise. Bass are schooling around bridges and upriver around island points.
The lake level is 3.2' below full pond and the water temperature is in the high seventies and low eightiest.
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 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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