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  Fishin' with Capt. Gus! ~ Bird Chasers
November 18, 2007
Anglers who use binoculars to watch for diving seabirds are called “bird chasers.” Some believe that bird chasing is the most exciting form of fresh or saltwater fishing. Birds and opportunistic fishermen stake out nearby haunts and wait for baitfish to be chased to the surface. When the birds form a tornado-like vortex, they screech loudly and begin to dive. The angler then maneuvers the boat into a casting position.
When the surface frenzy intensifies, the birds hit the water so hard that they create a foamy froth on the surface. Baitfish will jump from the water to literally save their tails. If a striper or largemouth doesn’t nail it, a diving bird surely will. Small feeder fish become the meat of a sandwich between the predator fish below and the diving birds above – a sight to behold, even if you don’t cast a line. This exciting event repeats itself on Lake Norman most days throughout the fall and winter.
While striper anglers stake out well known ambush points, don’t be surprised if a surface feeding school should erupt at your own boat dock or at any place with enough water for fish to swim. In their haste to escape, feeder fish zigzag without regard to direction or consequence and often end up in the backs of coves. It reminds one of old cowboy movies when the Indians trapped the Calvary in a box canyon.
Once encircled, bait fish have little choice but to be devoured or to jump out of the water and on to the bank where additional danger lurks. Crows, herons, terns and gulls gather on the bank to eat the marooned bait as it tries to flip its way back into the lake. Most surface feeding occurs farther from shore, usually near humps, points and steep drop-offs associated with creek and river channels.
When fish are surface feeding they will hit almost anything thrown their way. The most popular surface lures are bucktails, roadrunners, little fishes and jigging spoons. All are compact and allow for long casts with minimum effort. Equally important is the fact that each lure can be fished from the top to the bottom of the water column. And, with the exception of the casting spoon, each lure has a single hook which makes unhooking fast and easy. The sooner a fish can be unhooked and released, the sooner the angler can cast again into the blitzing school.
When surface feeding subsides, the bite might not be over. On occasion, fish will still be feeding below the boat. When this occurs, it is time to vertically jig (yo-yo) a spoon or bucktail. Keep one eye on the fish finder and the other on the sky. If the arches disappear from the screen, the school has moved and it’s time to search again for surface disturbances or diving birds. When the birds begin to dive again, move to the new location and begin another round of casting.
Tips from Gus!
Baking soda can be used as a scouring agent to clean bait tanks and absorb odors in a tackle box. Make a paste of baking soda and water to rub on puncture wounds or fish bites.
Hot Spots of the Week:
Mountain, Rocky and Reeds creeks are among the most productive for stripers. Largemouth bass seem to be everywhere and are being caught on a variety of baits. The south hot hole is popular with tournament anglers. Spotted bass are schooling on drops from fifteen to thirty-five feet deep. Choice of baits include, jigging spoons, shaky heads, and live shad. If you’re planning a fish fry, white perch are hitting cut baits along drop-offs in water from ten to forty feet deep.
The lake level is 93.3 or 6.7' below full pond. Surface water temperatures are in the mid to high sixties.
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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