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  Fishin' with Capt. Gus! ~ Lake Norman Is Open
December 2, 2007
Regardless of what you may have read or heard, Lake Norman is OPEN for boating and fishing. All major access ramps are usable, with the exceptions of Blythe, Ramsey and the Lake Norman State Park. Fishing has been great throughout the fall, so don’t be discouraged by all the chatter concerning low water levels. Launch your boat and go fishing. Just be cautious and don’t stray far from familiar waters.
If the weather cooperates as it has in years past, December will bring plenty of sunshine and warm afternoons. Striper and crappie fishing will peak in time for the holidays. Bass, perch and catfish will also be plentiful. While locations and techniques vary by species, each species can be caught regularly throughout the month.
For stripers, try live baiting with shad, herring or trout in Hicks, Stumpy, or Reed Creeks where baitfish congregate and attract hungry schools this time of year. If the weather becomes unusually cold, try fishing the hot water discharge canals. Live bait accounts for the majority of stripers caught in December, but artificials are quite effective when conditions warrant. Surface feeding schools can’t resist a lure swimming across the top of the water. Artificial baits of choice include bucktails, spoons, vibrating baits and almost any other lures used to tempt largemouth bass.
Fishermen welcome the return of seabirds in December. Their diving antics foretell the presence of surface feeding stripers. Even resting birds can signal the general location of baitfish and striper schools. Like fishermen, birds will hang out in close proximity to where they expect bait and predator fish to resurface.
For bass, action will be along the shore line and in areas where rip-rap still reaches the water. Use buzz baits early and bottom bumping jigs throughout the day. Large schools of small spotted bass usually bunch up offshore in water from fifteen to forty feet deep and near submerged stumps and brush. Reports of anglers catching and releasing multiple limits of spotted bass occur each December. Drop shots and shaky head jigs work best when spots are holding deep.
The Hot Spot of the week is Mountain Creek where crappie, white perch, bass and stripers are biting. Other productive areas are the island waters at the entrance to Ramsey Creek and just north of Hicks Creek.
Tips from Gus!
The adjustable floats used by striper and cat fishermen accomplish several things. First and foremost floats allow the bait to remain suspended at a controlled depth off the bottom. Secondly, the bait can be fished away from the boat where the fish might not be as timid. Lastly it acts as a strike indicator, when it bobs or goes under a fish is biting.
Access Ramp Update:
Little Creek Boat Access is expected to remain open until the lake level drops to 7.0' below full pond. Pinnacle, McCrary and Hagers will be usable until the water level reaches 8.5' below full pond. Beatties Ford, Long Island and Stumpy Creek ramps will close if or when the lake 9.0' below full pond.
The lake level is currently 93.1’ or 6.9' below full pond. The water surface temperature is in the high fifties to mid 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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