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  Fishin' with Capt. Gus! ~ Diary
December 14, 2008
Catching a striper on the first cast of the day gets any trip off to a positive start. Sometimes that’s hard to do, particularly if you haven’t been fishing in a while. This column discusses some of the things experienced anglers concentrate on to assure that the trip will be successful.
Many fishermen keep and refer to a fishing diary - a record of the date, time, fishing places, bait used, and number and species of fish caught. Over time, the diary provides invaluable information. Particulars pertinent to the trip, such as water temperature, barometric pressure and weather conditions, might also be recorded. Many old timers keep such information stored in their memory.
When fishing a new body of water, you must go back to the basics. Read fishing reports on web sites, message boards, and in magazines and newspapers. Ask fellow fishermen or tackle and bait shop dealers where the fish are biting. Remember to refer to a good topographic map of the lake. After deciding where to fish, it is important to choose whether to fish deep or shallow, early or late, and which type of bait to use.
When asked how he knew to fish shallow or deep, one angler told me the choice was simple. “Check the live well. If baits are at the bottom of the tank, fish deep with down lines and deep running baits. If they are swimming on the surface, fish shallow with flat lines, planer boards, or shallow running plugs.” Another longtime striper fisherman added that he “fished deep when the barometric pressure was high and shallow when it drops or falls below 30 degrees.”
Some fishermen watch wind direction and try to fish the windward side where forage fish are blown, disoriented by the turbulence, and become easy prey. Likewise, in moving water stripers will hold close to obstructions such as fallen trees, rocks or bridge pilings. The water flowing around these structures causes turbulence and confuses baitfish.
In winter, fish locate where water is warmest. Coves and shorelines with a southern exposure to the sun are generally warmer than those that don’t receive as much sunlight. In the dead of winter, when water temperatures drop into the mid-forties, fish gravitate to the warm water power plant discharge canals. Lake Norman has two, one near the Highway 150 Bridge and another off Highway 73 in Huntersville.
Sonar units are a great aid in helping anglers locate schools of stripers, spotted bass and white perch. Accomplished anglers learn to interpret images on the sonar screen, along with waypoints placed on a GPS unit, to pinpoint fishing spots.
At times, the best places to fish are where diving birds are found. Sea birds are more than likely feeding on forage fish being chased to the surface by hungry stripers. Other indications of feeding fish are the presence of Great Blue Herons stalking the shallows, or crows running a bank.
Regardless of where you fish, the depth you fish, or which baits you use, fish early. A very high percentage of fish hooked and landed are taken during the first few hours of daylight.
Tips from Gus:
Monofilament line deteriorates with age. Replace line at least once a year, or when it becomes frayed or opaque.
The Hot Spot of the week is Mountain Creek - Stripers have moved to the shallower sections of the back creeks where baitfish are plentiful. Also, anglers fishing beneath pecking seabirds are catching stripers on shallow running baits. Bass fishing is good to excellent, depending on the day. Lots of small spotted bass found are around brush and drop offs in water to thirty five-feet. The lake level is down 1.8 feet from full pond and rising. The water surface temperature is in the high forties and low fifties.
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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