Fishing North Carolina

Carry a Timer

2009-10-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been planning for an upcoming fishing trip, only to be bothered to the point of nausea? This time of year, late September through early October, the bass are in a transitional phase. Many anglers, including myself, have a hard time finding and catching fish. Transitional fishing is an art and here is a few basic guidelines that may just help you catch your limit.

Time Challenge
During this transitional phase bass are migrating from their summer homesteads to fall feeding areas. This movement can make fish hard to locate. One strategy that is used by many anglers is to run and gun until fish is found. Early morning, start in the back of your favorite creek or cove. Look for signs of bait fish, schooling bass or any of the tell tell signs of feeding fish. If after 30-45 minutes of fishing, an area does not produce move on the next spot. One handy way that I have found not to spend too much time fishing unproductive water is to carry a kitchen timer with me on my boat. A cheap, yet reliable timer can be picked up at your local Wally-World for just a few dollars. Set the timer for the amount of time you are willing to spend fishing one spot and when it goes off, if not catching fish, move on to the next probable spot.

Where are the fish??

This time of year fish may be found anywhere from shallow flats to main channel points. Large Mouth Bass are most certainly following schools of shad, so once found limiting out could be fast and furious. Try moving back and forth from shallow flats to deeper staging areas. Implement the "kitchen timer method" and keep searching until you have located a good school of bass. Once you are satisfied that there is fish in your area slow down and work that area very thoroughly.

This pattern of non-pattern fishing should work on any lake. The key thing to remember is to just keep searching. Good luck on your next outing and be sure to let us know how it went on our message board.

The magic of the Chigger Craw

2009-10-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

Berkley released this bait a while back, although it has yet to catch on in our area. I discovered the Chigger Craw this past summer and it has become my numero uno go to bait. I have caught fish in 6 inches to 40 ft. of water on this bait. It is as versatile as any soft plastic on the market, yet has an action all of its own. It can be rigged on a Texas rig (my favorite) or used on a jig as an awesome trailer. I have yet to find a scenario that this bait will not produce fish. When fished fast, in a Yo-Yo or jigging fashion, it creates a plethora of water disturbance and looks like a fleeing craw fish. Given that craw fish spawn in the spring in this area, I can't wait to try this bait on bedding bass. Next time you are at your local tackle shop be sure to pick up this versatile lure. I promise there is no wrong way to fish it and you will not be disappointed at the results.

Fall Fishing Patterns

2009-10-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

Fall is the time of year when it starts to turn cooler. It feels great to run up the lake first thing in the morning, all bundled up and the cold air tingling your face. Most anglers envision catching monster bass this time of year. The large mouths should be migrating to the backs of creeks, and gorging themselves on bait fish. Here in the south the forage of choice is shad. The phrase match the hatch is especially important this time of year and any bait that resembles a shad is a likely go to bait. Anglers have the potential of catching of 20-30 bass a day, and if lucky a Hawg may come along. The lakes that I fish are just now starting to cool down and the bass are in that in-between stage of their yearly voyage. They have not moved into the shallows, yet they have ventured away from their summer habitats. Some experts call this staging. In theory staging is when schools of fish group up in "staging areas" points, mouths of creeks and underwater islands are a few likely "staging areas." I have found that fish in our area rarely group up; it is more of a scattered suspending area. The mouths of creeks are likely places to look this time of year for the lakes on the Catawaba River chain. A search bait, such as a deep diving crank bait, or a heavy spinnerbait seem to be the best baits to use. Use your sonar or depth finder to locate schools of bait fish with bigger fish in or under them. Once you have located the forage at a specific depth count your lure down to the depth of the bait fish. Most lures sink at a rate of 1 foot per second, so 10 feet would be 10 seconds. The best retrieve to use is a slow stop and go. It may take a while to locate fish, but once you catch one you are likely to catch more from that same area. The main idea to remember is be patient and don't rule out an area just because you have made a few cast and come up empty. Bass seem to feed in intervals; have you ever been fishing one spot and all of a sudden you land two or three fish on back to back cast, only to cast several more times and come up empty? This is interval feeding, the action of one bass feeding triggers others to follow suit and feeding becomes competitive. Not all mouths of coves will produce fish, however, once you find a spot where they are feeding it is easy to catch your limit. If you are on fish, but they are all small, do not be afraid to leave that area and search for another. Bass seem to school with bass of their own size, so catching small fish seems to lead to catching small fish. If you find a honey hole and catch good sized fish stay on that area, you are likely to catch more good sized fish. I know that it is hard to leave fish to find fish, but doing just that has won many bass tournaments. Even the pros have been known to utilize this strategy. Most tournaments in this area require two 12 inch bass, and three 14 inch bass as a minimum requirement. If all you are catching is 12 inch bass leave that area and search for another. Pay attention to water conditions depth, color, temperature, and surrounding cover. All of these may play a role in why there are fish in this area. Also look for conditions in the surrounding area. If you find bass suspending in 15 feet of water and there is a drop off to 30 feet near by look for other areas with that same feature. The key to catching a limit this time of year is keep looking for groups of fish, once you have found them stay on them.

Remembering

2009-10-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

My grandfather recently passed away, and coming back from the hospital the night before he passed I was inspired to write a poem. The last words that my father spoke to his dad, my grandfather, was go find us a fishing spot. The words to this poem sums up everything about Everette Dwight Osborne and one day I know that I will be sitting on the bank fishing with him once again.

9 Oct 2009 Rodehiss

2009-10-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

Decided to fish Lake Rodehiss today. Got there around 8:oo, run up the lake to the back of one of my favorite creeks. It being the fall of the year and this being considered a mountain lake I figure that the cooler water would have the fish ahead of other lakes in the area, and stacked in the backs of the creeks feeding on shad. I started throwing a small bomber crank bait in a green shad color. After about five or so cast, Wham!!, a bass slams my crank bait. I put a small keeper (12 inches) in the boat and I'm thinking I'm on to a solid pattern. I could not be more wrong. I proceeded to work the area thoroughly with my crank bait, floating worm, and chigger craw, but nothing. There were no signs of shad, no signs of bass, and no signs of life of any kind. Was my bass a fluke? That has became my conclusion. I fished the rest of the day with no prevail. I tried every go to bait I had and could not get as much as a bream bite. I fished main channel points, under-water islands, piers, submerged timber and could not get bit. For anyone who has ever fished Rodehiss you know it is all or nothing and this seemed to be one of those nothing days. It ended up being a test of wills, was I to stubborn to quit or were the fish more stubborn not to bite. Finally, my hunger pains out weighed my fishing pains and I left the lake around four and headed for home. Lesson learned: when life gives you a bad day on the lake; be thankful you were not in the office.

10 Oct 2009 Lake Wylie

2009-10-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

My Dad and I fished Lake Wylie yesterday and man was it tough. We chose to fish up the lake, above South Point access area. We found bait fish in the backs of creek, yet were reluctant to catch very many fish. This time of year it is hard to put together a solid pattern. Most lakes in this area are in that transition period, between summer haunts and fall feeding patterns. I did finally figure out what seemed to be the "magic" bait of the day. I started throwing a BPS twin tail grub in smoke w/ blue flake, and started to pick up a few fish in 5-8 ft. of water. This bait if fished in a Yo-Yo patter, bouncing it off the bottom with fast jerks, creates a lot of commotion and if you are lucky triggers a reaction strike. So the next time you are on the water and can't get a bite give this soft plastic a try, it might just work for you too.

Fishing North Carolina Introduction

2009-10-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well let me first introduce myself. I am Michael Osborne, I have been an avid angler since I was in diapers. I picked up the sport from my father, and have continued to build on what I have learned from him. I spent 5 years in the military (U.S. Army) and now I am back home doing what I love to do FISH!! We fish all of the lakes on the Catawaba chain, (Rodehiss, Hickory, Mt. Island, Wylie, and Norman) we also fish many lakes in South Carolina, (Greenwood, Fishing Creek, Wateree, Murray). I am a member of the Cleveland County Bass Club, and I just love to fish. With this blog I hope to answer questions, give a little insight, and even rant and rave a bit. Those of you who fish these lakes in the south know that the fishing is great at times and at times can be more that tough (impossible is more like it). So for those of you interested in reading about fishing, new baits and techniques, and even a few life lessons please read on. Feel free to leave comments or questions.