Content Archives - Page 125 of 205

May 4, 2026

Cover: April 2010 (NC) – Bass

Is it finally spring? Yes, it is , and that means bass and puppy drum – among others are biting. […]

Late March and throughout April, Kevin Chandler said fishermen are liable to come in contact with some real lunkers at Badin Lake, which is known to produce lots of quality fish — or bigger.

Blue Ribbon Blades

Badin Lake, clear and deep in the old, round-topped Uwharrie Mountains, might seem on the surface to be the last place a bass fisherman would count on a spinnerbait. […]

Cover: March 2010 (NC)

North Carolina Sportsman

As hints of spring fill the air, crappie take center stage in the Tarheel State. […]

Brian Newberger caught this Cape Fear blue catfish on a live eel — a favorite bait of fishermen who patrol the river for catfish.

Catting Around the River

Mike Marsh

Apparent at a glance was the fact that few fishermen had taken off work at the last-minute notice of a fair-weather forecast. […]

Guide Maynard Edwards said that either Badin or Tuckertown can produce impressive stringers of crappie during March, even with the spawn still weeks away.

Slabs on Stage

Dan Kibler

Crappie fishermen look to the time each spring when the dogwoods bloom as prime time to put spawning slabs in the cooler — and somewhere down the line, into the frying pan. […]

Blackfin tuna have been regular visitors to the bluewater off the North Carolina coast, but only in recent years, as numbers of yellowfin tuna have plummeted, have they become a primary target of fishermen trolling offshore.

If the howl of the clicker on a large Penn International reel doesn’t jack your adrenaline, accelerate your heart rate and cause the little hairs on the back of your neck to stand up, this story probably isn’t for you. […]

Depending on weather and water conditions, Rodger Taylor will either drift or anchor up when he’s fishing for blue catfish on Mountain Island Lake. He said anchoring up and fan-casting baits is the best way to tangle with a really big fish.

Mountain Island Blues

Phillip Gentry

Mountain Island Lake is nestled between Lake Norman to the north and Lake Wylie to the south on the Catawba River system. […]

Best bets for shallow-water winter bass are from 7 to 9 a.m. Bass usually move into deeper water by mid-morning.

Steam Machine

Craig Holt

From mid-February through mid-March, bass fishing often grinds almost to a halt in North Carolina because of cold weather. […]

Although bucks are highly aggressive during the rut, they periodically engage in conflict throughout the offseason. Once two mature males of equal status clash, they may battle for dominance through the act of “flailing.” Here they stand upright and, while balancing themselves, swat with their sharp front hooves like boxing contenders.

Deer Dynamics: Casting and Hierarchy

Tommy Kirkland

The rut has come and gone. Bucks that survived hunting season are dropping their battered racks. Though the whitetails are no longer at war for dominance, the competitiveness still exists — even in the off season. […]

Matthew Outlaw has learned well from his father’s crappie-fishing tutelage. He regularly brings platter-sized slabs out of Sparkleberry Swamp.

Southern Ice Fishing

Phillip Gentry

Fishermen are known to be opportunists. They’re always on the look out for something new, something to give them that edge to catch more and bigger fish. […]