Freshwater Fishing Archives - Page 160 of 292

July 10, 2026

A fiberglass reproduction allows fishermen to enjoy a trophy striped bass for years while being able to release the fish alive.

Replica mounts are the ticket

Most estimates put a 30-pound freshwater striped bass at around 15 years of age. That represents a 15-year investment by a fishery for each fish that goes to the taxidermist. […]

A segment of the movie “The Fugitive” starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones was filmed at Cheoah Dam, which has now become known as “Fugitive Dam” after the success of the movie.

Familiar faces, unfamiliar places

Phillip Gentry

The Cheoah Dam is a hydroelectric complex located in Graham and Swain counties. The Cheoah Development consists of a dam and powerhouse, the first of several constructed by the Tallassee Power Company, now owned by Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower. […]

The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians has opened in Cherokee.

Fly-fishing museum has opened in Cherokee

North Carolina Sportsman

The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians opened last week in Cherokee, giving visitors a chance to learn about the history of fly-fishing in the Southeast. […]

Guide William Sasser said the crawfish/hydrilla on Clarks Hill Lake bite for striped bass, hybrids and catfish has been a little late this summer, but has finally come on and is one of the most consistent of the year.

Clarks Hill’s “crawfish bite” for stripers, hybrids has finally kicked in

Phillip Gentry

Fishing weed lines is a no-brainer up north, but few anglers realize that sprawling Clarks Hill Reservoir on the Savannah River along the South Carolina/Georgia border also has plenty of weeds, in the form of hydrilla, that attract tons of fish – particularly striped bass and hybrids. […]

Fishing small, backcountry streams is the key to successful, late-summer fishing.

Adapt for August trout

Robert Satterwhite

Late-summer trout fishing requires a slow hand, patience and endurance. Hatches are fewer, and as water temperatures rise, trout seek cooler places in streams: undercut or overgrown banks and deep pools. […]

Using a double-dropper rig, a dry fly in tandem with a nymph, is an effective way to target summer trout in mountain streams.

Tandem rigs will double your pleasure when fishing for mountain trout

Craig Holt

Mountain trout don’t act that differently from other freshwater species. They try to hang out in an area protected from the current, and they don’t want to have to work that hard to feed. […]

Drifting a nightcrawler downstream has been a great tactic for doing battle with Cane Creek rainbow trout.

Beat the heat; drift a crawler for a Cane Creek rainbow

Brian Cope

Anglers looking for a respite from the heat while still catching fish are finding all they can ask for on Cane Creek. […]

Lake Norman catfish have been biting cut white perch all over the lake during the hot weather.

Trolling cut bait, watching electronics, has been key to Lake Norman catfish

Brian Cope

Catfish are biting across Lake Norman in a variety of sizes, and Jerry Neeley of Jerry’s Fishing Guide Service said trolling with cut bait is the best way to catch them during on hot days. […]

When it comes to catfish bait, the sky is the limit

Brian Cope

Catfish love to eat some of the stinkiest bait you’ll ever want to handle, but they’ll also eat fruit and even soap. […]

Chunks of bar soap, grapes, slices of apples and blackberries are among the interesting baits that a South Carolina anglers uses when targeting catfish.

Imagination is everything when it comes to catfish baits

Brian Cope

Many hardcore catfish anglers have favorite baits they swear by over all others. A variety of live baits, cut baits, stinkbaits and homemade concoctions are on the list of baits many outdoorsmen use to pursue Mr. Whiskers, but Mike Spinks of Sumter, S.C., has branched out in other directions when searching for the perfect catfish bait. […]