Freshwater Fishing Archives - Page 197 of 292

July 12, 2026

Small, live minnow, hooked through the back, are deadly on Clarks Hill crappie.

Small minnows key for springtime crappie

Small minnows are the best bait for springtime crappie fishing, according to veteran Clarks Hill crappie fisherman and fishing guide William Sasser. […]

Eric Fincher’s 89-pound blue catfish, caught Nov. 25, 2006 from Badin Lake, is the reigning state record for the species.

Badin produced state-record blue catfish

Jerry Dilsaver

North Carolina’s state-record blue catfish weighed 89 pounds and was caught in Badin Lake on Nov. 25, 2006, by Eric Fincher. It replaced an 85-pound fish that had been caught in Lake Norman in 2004. […]

Guide Chris Hammill concentrates on big blue catfish on several reservoirs on the Yadkin system, including Badin Lake.

Badin Lake and the Yadkin River system

Jerry Dilsaver

Badin Lake is part of the Yadkin River system that was formed by impounding sections of the river to support an aluminum-smelting plant in the town of Badin operated by Alcoa. […]

Blue catfish, native to the Mississippi River drainage, have been stocked and moved to river systems and reservoirs across the Southeast, where they have become a popular target for anglers.

Blue catfish in North Carolina

Jerry Dilsaver

The blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus, is the largest species of North American catfish and has potential to reach 150 pounds. […]

Tight-lining, or fishing with lures dropped straight down, is a favorite of spring crappie anglers.

Any color is good — as long as it’s blue

Craig Holt

Successful crappie fishing at Jordan Lake in March can hinge on having a jig in the color fish prefer that day. […]

Black crappie in Jordan Lake have rebounded after a 2011 die-off and should offer fishermen a great spring this year.

Net survey shows Jordan’s crappie on the rebound

Craig Holt

Biologists Jessica Baumann and Corey Oakley of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission conducted crappie surveys using trap and gill nets in October and November 2012 after a 2011 shad die-off and resulting crappie mortality. […]

Bridge pilings, expecially those supporting railroad trestles, are great early Spring spots to catch crappie on Lake Greenwood.

Early spawning sites

Phillip Gentry

When it comes to prespawn migrations on Lake Greenwood, there are two schools of thought. One is that crappie move horizontally from the main lake to the backs of creeks and coves. […]

Presenting jigs or minnow vertically is a great way to fish for prespawn crappie holding tight to cover.

Tighten up

Phillip Gentry

Crappie enter the prespawn mode as early as mid-February or as late as mid-March. When they are staging, many anglers prefer to tight-line for crappie rather than long-line. […]

A gram scale will help fishermen know the exact weight of his jigs.

What does your jig weigh?

Phillip Gentry

Crappie anglers are familiar with using jigs that weigh considerably less than typical bass jigheads. Popular jig weights for crappie include 1/32-, 1/16-, and 1/8-ounce, but weights can vary considerably from one manufacturer to another, sometimes even one jig to another. […]

A dedicated walkway across Dutchman Creek offers anglers without boats a great spot to catch Lake Wateree crappie.

Fishing bridges is a priority in March

Terry Madewell

Numerous bridges cross Lake Wateree’s tributary creeks, and while some of them do not permit fishing from the actual structure because of safety reasons, some do have designated areas for fishermen. […]