Freshwater Fishing Archives - Page 245 of 290

May 10, 2026

High Rock Lake fishing is turning on, with crappie showing up in numbers.

High Rock slabs headed to local frying pans

An early morning storm left High Rock Lake swollen, muddy and full of hungry crappie this past Saturday. […]

Big blue catfish will congregate in coastal rivers around Georgetown when American and Hickory shad begin their spring spawning runs, out of the saltwater and up those rivers.

Shad Run Catfish

Even though winter never really gets a good grip on the Lowcountry, the lengthening days of March have a feel to them like none other on the calendar. […]

Plenty of anglers overlook big catfish as a shallow-water target in the spring because they’re concentrating on bass and crappie.

It all breaks loose in March

Terry Madewell

The fishing on the Santee Cooper lakes begins to come together in frantic fashion in March. Despite often unpredictable weather, the fishing is predictable: look for fish in shallow water. […]

A fisherman works the Bradley Fork in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Spring is mayfly time

Robert Satterwhite

Beginning around the middle of March, streams begin warming up, trout become active and hungry, and mountain anglers enjoy some of the best trout fishing of the year. […]

A kayak-bound fishermen can paddle from spot to spot on the upper end of Lake Marion, taking a crappie from every cypress tree or visible brushpile.

Paddle up some slabs

Phillip Gentry

Styles of fishing change over time. Seldom does the way Grandpa did it still prevail. […]

Jerry Neeley said this kind of stringer of crappie has become “common” at Lake Norman in the past two or three years.

Stormin’ Norman

Dan Kibler

With the exception of perhaps striped bass, there appears to be a great awakening at Lake Norman, formerly referred to by scores of anglers as North Carolina’s “Great Dead Sea.” […]

Lake Norman’s crappie fishery has improved over the past half-dozen years, with fishermen like Chris Nichols reporting greater numbers of fish, as well as the quality fish they’ve caught in the past.

No answers just yet

Dan Kibler

Biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission don’t have any solid reason for the uptick in crappie fishing in Lake Norman. […]

Getting a bait back under a pier or boathouse is important to reach crappie that position themselves back in the shade under the cover of a platform or boat parked in a slip.

Put a bull’s eye on docks

Dan Kibler

With crappie holding on brush or around the pier’s pilings, Neeley and Nichols go to light-action spincasting outfits spooled with 4-pound test mono. […]