Freshwater Fishing Archives - Page 289 of 290

March 11, 2026

During May, bass at the Buckhorn pool on the Cape Fear River will hit topwater baits, especially early in the morning.

Secret Water

When Jeffrey Thomas was growing up in the Lee County town of Broadway, there was only one place to go fishing — at the outskirts of town, below the junction of the Deep and Haw Rivers, an old, abandoned dam impounded a section of the Cape Fear River. […]

When anglers troll quickly, they seem to get more strikes from Falls Lake crappies if they use straight soft-plastic lures, such as small tubes, instead of curly-tail jigs. Slower trolling is best for curlytails.

Sibling Slab Rivalry

Dan Kibler

Falls of the Neuse Lake and Jordan Lake have grown up together — an hour’s drive apart on either side of the Raleigh-Durham area — since they were impounded more than 20 years ago. […]

Probing a pond or lake with a canoe or small boat is a fun way to find and catch May bluegills.

The Merrie Month

Jim Casada

“See that disturbance in the water over there next to the bank?” Jeff Efird asked. “Try to get a cast in there.” […]

When Wateree anglers see a boat that looks like a big spider gliding over the water, they know Babin is seeking crappies. He said some call his multiple-rig setup “pushin’.”

Slab City

Dan Kibler

How good is the crappie fishery at Lake Wateree?

Well, Nick Babin and Brian Davis live in Gilbert at the south side of Lake Murray, and when they want to catch big slab crappie and lots of them, they drive completely around their home lake and head up the road to Lake Wateree, downstream from the town of Great Falls on the Catawba River, forming the border between Fairfield, Lancaster and Kershaw counties. […]

Anglers who watch for sea gulls diving on bait often find stripers.

Fish of Dreams

Richard Bernabe

Spring is a time of transition, and all good anglers realize the value of transitions in fishing success — those between day and night, shallow and deep water, cover and open water, etc. […]

Cover: April 2006 (NC) – Freshwater

North Carolina Sportsman

Post-spawn bass don’t have to be tough to catch. […]

Leah Johnson caught this new North Carolina state record rainbow trout in the Horsepasture River on January 28.

Jackson County Stream Produces Record-Breaking Rainbow Trout

From News Reports

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has announced that Leah Johnson’s 20-pound and 3-ounce rainbow trout has been certified as the new North Carolina State Freshwater Fishing Record. […]

It’s little wonder anglers are attracted to the Cherokee tribe’s lands to fish for trout as David Ensley, tribal manager of game and fish, displays a trophy-size rainbow reared at the hatchery.

Cherokee reservation is top spot for North Carolina trout

Don Rouanzion

Bright sunshine broke through a thin layer of fog lifting off the Oconaluftee River deep in the heart of the Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina, as anglers started taking their places along the pristine stream for opening day of trout fishing at the Cherokee Indian Reservation. […]

Cashie shad anglers at Windsor (left to right) Christopher “Pete” Johnson, 9, Joseph Eure, 11, and Andy Eure display their catches.

River-run shad are harbingers of great North Carolina spring fishing

Craig Holt

Some people claim robins are the harbingers of spring. Others say it’s crocuses or daffodils. William Wordsworth, the poet, immortalized spring’s fore-runner as a lone snowdrop. […]

Jarrett Thorne (right) with a nice flounder caught in Sutton Lake, near Wilmington. His fishing partner holds a nice catfish, which is the predominant winter catch in the freshwater lake.

Sutton Lake Flounder Snared by NCSU Student Fisherman

Jerry Dilsaver

On January 28, Jarrett Thorne, a student at NC State University, was shocked when he pulled a large flounder from the fresh waters of Sutton Lake, near Wilmington. […]