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June 23, 2026

A big, broke-back swimbait is often the best lure with which to target Lake Jocassee’s lunker bass.

Tactics for Jocassee bass

The 11-pound, 2-ounce largemouth that Rob McComas caught in November 2008 fell for a big swimbait, a lure he believes is key to landing trophy bass in Lake Jocassee. […]

For the best red drum fishing the winter has to offer, seek out creeks with dark bottoms that get a lot of sunlight.

Why go to school in the winter?

Dan Kibler

Lee Paramore, a biologist for the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries who specializes in red drum, said said they are a schooling fish for a variety of reasons and will school year-round, but they’re not as noticeable as in the winter. […]

Greg Darr and George Buckner catch plenty of nice smallmouth and largemouth bass on winter trips to Lake Monticello.

Making winter water warm

Terry Madewell

Lake Monticello is unique in many ways, one being that it’s a pump-back type reservoir that puts warm water into the lake during cold weather. […]

A bait-keeper spring allows anglers to rig a soft-plastic bait weedless on a standard jighead.

Making it weedless

Jerry Dilsaver

Guide Allen Jernigan said that many times he gets far-enough up creeks looking for winter drum and speckled trout that he fishes water that features many layover trees, limbs and other potential snags. […]

Andy Wicker’s go-to bait for Lake Monticello’s winter bass is a drop-shot rig with a Zoom trick worm.

Get the drop on bass with a drop-shot rig

Terry Madewell

Andy Wicker said that his go-to lure when conditions are tough on Lake Monticello in January is a drop-shot rig with a green-pumpkin Zoom trick worm. […]

South of Cape Hatteras, fishermen like Rube McMullan are allowed five black sea bass per day, with a 13-inch size minimum.

Black sea bass rules and regulations

Chris Burrows

Brunswick County anglers are fishing the South Atlantic stock of black sea bass, regardless of where that fish came from or is going. Black sea bass have been divided into three different stocks, the Mid-Atlantic, the South Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico. […]