A Star ‘Role Player’

Mountain Island, overshadowed by bigger neighbors, provides first-string bass action

Many great teams have a superstar or two who account for 90 percent of the attention, popularity and identity. The other 10 percent of the roster consistently adds production and contributes to overall success. In times of need, an alternate can step up and fill a role when needed.In the fishing community, Charlotte’s superstars would be Lake Norman and Lake Wylie. On the bench but helping account for the area’s great fishing is Mountain Island Lake.

Built in 1923, Mountain Island helps impound the Catawba River, nestled between Norman upstream and Wylie downstream. Its name comes from Gastonia’s first cotton mill, built in early 1900s on an island to utilize the river for production purposes. The flood of 1920 destroyed the mill, and Duke Power was then given the rights to build a dam. The original landscape was quite steep, and the island “peaks” can still be seen on the lake’s southernmost end.

Today, Mountain Island provides drinking water for Charlotte, Mt. Holly and Gastonia. Encompassing 3,235 acres and 61 miles of shoreline, it is easily dwarfed by Norman and Wylie. Yet smaller size does not mean smaller chances for fishing success. The advantage is that the lake is easily patterned, a plus for the weekend bass fisherman or the father-son-daughter outing.

The Rozelle Ferry (NC 16) Bridge, visible from the Riverbend boat ramp, structurally defines the southern portion of the lake. It is wider than other parts of the impoundment, and development is growing. Thanks to foresight in building codes and buffer zones, the shoreline integrity is better than most lakes. Still, multiple housing plans exist, as do docks. Most docks are community-oriented rather than isolated structures.

Shane Lehew, a guide and veteran of local bass tournaments, suggests paying attention to those docks.

“Hit those lower-lake docks first,” he said, calling them a “great place to start, close to the ramp and … usually (holding) fish. Fish orient to them since they provide shade and cover.”

Lehew specializes in shallow-water fishing year-round, and docks are his specialty. He will frequently flip and pitch jigs and Shaky head worms around the pilings and under the docks. He believes, “Not all docks are the same,” and his favorites have brush 10 to 15 feet in front of them.

“Remember, each dock has an identity of it’s own, not just what you can see,” he said, suggesting that fishermen pay attention to their electronics. “Find docks with strong identities.”

Mountain Island is definitely a “numbers” lake with 2- to 4-pound bass common, and not only largemouths, but spotted bass are becoming more and more common. Lehew Shane admits to catching 20 to 30 bass in that size range on a good day, with a 5- or 6-pound largemouth mixed in almost every time out. His biggest bass weighed 8.6 pounds and was caught around a dock on the lower end.

Lawrence Dorsey, a fisheries biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, said a recent Duke Power study indicated from electrofishing sampling that Mountain Island is “similar to Norman with regards to numbers.”

Chris Nichols, a Gastonia-based guide, said Mountain Island is very simple to fish and consistent in regards to productivity.

“Even if you’re on this lake your first time or every couple of weekends, traditional patterns will hold,” he said. “At low-light or early morning throw quarter-ounce double willow-leaf spinnerbaits on rip-rap and shallow points. A buzzbait will search these spots effectively, too.

“As the sun gets up, try these same points, including main and secondary, with Carolina rigs using creature baits in about six to 12 feet of water. Then try cranking with Shad Raps or Speed Traps. When the sun gets bright, hit the docks and shady cover with a Texas rig or Shaky head. It’s real simple strategy, but the plan works. Less looking means more fishing.”

Fishing can be just as good at night with the same lures, only in darker colors such as black, he said.

Heading north from the Riverbend launch on the right-hand side is a small warm-water that’s worth a shot during colder months but does not seem to have the same influence of larger hot-holes in the area. Still, it’s worth a look if the wind is right and water temperatures are still down a bit in the spring.

Continuing to follow the winding river channel brings you to a series of creeks, all on the right as you head upriver. The first is Overlook, a creek “worth spending some time in,” according to Lehew, because a dock-oriented pattern is often a good one. Next is Gar Creek, which has a flatter and less-defined channel but is still worth a peak. One difference is that the northeast corner is Latta Plantation, which provides shoreline cover along the creek bend.

“There are days when you need to go no further,” Lehew said. “Combining more than one piece of bass structure with two or three others in one area can hold bass anytime.”

The third creek is McDowell, which is sandier. has a softer bottom and rarely holds significant bass populations for long. Lehew said to note on your depthfinder a series of humps and bars between the mouths of McDowell and Gar creeks and the main river channel. Bass do roam into the creek, he said, but they tend to orient to those sandbars.

Once past the creeks, the lake has any number of areas of rip-rap and shoreline points. Lehew changes tactics to “small crankbaits, hard jerkbaits and buzzbaits.

“Rip-rap holds crayfish and bait,” he said. “Those points and rip-rapped areas that extend out closer to deeper water or have a little drop-off work best. Add a little wind blowing baitfish in towards shore or combine two different pieces of structure create an edge and you can really tear it up.”

Remember, clear lakes usually will require longer and lighter lines for these open water patterns. Long casts will enable you to cover water more quickly and zero in on fish-holding spots.

“Try presenting your lures more slowly if you’re missing bites or getting blow-ups,” he said.

Heading upstream — past a huge sandbar that draws a lot of sunbathers, bikini-wearing volleyball players and boaters breaking for lunch — Mountain Island takes on riverine characteristics and may provide the most consistent fishing.

Early summer mornings can find bass schooled up and feeding on the surface before the boat traffic gets cranked up. Past the bar itself, you will find little development and fewer docks. The Cowan’s Ford Wildlife Refuge and Mountain Island Education State Forest form what locals call the “green peninsula.” Laydowns, channel banks, pockets and sloughs form vertical drops.

“Fish the outside river bend and these upstream ledges anytime of the year. It is perfect ambush spot for bass,” said Lehew, who suggests bumping a spinnerbait off the snags and the bottom.

Just downstream from the dam, a bridge crosses the lake, and Lehew pays attention to it

“For a summertime pattern, throw topwaters around and against the abutments for action all day-long,” he said.

Navigation can be tricky, with the channel becoming narrow, water levels fluctuating from dam releases plus Volkswagen-sized boulders everywhere.

“If you’re a smallmouth fisherman, you’ll love that first stretch of water behind the dam,” Lehew said. “Anytime current is present, those rocks provide breaks for ambushing predators. You will feel like you’re on a mountain river — minus the smallies, of course.”

Striped bass hang out in the eddies, as do large numbers of bass. The uppermost end of the lake also provides some escape from skiers and pleasure boaters.