Punch your way through the grass and catch plenty of Tuckertown bass
Todd Gibson’s biggest challenge of the day defied him in the shallow waters of Tuckertown Lake’s Newsome Creek. The bass, which maybe weighed a couple of pounds, held tight in a small opening of a thick grass bed. Gibson threw a black and blue jig to entice a strike, only to watch the fish flare its gills as if to blow the bait away. After many casts, Gibson finally scored a strike and reeled it in.
Gibson had already caught and released a 5-pounder and a couple of 3-pounders that morning, but he couldn’t resist the challenge of sight-casting to a stubborn bass in clear water on a hot day.
A former wrestling coach from Archdale, Gibson, 40, loves to grapple with bass in Tuckertown’s grass. During the school year, he teaches physical education at Trinity High School, but when school lets out for the summer, his favorite workout is at Tuckertown, where the grass beds are lush and loaded with bass.
“Bass hold up on the grass line, and there is a defined river channel,” he said. “All that grass holds big fish and big populations of fish. I have caught several bass over eight pounds on this lake.”
Tuckertown is a tricky lake for new anglers due to logs, stumps and rocks. Be wary on the upstream section in sight of the High Rock Dam. At the same time, all of those navigational hazards provide plenty of cover for bass. More than 20 years ago, Gibson learned these waters by fishing near the dam in a john boat, targeting crappie and white bass.
A born competitor, Gibson eventually moved up to bass fishing bass and learned how to win tournaments in this watery arena. As in most sports, timing is key when catching bass at Tuckertown. Gibson said Yadkin Inc., a division of Alcoa that manages the lake and others on the Yadkin River, pulls water through the dams during the week to meet demand for electricity. On weekends, the current may slow down, but not the fishing.
“Any time they are pulling water, the fish hold shallow in the grass beds and around exposed stumps,” he said. “They go deeper when the water is still.”
Gibson gets them out of the grass with crankbaits, big worms and ChatterBaits. He uses a rod with some backbone and heavy line in case the bass tangle in the grass, and one of his tricks is to use a 1-ounce sinker to penetrate the vegetation.
“If the fish gets stuck in the mire, have enough line and rod to wrestle it out,” he said.
During the summer, some of the grass beds cover the water in thick mats. Bass hide under the stuff, so it takes the right lure and heavy line to get them out. Gibson fishes a soft-plastic frog or ChatterBait on heavy, braided line. Black and blue baits work, and the big sinker helps punch through the grass to the bass.
A proven tactic for Gibson is flipping the bank with a creature bait. Boat docks are few on this lake, but anglers can find more than enough rocks, timber and stumps that hold bass.
Tuckertown is more of an angler’s lake, tucked in between the heavy boat traffic of High Rock upstream and Badin downstream. Not many lake houses or boat docks here, just miles of natural shoreline that anglers share with fellow predators such as ospreys and herons.
“Tuckertown is a peaceful lake without that much boat traffic,” he said. “Most of the people on the lake are fishermen, and they respect your space.”
Respect the buoys when navigating this lake or risk tearing up a lower unit. Watch for the cormorants, egrets and herons that perch in the shallows. The birds show anglers how to avoid the rocks and locate the grass beds.
As a teacher, Gibson offers this lesson for anglers who are not comfortable with fishing grass beds.
“You can find any kind of cover you want at Tuckertown, stumps, rocks or logs,” he said.
Another former coach who loves Tuckertown is Lexington’s Maynard Edwards, a retired teacher who guides the Yadkin system reservoirs. He fished the river before Tuckertown was impounded in 1962 and has guided there for more than 20 years.
“June is an awesome time to fish at Tuckertown, “Edwards said. “ The grass and lily pads are coming out. Fish around the lily pads with anything you want to fish with. A favorite of mine is a floating worm. You twitch it, and the bass cannot stand it.”
Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits will tempt bass when fished along the edges of the grass beds. Edwards says that is a good way to begin the fishing day at Tuckertown.
“As the day goes on, I meander to deeper water to fish ledges and drop-offs,” said Edwards, whose first choice for deeper fish is a Carolina rig. Crankbaits aren’t his favorites, but they have their place in his arsenal.
“It is hard to fish crankbaits because they get tangled up in the grass beds,” he said. “Look for the riprap and bridge abutments to use crankbaits.”
Edwards describes Tuckertown as a great spring and summer lake. Once the water warms, he can often put clients on 20 to 25 bass a day.
“When the water gets in the 60-degree range, I start getting excited,” he said. “That is when the bass are coming on strong.”
His best Tuckertown bass went nine pounds and hit a creature bait fished on a Carolina rig with a creature bait. Last year, one of his parties boated a 7-pounder.
“On an average trip, we catch from a dozen to 20 bass, with most of them keepers,” Maynard said. “Because of the grass, fewer people fish it. Small fish have places to hide so they can grow up and mature a little bit. If you can get confident in the weeds, you can really catch bass at Tuckertown.”
Boaters need to get confident with navigating this shallow and rocky impoundment of the Yadkin River.
“You better know what you are doing when you get in sight of the High Rock Dam,” he said. “Shut the outboard down and use the trolling motor.”+
The public boat ramp at Flat Creek is a favorite, he said. Buoys mark the channel from the ramp to the main lake, but do not cut across and take a short cut.
“Watch the buoys, don’t do anything dumb and you will be alright,” he said.
Not many fishermen make a living from their favorite sport, but like Edwards, Carl Benton from Denton is one of the few. He made a name for himself and a few bucks on the side by holding tournaments on the Yadkin Lakes and manufacturing lures.
In June, Benton said that Tuckertown becomes his favorite lake on the Yadkin chain, despite the navigational risks on the upper end of the lake. A 25-pound limit of five bass is always a possibility.
“If you can get there in late June, fish those rock piles in front of the dam,” he said. “If you don’t know what you are doing, you will take a lower unit off. Look for rocks sticking up in the water.”
A special treat is little or no boat traffic at the foot of the dam.
“I like to fish up the river and not be bothered,” he said. “It’s so rough that not many people go up there.”
On a memorable upriver trip in June, he caught five largemouth bass over five pounds each. They all bit at the same spot.
“That was a lot of fun,” said Benton, who starts a day of summer fun by working a topwater plug or buzzbait around the edge of the grass beds. If the fish swim away from the grass, he follows with deep-running crankbaits or ¼-ounce spinnerbaits.
Sometimes the bass hold tight to the grass. When that happens, Benton throws spinnerbaits to openings in the grass.
“Watch the lines, because you will not feel a strike most of the time,” he said. “You will see the line move when the fish gets it.”
Other days, bass might prefer Carolina-rigged worms and lizards tossed into holes in the grass. Carolina-riggers can also locate submerged points and score big once they find the right depth.
Back in the lower lake and away from the dam, Benton likes to fish the Davidson County or eastern side. A railroad runs along the shore, which has plenty of rocky cover that always holds a few bass. Once there, he looks for rocky islands surrounded by grass beds. Sometimes a topwater bait will score on these little rocky tops. When the fish go deep, Benton follows them all the way to the bottom with small crankbaits or soft plastics.
DESTINATION INFORMATION
HOW TO GET THERE — Tuckertown Lake is southeast of Salisbury and southwest of Denton on the Yadkin River, forming much of the border between Davidson and Rowan counties. NC 8 and US 52 run roughly parallel to the lake and provide the easiest access to public boat ramps. Take NC 8 from Denton west to Bringle’s Ferry Rd., which crosses Tuckertown just downstream from High Rock Dam, to the Bringle’s Ferry access. To reach the Flat Creek access, turn left off Bringle’s Ferry Rd., on River Rd. and follow signs to the access. On the lower end, a public access is on the west side of the US 49 bridge — between NC 8 and US 52, just upstream from Tuckertown Dam.
WHEN TO GO — Tuckertown bass are finished with the spawn and headed to consistent summer patterns by the end of May and first of June. Fishing can be excellent in June and July.
LAKE PARTICULARS — Built in 1962, Tuckertown offers about 2,560 acres at full pool. During normal conditions, the water level never drops more than three feet. Expect more current on weekdays and calmer water on the weekends due to power generation schedules at the Yadkin Inc. (Alcoa) hydroelectric plants along the Yadkin River system.
TACKLE/TECHNIQUES — When fishing around grass, go with heavy-action baitcasting rods and reels spooled with heavy monofilament or braided line. When Texas-rigging soft-plastic worms, lizards or creature baits, use a heavy worm weight to punch through the grass. ChatterBaits, buzzbaits and soft-plastic frogs work around the grass. Fish crankbaits and Carolina rigs on rip-rap and deeper points. Floating worms are great in lily pads.
GUIDES/FISHING INFO — Maynard Edwards, Yadkin Lakes Guide Service, 336-249-6782; Highway 49 Sporting Goods, New London, 704-463-7053; Sports Country, Denton, 336-869-3933. See also Guides and Charters in Classifieds.
ACCOMMODATIONS — Lexington Tourism Authority, Lexington, 866-604-2389, www.visitdavidsoncounty.com; Rowan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Salisbury, 800-332-2343, www.visitsalisburync.com.
MAPS — Kingfisher Maps, 800-326-0257, www.kfmaps.com.
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