Shearon Harris Lake is making a bid to replace Jordan Lake as the No. 1 crappie lake, not only in the RDU area, but across the entire Tarheel State.
Does North Carolina have a new top crappie venue?
For years, Jordan Lake was known not only as the best lake in the Piedmont for crappie, but the best in the entire state. That is apparently no longer the case, as Jordan has been supplanted by Shearon Harris — at least in the opinion of one Triangle area guide.
“As a crappie lake, I’d put my money today on Harris Lake instead of Jordan or Falls,” said Freddie Sinclair of Clayton, who has guided crappie fishermen for the past 16 years. “Harris is where I go most of the time for crappie trips these days.”
Sinclair counts late February and March as the time when anglers have the best chances to catch numbers and good sizes of crappie at the 4,100-acre impoundment just off US 1 between Raleigh and Sanford.
“February and March are the two best months to catch big crappie, not only for Harris, but for any lake in this part of North Carolina,” said Sinclair, 56, a former facilities manager at N.C. State’s McKimmon Center who operates Sinclair Guide Service.
He became interested in crappie fishing after he burned out after years of intense competition in king mackerel tournaments along North Carolina’s coast. The match that struck his latest fire? A video.
“In 1988 I rented a video called ‘Trolling for Crappie,’ and I said, ‘Holy cow, this is just like trolling for king mackerel, except with downsized equipment.’ I also knew it wasn’t going to cost as much,” he said.
Sinclair and his son, Blake, began crappie fishing at Falls, Jordan and Harris for fun, then they entered a few tournaments and had modest success.
“What really got me started as a guide was a couple of highway patrolmen wanted to go with me during a Jordan Lake tournament,” he said. “We finished third, and after that, I started getting requests from more people to take them fishing. It wasn’t long before I was guiding.”
Sinclair now spends about 100 days on the water annually chasing slabs. He knows the Triangle region’s lakes — Shearon Harris, Falls and Jordan — as well as anyone and quickly learned the early bird gets the worm, or crappie, when it comes to spring fishing.
“If you wait until the water temperature hits that ‘magic’ 68-degree mark, or (if) the dogwoods bloom before you go, you miss the best chance to catch the biggest crappie,” Sinclair said.
Late February and March are actually when slab females that weigh from 2 to 3 pounds become available to anglers.
“Starting in February, you’ll have chances to catch crappie in the coves at Harris,” Sinclair said, “but it’s all weather-related. You might have three or four days in a row when the weather’s warm and sunny, and fish will go to the backs. You can catch them in water from three to five feet deep. But if a cold front comes through, they’ll go back out to 10 or 15 feet deep.”
As the days grow longer, the sun’s angle becomes steeper, and water temperatures warm significantly, Crappie continue to migrate toward the shallow water and remain for the spawning period. That’s the time Sinclair really likes, when he can intercept female crappie as they travel toward Harris’ coves.
“That happens at all the lakes around here,” Sinclair said. “But the key temperature at Harris seems to be 50 degrees. When the water temperature gets to 50, that’s when crappie start to move out of deep water.”
That’s also when fishermen who target crappie at Harris change their fishing techniques.
In January, when water temperatures rise and fall between 40 and 50 degrees, crappie scatter across the lake in water from 28 to 35 feet deep.
Sinclair, who enjoys the challenge of catching these fish, often uses 16 rods (eight at the bow and eight at the stern) to lower live minnows or minnow-tipped jigs, while barely moving (.2 to .4 mph) across the lake’s surface.
A crappie boat rigged with multiple rods looks from above like a water spider, thus the name “spider rig.” This technique is also called “tight-lining” because lures/minnows basically hang straight down beside the boat because it’s going so slowly.
“When March comes, that’s when everyone goes to shallow water, and I can troll faster,” he said. “I target coves and banks because that’s where the crappie will be.”
“Faster” is a relative term as it applies to crappie trolling. Sinclair sets his trolling motor to pull his boat from .8 to 1 mph.
“It’s actually slow, but I can control the depth my jigs, and minnows are running with my trolling-motor speed,” he said. “I watch the depth finder a lot so I’ll know how deep the water is. You don’t want to troll across a point that’s 8 foot deep with your lines running 10 foot deep.”
Sinclair said baitfish also move shallow in March, which attracts crappie during the spawn.
“During March, I often fish the flats,” he said. “That’s where crappie lay their eggs. Crappie eggs attach to anything woody, sandy or pebbled beach areas. They’ll also attach to hydrilla. Harris has a good amount of wood structure, which a lot of people don’t know.”
At times Sinclair will troll the edges of the thick underwater vegetation (hydrilla, milfoil, primrose, elodea) that rings Harris’ coves.
“In the back of Cary Branch, I put my rods right back against the grass,” he said.
Sinclair’s boat is outfitted with multiple rod-holders. He places long, specialized crappie rods at the bow and gunwales in rod holders. The B’n’M crappie rods, mated with ultra-light Pflueger or Shakespeare reels, range from eight to 16 feet in length and are extremely flexible but tough enough to handle the biggest crappie or even a largemouth bass.
“I catch largemouths at Harris because they’ll also hit crappie jigs, minnows or jigs tipped with minnows,” he said. “The main problem in landing a bass is 6-pound-test line often won’t stand up to a bass’s rough mouth.”
Sinclair usually employs 16 rods when he’s trolling for crappie. He’ll stagger six to eight rods of different lengths, at the stern, port and starboard gunwales. He controls his trolling motor’s speed and direction with a remote, hand-held device. He usually positions himself at the console so he can watch his rods and the GPS so he can troll to crappie waypoints programmed into the electronics.
Choosing the correct weight of jigs is a matter of selecting lures that will run at the proper depth. Sinclair ties on heavier jigs during winter when tight-lining and lighter jigs for spring-time trolling.
But again, “heavier” is a relative term. Jigs may range in weight from 1/48 to 1/16 ounce. Sometimes he doesn’t use a jig or a jig tipped with a minnow, instead pulling a live minnow with a small split-shot crimped on the leader. He always uses No. 2 gold or red hooks when trolling “naked” minnows.
“You never know what crappie are going to like,” Sinclair said. “What they’ll eat often changes during a day. It’s been my experience if the barometric pressure is rising or high, you’ve got to stick a lure right in front of their face. Crappie eat because they’re hungry or angry, so I like to use a red jighead or a red hook (on sunny days).”
To determine what crappie want, Sinclair starts trolling various jigs of different colors, bare minnows or jigs and minnows, then notes what the fish hit most often and adjusts.
Colors are important because fish definitely show a preference for certain shades on certain days.
“Chartreuse is a common color, then there’s black, black-and-blue, pink-and-orange,” Sinclair said. “A favorite jig of mine has a red head, black body and blue tail.”
In clear water, crappie like jigs with some blue color.
“There’s a Carolina Blue Ice Jig I like,” he said. “As long as a jig has some blue, that seems to work better in clear water. In stained water, I like black-and-chartreuse or black-and-orange jigs.”
Sinclair calls his March trolling technique “long-line trolling.” He casts every lure about 30 to 40 feet, puts the rod handles in stern and gunwale holders, then trolls coves and shorelines.
Deciding whether or not to use minnows with a jig or a minnow depends upon the types of jig he uses and what the crappie want to eat that day.
“You never put a minnow on a curlytail jig. You use minnows only with tube or hair jigs,” Sinclair said, explaining that a curlytail’s action would be negated by a minnows, and the lure would run too shallow.
His minnow-only set-up includes as a split shot crimped 18 inches above his hooks.
Sinclair said the size of Shearon Harris compare well to Jordan or Falls, but the lake’s lack of a size or creel limit may create future problems.
“It’s not uncommon to catch 2-pound crappie at Harris,” he said. “But some people keep a lot of 8- and 9-inch crappie. The (N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission) needs to set a size and creel limit at Harris. The lake’s so small, at 4,100 acres, it’s going to get a lot of pressure, and it won’t take long before crappie numbers and sizes are affected.”
DESTINATION INFORMATION
HOW TO GET THERE/WHEN TO GO: Shearon Harris Lake has public boat ramps: Crosspoint and Holleman. To reach Crosspoint from Sanford, follow NC 42 north to Corinth, then turn left at Christian Chapel Church Rd., then right to access Crosspoint Wildlife Ramp; From points west, follow NC 87 south to Pittsboro and cross U.S. 15/501 onto Pittsboro-Moncure Rd., then go south to Old U.S. 1 and turn left, then right at Corinth Road where it merges with NC 42. Follow NC 42 to Christian Chapel Church Road, turn left, then right to Crosspoint ramp. From Raleigh, follow U.S. 1 southtoward Sanford, then turn left at New Hill-Holleman Rd. Cross the lake, then turn right at Avent Ferry Rd. to the Holleman ramp. NOTE: The Crosspoint ramp closed Jan. 22, 2013, for repairs and will reopen when completed. Best times to catch big crappie at Harris are from late February through April.
TACKLE/TECHNIQUES: For trolling, crappie poles are best but not mandatory. Long, ultra-light spinning rods can be used. Line should be 6-pound mono tied to 1/48- to 1/16-ounce jigheads or No. 2 gold hooks for live crappie minnows with split-shots added for weight. A boat equipped with a trolling motor is a necessity,a s is a livewell for crappie minnows.
FISHING INFO/GUIDES: Freddie Sinclair, Sinclair’s Guide Service, 919-553-4547. See also Guides & Charters in Classifieds.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Comfort Inn, Sanford, 919-842-5600; Days Inn, Sanford, 919-776-3150; Hampton Inn, Sanford, 919-775-2000; Comfort Inn, Fuquay-Varina, 919-557-9000; Quality Inn, Fuquay-Varina, 919-557-2009.
MAPS: DeLorme North Carolina Atlas & Gazetteer, 207-846-7000, www.delorme.com. Fishing HopSpots Maps, 800-ALL-MAPS, www.fishinghotspots.com.
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