Fishing on Lake Waccamaw hits its peak with largemouth bass head to the shoreline this month.
Forget what you know about early spring bass fishing in North Carolina. Lake Waccamaw is different. Broad and shallow, Lake Waccamaw is a natural lake in rural Columbus County, and it affords anglers some unique opportunities not available on man-made lakes across the Tarheel State.
It’s the shallow nature of 9,000-acre Lake Waccamaw, a Carolina bay lake, that causes it to turn on faster than other North Carolina bodies of water. The lake’s deepest areas are only 11 to 12 feet deep, and a milder climate in the southeastern part of the state means the first warm days of spring push water temperatures up more quickly than elsewhere.
Mike Brinsfield, an avid angler and member of Brunswick County Bass Masters, starts looking at the long-range forecast when spring appears on the horizon. A string of days where the high temperature breaks the 60-degree mark means it’s time to trailer his bass boat to Big Creek Landing in Lake Waccamaw State Park.
Brinsfield said that while the lake’s shallow nature makes catching big bass a distinct possibility for an average fisherman in the spring, it works against the same fishermen in the summer. With the shallows warming faster than the rest of the lake in the spring, you can bet the lake’s largemouth bass will be somewhere close to the shoreline. If the first spell of warm weather lines up with the full moon, get ready; the alignment of those conditions can lead to a trip to remember.
Brinsfield is a finesse fisherman at heart, and his tackle shows it. He fishes Pfleuger spinning outfits spooled with 10-pound clear Sufix mono. While most other bass fishermen prefer baitcasting gear, Brinsfield enjoys the finesse aspect of the sport and said he will often catch more fish than others with lighter tackle and line when bass are acting spooky or line-shy. He can also teach beginning fishermen to cast with spinning tackle much more easily than baitcasting tackle.
B.J. Gaither, another member of the Brunswick County Bass Masters who loves to fish Lake Waccamaw in the spring, said there’s no need for extensive electronics; he concentrates on the shoreline and visible structure like weed beds, reed grass and docks. He spools his baitcasting gear with 12-pound fluorocarbon, which gives him a better, quicker hookset when he’s fishing plastic worms, plus, it’s virtually invisible in the water.
Gaither doesn’t have to go very far to find good fishing when he puts in at Big Creek, the ramp in the state park on the eastern side of the lake. The mouth of the creek itself is a great spot, provide there is water flowing into the lake from the creek. If there’s not much flow, he works into the main lake, looking for weed beds. The first productive ones, he said, are about a half-mile out of the mouth of Big Creek.
Fishing weed beds can be the most exciting fishing the most exciting fishing Lake Waccamaw has to offer, especially if the bass are in a mood to bite frogs. Brinsfield loves to fish a white Strike King Tail Toad along the edges of the grass or casts into the grass and works the bait out. The topwater presentation, which should include plenty of twitching so the frog darts to and fro, will often draw the most-explosive strikes of the day. The strike is usually a boil or splash and can really be a visually entertaining affair.
Reed grass right along the shoreline of Lake Waccamaw offers a similar experience to fishing weed beds, just in even shallower water. Brinsfield said you can’t be afraid to go shallow in this fishery, that 2 feet of water is plenty deep enough to hold a wall hanger. He will often fish the same frog along the edge of the grass, using his trolling motor to slowly cover the whole edge. Grass edges can be found all around the lake’s shoreline, with a particularly productive stretch near the spillway dam — an addition to the lake in 1926 to control water levels during extreme drought.
When grass beds or edges aren’t productive, it’s time to work docks. With a lack of shallow stumps or brush, docks fill the void of hard structure in Lake Waccamaw. The docks at Dupree Landing — roughly two thirds of the way to the dam when leaving Big Creek — are the deepest in the lake and can be productive, but there are no lack of docks around the shoreline. When fishing docks, Gaither goes to a Senko in either green, pumpkinseed or watermelon/green flake. He loves to fish a 5-inch Senko rigged wacky-style, working it slowly around the dock pilings and the docks themselves; he said bass hit it harder and latch onto it a little longer, all that you need to make your trip worthwhile.
There’s another option at Lake Waccamaw if the docks aren’t paying off. Brinsfield makes it a point to fish some of the stakes that line the lake, approximately 100 yards from the shoreline. While smaller, these stakes are structure on their own, and they can be worth a look. He will cast a Pop-R a few times, before switching to a wacky rigged Senko or similar plastic bait if he doesn’t get topwater strikes.
Brinsfield and Gaither both have safety in mind when they head to Lake Waccamaw, Being nearly 7 miles across at its widest point, the lake can get rough in a stiff breeze. Choosing the right bank to fish is very important when the wind picks up. On very windy days, anglers can fish in Big Creek and have success, but the number of bowfin can cut down on your opportunities to catch bass. Shallow water can create obvious hazards as well, so anyone new to the lake would be well served to take their time navigating on their first visit.
Anglers have a great opportunity to catch quality bass at Lake Waccamaw during the spring, with the chance of an occasional trophy, even if the water-temperature window is fairly narrow. The Brunswick County Bass Masters holds a spring tournament on Waccamaw, and it usually takes a five-fish stringer weighing 20 pounds or better to win. You may get a shot at a 6-pounder, and a jaw-dropping 10-pounder is certainly not out of the question.
Whatever you manage to catch, you will be fishing one of North Carolina’s natural treasures, free from the shoreline development that plagues many of the state’s man-made lakes. There’s only a single restaurant on the lake, and Dale’s Seafood certainly isn’t a blight on the landscape. With its local, country charm, it’s a great place to tie up to have a meal and reflect on your day on the water before heading back to the boat ramp.
DESTINATION INFORMATION
HOW TO GET THERE — Lake Waccamaw is North Carolina’s third-largest natural, freshwater lake. It is 12 miles east of Whiteville in Columbus County, a few miles south of US 74. Lake Waccamaw State Pard maintains a public boat ramp on the east side of the lake that can be accessed from Bella Coola Road. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission maintains another ramp on the west side of the lake off Canal Cove Road (SR 1900).
WHEN TO GO — As soon as water temperatures begin to rise in the spring, largemouth bass head to Lake Waccamaw’s shoreline, where they can be much more easily targeted than any other time of year.
BEST TECHNIQUES — Fish around weed beds, grass lines or boat docks with Texas-rigged soft plastics or wacky rigged Senkos. Topwater frog baits or Pop-Rs can also be very effective. Don’t leave the shoreline except to fish shallow weed beds.
FISHING INFO/GUIDES — Lake Waccamaw State Park, 910-646-4748, www.ncparks.gov/lake-waccamaw-state-park
ACCOMMODATIONS — Lake Shore Lodge, 910-646-3748; Econo Lodge, Whiteville, 910-642-2378; Holiday Motel, Whiteville, 910-642-5162. Primitive camping is available at Lake Waccamaw State Park, 910-646-4748.
MAPS — DeLorme’s North Carolina Atlas and Gazetteer, 800-561-5105, www.delorme.com; Lake Waccamaw State Park, www.ncparks.gov/sites/default/files/ncparks/maps-and-brochures/lake-waccamaw-parkmap_0.pdf.
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