Go over to the dark side

For many anglers, night time is the right time for catching bass, and March is a great time to doing it in the dark on Wylie.

“Some fish are already shallow, and a lot of fish that are suspending on secondary points will come in and cruise the shallows at dusk, and they all seem to let their guard down a little bit once the sun goes down,” said Mike Stone, who fishes Lake Wylie more than a hundred days a year.

The lake is also less crowded at night, as most anglers prefer to leave while it’s still light out. Stone said they are missing out on some of the best fishing Wylie has to offer, and some of the best bass fishing —day or night — in the Carolinas.

“The night bite doesn’t typically last long this time of year, but it is a strong bite while it lasts and is probably the best night-fishing of the year,” said Stone.

The hottest lure after dark is also one of the most fun. A black buzzbait is deadly, and Stone said if you have nothing but a handful of those in a variety of sizes, you’ll be all set. He said to focus on shallow water and stressed this isn’t rocket science.

“Cast to shallow water, and reel in fast enough to get the buzzbait to raise a ruckus on the surface. Try it at different speeds, but make sure the lure is on top, making that buzzing noise,” Stone said.

While some anglers find success anchoring away from shore and casting to the shallows, Stone suggest holding tight to the bank and casting parallel. This puts your buzzbait on top of the most productive water for the entire retrieve,

Stone said the hour before sundown into the first hour of darkness usually brings the best fishing, and because night is still falling early, it gets anglers off the water at a decent time.