Striped bass only spawn successfully in a few river systems in North Carolina. But landlocked fish that live in a few of the state’s large river-fed impoundments also try to reproduce each spring.
That’s happening at the upper reaches of the Catawba River’s Lake Norman, according to one of the region’s top guides.
“Stripers are on fire up in the river,” said Bo Rice of Hudson (Bo Rice Striper Guide Service, 828-238-5269, www.teamdirectcurrent.com). “They mostly anywhere above Buffalo Shoals, mainly from Lyle Creek to the Lookout Dam.
“There are vast numbers of stripers in that area of the lake. They’re stacked in there to spawn.”
Striped bass at Lake Norman tend to be on the small sizes, but this time of year the spawn triggers tremendous feeding activity, Rice said.
“Fish are running mostly 4 to 6 pounds, but occasionally you’ll catch a 7-pounder,” Rice said. “Guides are catching 30 to 60 fish per trip. Our last trip up there we caught 31.”
Rice said anglers also are catching huge spotted bass and “tons of perch” in the same areas.
“The most-popular striper baits are live alewives on free lines,” Rice said. “The alewife hatch is going on. There’s also a good topwater bite at night near the rock bluffs at the (N.C.) 150 bridge. People are throwing Redfins and catching 10 to 15 stripers per trip because the alewives are spawning at night there.”
Rice catches his own alewives as do many anglers, but live gizzard shad and blueback herring are available to purchase at Midway Marina near the N.C. 150 bridge.
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