According to biologist Troy Thompson of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, anglers can anticipate excellent crappie fishing at Lake Tillery this season.
“Now is a great time for crappie fishing at Lake Tillery,” Thompson said. “A very strong year-class was produced in 2010; these fish should be in the 10-inch range now and will likely be available in good numbers through next fall.
“Also, we just finished a week of gill-netting for striped bass at Tillery, and (we) captured several crappies in the 1- to 1 1/2-pound range, so larger fish are available as well.”
Thompson said that while the catch rate at Tillery is lower than the catch rate at High Rock and Tuckertown, it is higher than at Badin and Blewett Falls.
“In general, catch rates decrease as you move down the Yadkin chain of lakes from High to Blewett Falls,” said Thompson. “On the flip side, growth usually improves as you move down the chain because of reduced competition.”
While High Rock offers higher numbers of crappie and smaller fish and Blewett Falls has fewer but faster-growing fish, Tillery promises a “good compromise” between these other fisheries.
