East Central NC Archives - Page 39 of 112

Get away from it all, almost

Capt. Jamie Rushing uses his depth finder to locate isolated piece of concrete well away from the main masses of sunken structure at an artificial reef. […]

Pump-back operations between Jocassee, Keowee, and Bad Creek are often blamed for unstable water levels and poor spawning results at Jocassee.

Will fluctuating water levels doom Jocassee’s bass populations?

Phillip Gentry

While the history of Lake Jocassee’s trophy bass fishery is bright, many fishermen, including Monty McGuffin, are concerned with two factors that threaten to diminish its luster. […]

Lake Jocassee holds fishable populations of four black-bass species and produces trophy-sized fish for each, like this redeye, aka shoal bass.

Which bass is which?

Phillip Gentry

Largemouths are not the only black bass that call Lake Jocassee home. The smallmouth, redeye and spotted bass that live in the lake frequently grow to phenomenal sizes. […]

The float rig is a key to success when fishing offshore humps to reduce snagging and hook more shellcrackers.

Fishing the high spots of rock piles that are abundant in Lake Murray is a key to shellcracker success from May through the fall. Guide Brad Taylor uses a special rig to fish these places most effectively. […]

Shellcrackers may be the target, but Lake Murray fishermen will likely wind up with a mixed bag that includes bluegill, largemouth bass, white perch, striped bass and catfish.

Shellcrackers are the rule, but a mixed creel is likely

Terry Madewell

Retired guide Doug Lown said that when fishing for shellcrackers around high spots that drop into deep water, catching multiple species is pretty common. […]

Shellcrackers have a distinct red edge on its ear flap that distinguishes it from other sunfish species.

Shellcracker particulars

Terry Madewell

The shellcracker, also known as the redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus), is native to the southeastern United States but can be found all over North America. […]

Fishing Creek isn’t a particularly big lake, but its crappie fishing is second to none in May.

Fishing Creek Lake facts

Terry Madewell

Fishing Creek Lake is a Duke Energy reservoir on the Catawba River that was impounded in 1916. The lake has 3,431surface acres of water and 61 miles of shoreline. Full pond elevation is 417.2 feet. […]

Dennis Barbour has dozens of hooks and leaders ready because so many need to be replaced when flounder fishing around structure.

Hook holster

Mike Marsh

Capt. Dennis Barbour uses gold Kahle hooks when he fishes for flounder, and he makes up dozens of rigs before a trip. […]

Toby Grantham of Knightdale caught this potential state-record African pompano this past weekend on the Continental Shelf out of Morehead City.

Knightdale angler has another state record in his pocket

Brian Cope

Few anglers ever catch a state-record fish, but Toby Grantham of Knightdale has now done it twice. He caught the record scamp grouper two years ago on a trip aboard Capt. Dave Tilley’s Continental Shelf out of Morehead City, and last weekend, he caught a potential record African pompano on another trip with Tilley. […]

Spanish mackerel are being caught in good numbers off Cape Lookout.

Great Spanish mackerel bite kicking off Cape Lookout fishing

Jerry Dilsaver

Capt Noah Lynk of Noah’s Ark Charters in Harkers Island said there is a lot of fishy activity in the waters around Cape Lookout, with Spanish mackerel and bluefish are around the jetty, cobia cruising the waters inside and outside the hook and some flounder are starting to show on the bars and channel edges inside the hook. […]