July 2016 Archives - Carolina Sportsman

Go early and go deep for summertime bass

A lot of bass fishermen find good reasons to stay off our lakes during the peak of the summer, with the heat and recreational boat traffic chief among them. […]

A custom rod is being raffled off to provide funding for Heroes on the Water’s programs that involve military veterans with access to kayak-fishing opportunities.

HOW paddles for vets

Bill Howard

Many people use paddling sports as a way to come to peace with nature and themselves. It is an activity that offers relaxation and serenity, away from the abuses of our busy worlds. […]

This screen shot shows Furuno’s Target Analyzer engaged and indicating two red targets approaching. The Echo Trail feature shows the shadowy paths of the moving objects to help avoid the vessels.

Furuno’s new small-boat radar

Allan Tarvid

Ask three fishermen what they like most about their radar units and you might well get three different answers. […]

Smallmouths are at home under New River’s foam

Craig Holt

What’s the best way to approach raft, canoe or kayak fishing for smallmouth bass in a mountain river with moving current, as opposed to a reservoir. […]

Popping corks make enough noice to attract the attention of big, hungry trout.

Popping-cork rigs are just the start when targeting speckled trout

Brian Cope

Fishing with an artificial lure under a popping cork is a popular way of attracting and catching speckled trout. The noise created by the cork draws attention to its location, and once trout see it, they spot the lure. It adds the element of sound to a lure that primarily relies on sight. […]

Once protected and publicized, the beautiful New River in northwestern North Carolina became a haven for anglers and paddlers alike.

Long battle over New River set precedent to save streams

Craig Holt

The successful, 14-year battle to save the New River in North Carolina and southwestern Virginia in the 1960s and 1970s created a coalition that local residents, environmental groups, conservation organizations, anglers, businesses, state agencies and politicians have used to preserve natural resources elsewhere. […]

Making noise is a key for speckled trout lures

Brian Cope

Noise — at least the right noise — can attract speckled trout and give your bait or lure a better chance at being eaten. Popping corks are great noisemakers, and they add an extra or sound to live bait or artificial lures equally, as long as they are used as more than just strike indicators. […]

Topwater baits, spoons and soft plastics all have their place in a trout fisherman’s tackle box.

Carry a big variety of lures when targeting speckled trout

Brian Cope

Any time you’re going trout fishing at daybreak, you need to bring a collection of topwater lures. Nothing is more exciting, heart-stopping and on certain days as effective as working topwater lures through likely speckled trout holes. […]

When summer slabs get extremely deep, small jigging spoons are a better method for drawing strikes that fishing with jigheads and soft-plastic artificials.

Head upriver for Kerr Lake crappie during drawdown conditions

Dusty Wilson

It’s no secret that Kerr Lake’s status as a flood-control reservoir makes it subject to excessive pooling during wet seasons, but since Lake Gaston downstream began furnishing water to the Virginia Beach area in 1998, Kerr also has the potential to see major drawdowns in summer droughts. […]

In low-light or stained-water conditions, a silver jigging spoon can becomea gold with an application of Spike-It’s lure dye.

For quick color fixes, pull out that container of dye

Dusty Wilson

Ask two anglers for their opinion on lure color, and you may get two different answers. But the general consensus is that silver or chrome spoons perform best on bright sunny days with clear conditions and gold or painted spoons are best for cloudy days or stained water. […]