March 2014 Archives - Carolina Sportsman

A Mop Jig and trailer, in crawfish colors, is a great combination for a big March largemouth bass.

It’s March bass madness

I look forward to March like no other month on the calendar, and it has very little to do with college basketball tournaments. […]

Bass make big moves in March

Dustin Wilks

During March, anglers can expect to catch bass on both the upper and lower ends of lakes in the Carolinas. […]

The Yamamoto Chikara is designed to run true right out of the box, and the attention to details — right down to the eyes — is stunning.

Chikara crankbaits

Don Shoopman

Bass fishermen are tying on a hot product from Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits. Surprisingly, it isn’t a soft plastic like the ever-popular Senko. In fact, it’s a hard bait with an attitude. […]

Patterning allows you to learn which shotguns throw the best pattern for turkey hunting.

Turkey patterns and cleaning tips

Gordon Hutchinson

In turkey hunting, preparation is everything.
So thinking about you guys (and gals) who get all heated up over feathers in the spring, I thought I would write about patterning — and cleaning your guns. […]

Garmin’s GPSMAP 1000 series units offer the company’s best technologies in a keypad-controlled design for those who aren’t ready for touchscreens.

Garmin catches up (and then some)

Allan Tarvid

Garmin is bringing its down- and side-scanning sonar technology to the marine electronics market, calling them DownVü and SideVü. […]

Eric Fincher’s 89-pound blue catfish, caught Nov. 25, 2006 from Badin Lake, is the reigning state record for the species.

Badin produced state-record blue catfish

Jerry Dilsaver

North Carolina’s state-record blue catfish weighed 89 pounds and was caught in Badin Lake on Nov. 25, 2006, by Eric Fincher. It replaced an 85-pound fish that had been caught in Lake Norman in 2004. […]

Biologists expect a banner season fishing for crappie on Clarks Hill Lake because of the relatively high percentage of larger fish in the poplulation.

A banner year for Clarks Hill crappie?

Pat Robertson

This should be an excellent year for crappie numbers and size on Lake Thurmond, according to Dan Rankin, a fisheries biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, which conducts annual trap-net surveys for the lake’s crappie. […]

Guide Chris Hammill concentrates on big blue catfish on several reservoirs on the Yadkin system, including Badin Lake.

Badin Lake and the Yadkin River system

Jerry Dilsaver

Badin Lake is part of the Yadkin River system that was formed by impounding sections of the river to support an aluminum-smelting plant in the town of Badin operated by Alcoa. […]

William Sasser anchors a brush pile tree with two cinder blocks. Adjust the anchor rope to set the height of the tree. Tie a float to the upper part of the tree to hold it vertical. Sasser uses a brick-sized piece of Styrofoam for a float.

Location, design critical when creating brushpiles

Pat Robertson

Guide William Sasser can almost always find a place to catch crappie in Clarks Hill Lake. He estimates that he has about 200 brush piles in the lake. […]

Blue catfish, native to the Mississippi River drainage, have been stocked and moved to river systems and reservoirs across the Southeast, where they have become a popular target for anglers.

Blue catfish in North Carolina

Jerry Dilsaver

The blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus, is the largest species of North American catfish and has potential to reach 150 pounds. […]