Western NC Archives - Page 29 of 73

Hot weather means red-hot catfish bite on Lake Norman

The summer heat hasn’t stopped Lake Norman anglers from catching plenty of catfish. […]

Lake Norman’s spots are crushing topwater lures and drop-shots

Don’t let the summer heat keep you off of Lake Norman. The largemouth bass has slowed, but the spots are just as aggressive as ever. […]

A young angler works a section of the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County, one of North Carolina’s most-popular delayed-harvest trout streams.

Delayed harvest: Trout for everyone

Robert Satterwhite

Beginning May 15 in South Carolina and June 2 in North Carolina, anglers will be able to keep their catches in delayed-harvest trout waters, up to five trout per day in South Carolina and seven in North Carolina, with no bait or lure restrictions. […]

Delayed Harvest trout water open June 2 in North Carolina.

Delayed Harvest trout waters open June 2 in North Carolina

NCWRC Release

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open 34 trout streams and two lakes classified as Delayed Harvest to trout harvest on June 2 through Sept. 30. […]

Rainbow trout have a varied diet and will eat anything they can capture. They routinely eat the larval, pupal and adult forms of aquatic insects, plus terrestrials that fall into the water. They will eat fish eggs, shrimp, crawfish and small fish up to one-third of their length.

Four-of-a-kind basic trout flies for fly fishermen

Robert Satterwhite

Fly fishers need to know the four basic types of flies, including how to tie them and present them, before heading out in search of trout. […]

Fishing on Apalachia Lake in extreme western North Carolina is often directed by water flow through Hiwassee Dam and then a pumpback feature that returns it to the larger, upstream lake.

Apalachia Lake flow changes often

Mike Marsh

The flow regime in Apalachia Lake is starkly different from what anglers expect with other mountain lakes. Water entering the lake through Hiwassee Dam is very cold, so the lake can support big trout, and it’s oxygenated by the Tennessee Valley Authority as it passes through the dam. […]