Fishing with Capt. Gus

Remember when you couldn’t wait to get out of school and go fishin’? I do!

A fishin’ hole is often a magical place where, as kids, we caught fish. It might have been an undercut bank along the edge of a stream or a farm pond out in the country. Regardless, the fishin’ hole was a place to spend time away from school and chores. It was also a place to row a boat, swim, or swing on a rope.

The Andy Griffith Show’s theme song, hit the nail right on the head with its lyrics in the first stanza.

“Well now, take down your fishin’ pole and meet me at the fishin’ hole. We may not get a bite all day, but don’t you rush away.”

Doesn’t that make you want to go fishing? It does me.

Not all fishing holes are magical places. Many are honest to goodness places where anglers catch fish on a regular basis. Lake Norman has lots of them. The most popular ones are the two hot holes. One is located at the Marshall Steam Station at the N.C. 150 Bridge and the other, at the McGuire Nuclear Station off N.C. 73 near Huntersville. Over the years, tens of thousands of fish have been taken from these warm-water discharge channels.

A fishin’ hole doesn’t have to have widespread notoriety to be a good one. Many holes are kept secret by those who fish them. When someone asks where all the fish were caught, “my secret hole” is often the answer.

Many of the best holes for crappie, perch and spotted bass are brush piles, some made by local fishermen. Submerged brush, Christmas trees and other woody debris provide shade and cover, and when positioned properly, they attract lots of fish. Other good fishin’ holes on Lake Norman are stump fields, underwater islands, sandy banks, boat docks, bridge pilings, channel markers and rock piles.

It doesn’t take long to realize that a fishin’ hole is not a hole at all but a place where fish are frequently caught or just a place where it’s fun to spend time waiting for a fish to bite.

Regardless of how you use a fishin’ hole, it’s a great place to spend a portion of your time. And, in case you don’t have a fishin’ hole, find or make one.

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It is difficult to keep baits alive during the summer. Baits more tolerable to the heat are goldfish and black saltys. While stripers and bass will hit them, they’re more popular for catching flathead and blue cats.

The lake level is about 3 feet below full pond and the water surface temperature is in the 90s.

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Visit www.fishingwithgus.com or call Gus Gustafson at 704-617-6812, or e-mail him at Gus@LakeNorman.com.