Fishing resolutions

Tuesday, January 05, 2010 3:00 AM | Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend |
If you make some or all of these resolutions for the New Year, fishing and boating might be more enjoyable.

- I will take a kid fishing.

- I will throw the small fish back and keep only the ones I intend to eat.

- I will use "circle hooks" when fishing with live or cut baits. They tend to snag the fish in the mouth, not the belly.

- I will replace my mono or cord-strung landing net with a fish friendly version made of rubber webbing.

- I will try to find at least one new fishing hole during each trip in 2010.

- I will fish with different people throughout the year.

- I will allow my partner to fish from the front seat and run the trolling motor half the trip.

- I will slow the boat to a "no wake speed" near bridges, docks and fishing boats.

- I will make the sport of fishing more of a challenge by experimenting with lighter fishing tackle.

- I will fish more in 2010 than I did in 2009. Life is too short not to fish as much as possible.

- I will learn how to better interpret the images on my fish finder.

- I will abide by the state's boating and fishing regulations.

Tips: Take advantage of clearance sales and closeout prices on tackle, boating accessories and electronics. Some of the best prices aren't advertised, so visit your favorite tackle shop before the best deals are sold out.

Upcoming Events: A free fishing seminar entitled "How to Find and Catch Winter Striped Bass on Lake Norman" is scheduled at Gander Mountain, Interstate 77 Exit 36, Mooresville, for Thursday, Jan. 28, at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call 704-658-0822.

Recent hot spots: Fishing has been very good to excellent in most major creeks on both sides of the N.C. 150 bridge. While there is striper activity on or near the surface during low light conditions, the majority of fish are gorging themselves on schools of herring in deep water (30 to 60 feet deep). Large schools of spotted bass and perch are also deep feeding. Best live baits for deep-water fishing are shad, herring, trout and shiners. Anglers using artificial baits are finding bucktails, jigging spoons and "Little Fishies" to be productive. Catfishing has slowed, but some big blues and flatheads are being caught under schools of feeding bass, perch and stripers.Give Reed Creek at the lower end of the lake a try, or cast Terrapin Creek at the upper end. Both areas are producing nice catches of stripers.

The lake level is 97.7 or 2.3 feet below full pond, while the water temperature is in the 40s and 50s depending on location.

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You can visit www.lakenormanstriperfishing. com or call Gus Gustafson at 704-617-6812. E-mail him at Gus@ LakeNorman.com.