Lets talk fishing

[nhbbear]

Sounds about right haha. We are in the western part of the state. We fish in Pisgah a lot and sometimes around Cherokee.

I live in WV, but we vacation in NC every year. I used to fish Greenfield lake, this year I discovered a creek called Burnt Mill Creek, and it feels so weird to fish a creek with largemouth. My creeks have smallies almost exclusively with a few areas near the river and one lake.

 

[nhbbear]

Hit my local lake for some early morning bass fishing on Sunday. Met up with a guy who had reached out to me on fb and asked if he could accompany me some time. He seems like a decent dude so I tried to teach him the lake. Many of my usual spots did not produce, but some did. Here is a 4 lb 2; oz largemouth and a 2 lb 14 oz large. Both on a buzzbait

 

[Fugazy]

View attachment 792128 View attachment 792129 Hit my local lake for some early morning bass fishing on Sunday. Met up with a guy who had reached out to me on fb and asked if he could accompany me some time. He seems like a decent dude so I tried to teach him the lake. Many of my usual spots did not produce, but some did. Here is a 4 lb 2; oz largemouth and a 2 lb 14 oz large. Both on a buzzbait View attachment 792128View attachment 792129

I was just thinking about this thread. I’m going to fish a wide, slow river tomorrow was going to get some crankbaits and was thinking of doing some wacky rig worms.

How much stock do you put into color choices? I usually keep it pretty simple.

 

[nhbbear]

I was just thinking about this thread. I’m going to fish a wide, slow river tomorrow was going to get some crankbaits and was thinking of doing some wacky rig worms.

How much stock do you put into color choices? I usually keep it pretty simple.

I usually go natural colors in clear water. If the color is real wild, the fish tend to be wary. That’s not to say that loud colors won’t work in clear water, but that is just a baseline for me. Start with natural and go progressively crazier h til you find what they want.

If the river is shallow-0-5 feet, I would definitely toss a top water at dawn or dusk or shadow where there are rocks. Bounce a crankbait off of rocks when you can and you get nailed on the bounce.

As for the wacky worm, i use a green pumpkin or brown/green color usually. I toss up stream from cover and let it drift by the cover and it gets nailed

 

[Fugazy]

I usually go natural colors in clear water. If the color is real wild, the fish tend to be wary. That’s not to say that loud colors won’t work in clear water, but that is just a baseline for me. Start with natural and go progressively crazier h til you find what they want.

If the river is shallow-0-5 feet, I would definitely toss a top water at dawn or dusk or shadow where there are rocks. Bounce a crankbait off of rocks when you can and you get nailed on the bounce.

As for the wacky worm, i use a green pumpkin or brown/green color usually. I toss up stream from cover and let it drift by the cover and it gets nailed

Thanks, I’m not sure about depth but I suspect it’s closer to 10-15 in most areas. We shall see.

My philosophy for colors is to go natural matching the bait in the area, darker when the water is dark or low light, lighter when the water it lighter or in brighter light. I have no idea if that’s a good approach or not though.

 

[nhbbear]

Thanks, I’m not sure about depth but I suspect it’s closer to 10-15 in most areas. We shall see.

My philosophy for colors is to go natural matching the bait in the area, darker when the water is dark or low light, lighter when the water it lighter or in brighter light. I have no idea if that’s a good approach or not though.

No, that’s solid. However, I’m pressured areas, I love to throw lures they may have never seen before because they may attack out of curiosity.

For example, I take all my choppos or whopper ploppers(same thing, diff brand-I prefer choppo) and I alter them with feathered hooks and permanent marker paint jobs. I had noticed that the fish in particular areas quit striking my choppos in areas where I know the fish were. When I started altering the lures, they hit again.

pics of before and after with metallic markers

 

[Fugazy]

No, that’s solid. However, I’m pressured areas, I love to throw lures they may have never seen before because they may attack out of curiosity.

For example, I take all my choppos or whopper ploppers(same thing, diff brand-I prefer choppo) and I alter them with feathered hooks and permanent marker paint jobs. I had noticed that the fish in particular areas quit striking my choppos in areas where I know the fish were. When I started altering the lures, they hit again.

pics of before and after with metallic markers View attachment 792295View attachment 792296

I like the gold one, they both look good though. I add red to all my lures that don’t have any on them already, some guy at a shop mentioned it and it seemed like a good idea, lol.

I’m maybe gonna toss some inline spinners too I figure, I like the idea of them but I haven’t quite mastered them yet. Got a bunch of panther martins lots of sizes and colors so it’ll be busy tying and re-tying knots if I do but either way I’m excited to check out this stretch of water.

 

[nhbbear]

I like the gold one, they both look good though. I add red to all my lures that don’t have any on them already, some guy at a shop mentioned it and it seemed like a good idea, lol.

I’m maybe gonna toss some inline spinners too I figure, I like the idea of them but I haven’t quite mastered them yet. Got a bunch of panther martins lots of sizes and colors so it’ll be busy tying and re-tying knots if I do but either way I’m excited to check out this stretch of water.

I used to do real good with Mepps Aglia 2’s in silver. Throw them into the current. I used to catch 10-20 fish on an average night, but they were much smaller bass. Since I switched to mostly too water, I catch much bigger fish.

I also used to kill with the banjo minnow-the old school ones, not the crappy new ones.

 

[nhbbear]

Hit my creek tonight. Bite was tough. Missed 5, with two being real good fish. Caught 4, with the biggest around 2 lbs.

 

[nhbbear]

Braved a thunderstorm tonight to catch this 2.7 lb smallie on a whopper plopper. Lost an even bigger one on a lunkerhunt spider that I tossed into a downed tree. First fish I actually hooked on this lure and I had just enough time to say “holy shit, it’s big.” And then the line broke

 

[Fugazy]

Braved a thunderstorm tonight to catch this 2.7 lb smallie on a whopper plopper. Lost an even bigger one on a lunkerhunt spider that I tossed into a downed tree. First fish I actually hooked on this lure and I had just enough time to say “holy shit, it’s big.” And then the line broke View attachment 793171

Nice one, that’s a fairly light color smallie, round here they are a deep brown/copper color.

I got skunked on that river. It was a lot deeper than I thought, maybe 15 feet almost straight down right off the bank.

I need some deeper running crankbaits for that piece of water, but I actually had a really good time. I wasn’t out there as long as I wanted to be but next chance I’ve got I’m gonna figure it out. I went during the evening, from about 6:45-8. Best (only) action I got was on a #6 brown and yellow gold blades panther Martin with a dressed hook. I felt a good heavy thump on it a couple times, like the fish literally hit it and missed the bite. I might have been burning it too fast. I’d guess it was a largemouth, that’s mostly what’s over there this time of year, someone told me they find walleye in there once in a while but I’m skeptical. There was a couple out there fishing too, they took the nice platform, the guy had about 6 rods laid out and kept hoping back and forth, they didn’t land anything either. We did make eye contact when a bass broke the surface to grab an insect and just laughed.

 

[ShackleMeNot]

I live in WV, but we vacation in NC every year. I used to fish Greenfield lake, this year I discovered a creek called Burnt Mill Creek, and it feels so weird to fish a creek with largemouth. My creeks have smallies almost exclusively with a few areas near the river and one lake.

I saw so many spots along 77 on my way to and from chicago last week. I'm in raleigh, mostly fish the 2 bigger lakes in the area and occasionally kerr lake dam

 

[nhbbear]

I saw so many spots along 77 on my way to and from chicago last week. I'm in raleigh, mostly fish the 2 bigger lakes in the area and occasionally kerr lake dam

You guys have nice areas to fish down there-largemouth especially, but I have to say that I am appreciating my area more and more for what it offers. I post my fish on a Facebook page and fishing apps and I get messages and requests to fish usually after posting my fish. My wife and I call it Fish GRNDR. I have fished with a few guys that I met in this way-I haven’t ended up dismembered and in a suitcase yet, but what my posting has shown me is that I am tapped into the fishing in this area in ways that few others are, and that is pretty cool. It has made me appreciate the skills And knowledge I have developed over the last year.

 

[nhbbear]

Nice one, that’s a fairly light color smaller, round here they are a deep brown/copper color.

I got skunked on that river. It was a lot deeper than I thought, maybe 15 feet almost straight down right off the bank.

I need some deeper running crankbaits for that piece of water, but I actually had a really good time. I wasn’t out there as long as I wanted to be but next chance I’ve got I’m gonna figure it out. I went during the evening, from about 6:45-8. Best (only) action I got was on a #6 brown and yellow gold blades panther Martin with a dressed hook. I felt a good heavy thump on it a couple times, like the fish literally hit it and missed the bite. I might have been burning it too fast. I’d guess it was a largemouth, that’s mostly what’s over there this time of year, someone told me they find walleye in there once in a while but I’m skeptical. There was a couple out there fishing too, they took the nice platform, the guy had about 6 rods laid out and kept hoping back and forth, they didn’t land anything either. We did make eye contact when a bass broke the surface to grab an insect and just laughed.

The fish are darker when they live in deeper water or stay under cover like Lilly pads. The smallies I go after are in shallow water-less than six feet, usually in 2-3 ft.

With the depth you are fishing, I would try a couple things. Cranks are always a good bet, but I would definitely toss in some plastics-Texas rigged, wacky rigged, and weightless senko style worms. Def try a ned rig as well-either a zman crawfish or zman ned worm in coppertruese work well for me.

When it gets dark, try a choppo or whopper plopper cast parallel to the bank and around cover.
It may take a couple of trips to figure out what those fish want. I know my waters real well and it sometimes takes me a few hours to figure out what they want thrown and speeds of retrieve. Just remember when you get a strike what you were doing. If I am not getting a hit, I purposefully reel faster or intermittent to see if i draw a strike-then repeat.

 

[ShackleMeNot]

You guys have nice areas to fish down there-largemouth especially, but I have to say that I am appreciating my area more and more for what it offers. I post my fish on a Facebook page and fishing apps and I get messages and requests to fish usually after posting my fish. My wife and I call it Fish GRNDR. I have fished with a few guys that I met in this way-I haven’t ended up dismembered and in a suitcase yet, but what my posting has shown me is that I am tapped into the fishing in this area in ways that few others are, and that is pretty cool. It has made me appreciate the skills And knowledge I have developed over the last year.

We mostly fish for the big cats. I did just buy a smaller rod/reel though so I'll probably start trying for other stuff, I know falls lake has a decent amount of bass in it

 

[nhbbear]

Today’s haul. Two bass caught, lost a few that got wrapped on the trees on the bottom. Biggest was 3 lbs 4 oz.

 

[nhbbear]

We mostly fish for the big cats. I did just buy a smaller rod/reel though so I'll probably start trying for other stuff, I know falls lake has a decent amount of bass in it

I caught a few cats this year while bass fishing, but I haven’t targeted cats in many years except for the annual cat tournament for my old department. I just love the action of bass fishing

 

[ShackleMeNot]

Landed my first bowfin tonight on the eno river. Put up a decent fight, thought it was a cat at first because it kept coming in towards the bank and diving down

 

[Fugazy]

Landed my first bowfin tonight on the eno river. Put up a decent fight, thought it was a cat at first because it kept coming in towards the bank and diving downView attachment 793965

What kind of bait?

 

[jefferz]

I caught a few cats this year while bass fishing, but I haven’t targeted cats in many years except for the annual cat tournament for my old department. I just love the action of bass fishing

What type of cats you catching?