By Aaron Kephart
November is one of my favorite months to fish the Murphy area lakes. Generally speaking, the fish are grouped up, and all of the pleasure boating traffic is gone. Angler numbers are also down with the opening of rifle season for deer. Depending on the weather we have had and the corresponding effect on water temperatures and clarity, November can offer some spectacular fishing, and you can catch fish using methods that are not as effective as they are at other times of the year. With that in mind, here is what should be happening on the Murphy area lakes.
Apalachia
November is traditionally an awesome time to fish this incredible lake. I generally catch fish on a wide variety of baits this time of year on Apalachia, and the trophy smallmouth will often start to group in their winter locations. It also isn’t too cold for the big largemouth, which should still be biting well. The trout should start showing back up towards the later part of the month, and last year, we ran into quite a few of the gigantic yellow perch during November, while we were bass fishing. There is never a bad time (in my opinion) to fish this lake, but November just might be one of the best.
Hiwassee
In my 30 years of fishing Hiwassee, I have learned that the most reliable fishing on this deep, clear lake is usually between mid-November and early April. Spotted bass and largemouth are starting to school in deep winter holes, largemouth are still accessible and often aggressive in the rivers and creeks, and the stripers are following the baitfish migration into warmer, shallower water. This is usually the time of year when a few bonus walleye start showing back up as well.
Chatuge
November is also prime time for the big spotted bass bite on Chatuge. Fish essentially follow similar migration routes to those that they took in the Spring, but in reverse. They are feeding heavily in preparation for a long winter, and this is certainly one of the better times of year to get on some huge spotted bass and hybrids. A huge bonus on Chatuge during this time of year is that the lower temperatures have the hundreds of recreational boaters mostly at home, which opens up more possibilities and makes a day on the lake more enjoyable.
If you are planning a trip to the Murphy area and would like to experience some of the incredible fishing that our beautiful mountain lakes have to offer, please let me know. We are blessed to have some incredible trophy smallmouth, largemouth, spotted bass, hybrid striper, striped bass, and trout fishing. I have over 30 years of experience on all of these lakes, and I would love to show you around. Thanks, and have a great day!
Aaron Kephart is the Owner of Mountain Lakes Guide Service. To book a guided trip on one of the Murphy area mountain lakes, contact him by phone at 865-466-1345 or by email at mtnlakesguide@outlook.com Check out his website at http://www.mtnlakesguideservice.com and catch him on facebook@mountainlakesguideservice
