By Ronnie Parris
Well folks, winter is finally here. After a crazy warm December and January, the temps are getting back to what we expect for winter weather in the mountains. February always means one thing to me, yellow perch fishing, and not just the small and medium size perch. If you want to catch the jumbos, Nantahala Lake is the place to be.
Nestled high in the mountains of Macon County, this lake is a paradise for perch. The earthen dam at Nantahala Lake was constructed in 1942 by Nantahala Power Company to supply power for the residents in the surrounding area. It consists of 30 miles of shoreline and is regulated by Duke Power. It is located at an altitude of 3000 feet so, as you would expect, the water temperature will stay slightly colder than most other mountain lakes, Usually in February, the temps will drop to the low 40s and I have even seen low 30s.
Unlike Fontana, they usually don’t drop water levels in the winter all that much so access is usually not a problem. There are 2 public access points. The one on the east side is Rocky branch and the one on the west side is Choga access. Both can be reached coming from Wayaha road. The lake gets most of its notoriety from its kokanee salmon population, which is a very good spring and early summer fishery. It also has good numbers of walleye, largemouth, smallmouth, crappie, catfish, rainbow, brown trout, sunfish, rock bass, and yellow perch.
February is the time I fish the lake the most and perch is always my target fish. I usually catch a mixed bag. You will always get a limit of nice sized smallmouth and largemouth bass this time of year. I use a variety of baits. As far as live bait, you can’t beat a live minnow. Many of the minnow imitations work just as well, such as gulp alive minnows. Flooks work really well too and will catch a large variety of fish, just remember the water is really cold and the fish will not be real aggressive, so don’t work your lures fast.
Days where I’m marking fish shallow, I like to work a jerk bait, or slow retrieve a small crank bait. Rapala’s, Xrap, and the Berkly flicker shad will both fill the bill for this technigue. If the fish are real “finicky” and will not chase a bait, try a shacky head rig using a worm or a crawfish for bass, or a small tube jig or crappie jig for the perch. I truly believe the next yellow perch will come from Nantahala Lake, I have caught some over 16 inches long. They are a beautiful fish and make for great table fair.
I usually like to tell you my favorite spots on the different lakes to fish but on Nantahala, I have caught fish on every section of shoreline. The lakes major feeder is Rainbow Springs but it has several smaller feeder creeks and branches. These are always good places to start looking for the perch. The lakes shoreline is dotted with a lot of fallen trees and brush piles and the perch like to get into this cover deep, so be prepared to loose a lot of hooks. I like to use the thin aberdean hooks when fishing brush piles, as you can usually get the hook to bend enough to turn loose. This lake is pristine; you will see very little debris of any kind, so be sure to help keep it this way!
As always, only keep as many fish as you need to eat. If you would like a chance at breaking a North Carolina perch record give me a call.
Ronnie Parris is the Owner and Head Guide of Smoky Mountain Outdoors Unlimited-Fontana Lake Fishing Guides, headquartered in Bryson City, North Caronina, heart of the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains. www.smounlimited.com.