By Darin Brown
Catfish are being caught all over the lakes. The larger ones have been coming in from the tailraces behind Tuckertown and High Rock dams. Most of the larger fish (15+ pounds) are being caught on live shad or live bream. For cat’s in the 2 to 15 pound range Catfish Charlie dip bait, cut shad and live night crawlers are working well.
Tuckertown Lake has been the hot spot for catching largemouth bass lately. Creature baits like the Zoom® Brush Hogs and the Missle D-Bomb baits are catching fish in good numbers and size. On overcast days topwater frogs fished over the grass are producing large fish. Others are catching good fish on large worms like the Zoom® Ol Monster or Mag II baits. On High Rock and Badin deep diving crankbaits like the Rapala® DT’s or the Strike King® XD’s are producing well.
Large white perch are still being caught on Badin Lake, especially down in the Beaver Dam Creek area of the lake. Very small spoons or just little pieces of cut shad on a small hook works great for these prolific panfish. White bass and white perch look similar when they are small and often are in the same areas. White bass now have a 14 inch minimum size and a daily creel limit of 10 fish. Be careful that you do not accidentally put an undersized white bass in the live well thinking it is a white perch. If you are not sure how to tell the difference we have a short write up on our Facebook page about the differences in the two species.
We are seeing some nice white bass coming in off of Badin Lake. This is good to see since they have been virtually non-existent the last few years. Rooster Tails, small crankbaits, and small spoons are catching them. On cloudy or overcast days look for schools of them chasing shad. Watch for birds diving for the shad. Remember the new size and creel limit. (14” minimum and a creel limit of 10 fish)
Darin Brown
Hwy. 49 Sporting Goods
www.49sports.com
(704) 463-7053