By Bob Curan
Fishing on Lake Norman this spring has been excellent, and the month of June should produce similar results if the water temp doesn’t rise too fast! Average surface water temps in June range from 80 to 85 degrees. Most Bass & Crappie have successfully spawned and have moved out away from the shallow bedding areas. They do however come into this same shallow water to feed on the small fry and bream. The Bream have spawned and there is an abundance of small fry in and around the shorelines and especially near Rip-Rap. Bass like to eat bream so fishing where you find these small hatchlings should be part of your daily strategy. The Top-Water activity picks up in June especially in early morning and at dusk. I like to use a Whopper Plopper, Zara Spook, Buzz Baits, and small plugs.
Bass can be caught as they move just off banks into deeper water with crank baits, jerk baits, swim baits, and spinner baits. Also, live bait works great too. I catch shad and alewives at night in about 10-15 feet of water back in coves and use these on a 1/0 Aberdeen hook or a 1/0 circle hook on a Carolina rig (with small split shot) around docks with 15+ feet of water and catch lots of bass. I also use small 4-5 inch white perch for bait and catch some nice bass.
Crappie will also move back into deeper water in creek mouths in late May/early June and hang around drop-offs, points, and any brush or structure such as deep docks as water temps continue to rise during June. Crappie can be had using jigs with variety of colors tipped with small minnows or on bottom type rigs with minnows.
White perch will be in the coves in water to thirty feet deep. Most are being
caught on live minnows, small spoons, Sabiki rigs and crappie jigs. A small piece of cut bait on Sabiki Rig hooks will enhance the bite. Cat fishing will improve as water temperatures approach eighty degrees. Chicken, fresh cut bream, Shad, Alewives, and white perch are good bait choices for blue cats and Channel cats. These cats will both take live baits and Blue Cats eat lots of freshwater clams/mussels so anywhere you can find these the blue cats will be in the area.
Summer is a great time to be out on Lake Norman so grab some fishing rods, your tackle boxes and bags, and go wet some lines. Enjoy your time and take a kid fishing with you!!