By Shane Goebel
January’s here and the holidays are gone. It’s time to put those awesome Christmas fishing gifts to good use, and there’s no better place to start than on this excellent western North Carolina reservoir. Located in Murphy, North Carolina, Lake Hiwassee offers some amazing striper fishing. For me, January seems to really kick off the start of monster striper season. So, if Santa forgot to leave you those rods and reels, just book a trip with Murphy, NC’s #1 and only fulltime striper guide: Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service. We specialize in striper and hybrid fishing on these mountain lakes and have what it takes to put you on some huge trophy stripers.
Currently, the water temps are in the upper 40’s. The water clarity is clear in the main lake area, and the backs of creeks are slightly stained. Water levels on Lake Hiwassee are extremely low, about 32 feet below June’s water levels but no worries. It just concentrates the fish.
Striper fishing is EXCELLENT lately. We are still catching a lot of nice fish every morning. Averaging 20 to 30 a trip. We’ve already had several big fish in the 20 to 40 pound range. Most of our fish are being caught early in the morning on planer boards and free lines with either live bluebacks or big gizzard shad. We’ve also had an incredible downline bite once the sun gets up. This is pretty typical for this time of year. Look for these hard fighting stripers in the backs of creeks, all the way out the mouths of creeks. We’ve also been picking up some nice fish in the rivers.
In the upcoming month, look for stripers to be searching for warmer water, especially on cold sunny days. Continue to work the backs of creeks, around shallow humps and in the river. Pulling planer boards and free lines with live blueback herring and gizzard shad will be your best technique for landing these wintertime monsters. Keep an eye out for seagulls and schools of baitfish. It’s not uncommon to see stripers crushing bait right under those birds. I like to cast a Red Fin or a fluke right into these guys for some nice top-water action.
January is a fantastic month for catching a lot of stripers on this western North Carolina lake. Give Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service a call and let the area’s #1 rated guide service put you on some of Lake Hiwassee’s best trophy stripers during the fishing trip of a lifetime. We are Murphy, NC’s premier full-time guide service, specializing in striped and hybrid bass. We also serve Lakes Nottely, Chatuge, and Lake Blue Ridge. And for all your live bait and tackle needs, check out Hughes General Store in Blairsville, GA. They carry everything you need for a successful day of fishing and have the best live herring around. So, come fish with the pros for the opportunity to be featured in Angler Magazine, and let us help you get your fish on!
Shane Goebel is the Owner of Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service and a member of The Angler Fishing Team. Contact him at www.bigolfish.com or (828) 361-2021 / 1-(844)-4-ANGLER.