By Shane Goebel
Summer is finally here! The weather is beautiful, the water is warmer, and the fish are going absolutely crazy—it’s the perfect time to hit the lake and catch some amazing stripers! What’s the best way to do that? By booking a trip with Murphy, NC’s #1 striper guide service: Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service.
Lake Hiwassee is unbelievable for summer striper fishing. There’s nothing like starting your day off with the birds chirping, morning fog lifting, and an explosion of stripers slamming all your rods. It’s a feeding frenzy of schooled-up stripers and mass chaos of loading the boat with tons of fish. It’s not uncommon for us to boat 30-40 fish per trip out here on this serene Western North Carolina lake.
Currently, Lake Hiwassee is almost at full pool. Water clarity is clear throughout the lake, and water temps are in the mid-to-upper 60’s.
Striper fishing is unbelievably excellent. We have been loading the boat with some big fish in good quantities. We’ve been averaging about 20 to 30 stripers a morning with several of our fish in the 20-35 pound range. We’ve even had a few 35-40 pound fish on other nearby lakes. The early-morning and evening bites are your best times to see action. In the early morning hours, we are still mixing it up with planer boards and free lines with live blueback herring and shad, Very light tackle and down lines. As the sun comes up in the later morning hours, start to focus on deeper water and switch to all down lines. Target creek mouths and points off the main channel. As the top-water bite has also been excellent, keep a spook or a Red Fin at the ready to snag those surface-busting fish. By mid-month, these fish will really start to school up and we’ll switch to all an all-down line bite. Just remember to keep an eye on your electronics and watch for schools off stripers. Also remember to try to get the fish back into the water as quick as possible.
June is a fantastic month for catching a lot of trophy stripers on this 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 and Blairsville Georgia’s premier full-time guide service, specializing in striped and hybrid bass. We also serve Lakes Nottely and Chatuge (in North Carolina), and Lake Blue Ridge in Blue Ridge, GA. 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 owns Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service and is a member of The Angler Magazine Fishing Team. See the website at www.bigolfish.com or call (828) 361-2021.