The Science Line: The Best Lure For Lake Norman
By Jake Bussolini
I have always been intrigued at professional fishing tournament weigh-ins when the pros parade across the stage to show their prize catches and when asked by the program moderator, they mention the lure that caught their prize fish. I remember several years ago when I attended my first weigh-in I heard the tournament winner mention the name of the lure that won him the top prize. The next afternoon as I was passing Gander Mountain in Mooresville which was still open at the time, I decided to go in and buy me one of those prize-winning crank bait lures. Of course, much to my surprise the store was completely sold out of any lure that even looked like the one in question.
Of course, I thought, that Pro was sponsored by that lure company and there was some probability that he never used that specific lure but it sure presented him a great opportunity to advertise it for his sponsor.
Not all anglers have sponsors and many of the regular anglers of Lake Norman are very willing to share their secrets about equipment and procedures. In a recent issue of The Angler, Michelle Armstrong shared some great information about her top 10 lures. Michelle is a pro, but she has been very generous with her time helping others experience the joy of hauling in a big Lake Norman bass.
Well, I am not a professional fisherman and I have no sponsors, but I do have a lure that I believe is the best lure to use to catch fish on Lake Norman. Years ago, I might have called it a version of a Hopkins lure. Today it is simply my old standby chartreuse jigging lure
Without exaggeration, over the last ten years I have caught more than 1000 fish with this jig. There have been days that I caught so many fish with it that I cut off two of the hooks just to prevent causing damage to the smaller fish. It doesnât take much skill to use this lure. You donât cast it, you donât flip it, you donât troll it, you simply find the fish on your sonar and jig the lure straight up and down to the depth where the fish were seen. Most of the time you will get a fish on the first drop but if that doesnât happen, do not fear, it wonât take long to get your first bass or perch. I have even caught crappie and an occasional catfish jigging this lure.
Unfortunately, you wonât find this lure in your local fishing supply store. There are two people that make these lures locally. The first one to do it was Tackle Town, mentioned by Michelle in her recent article. Another local rod and lure maker, Roger Eddy of Mooresville has been making this and many other excellent lures.
There have been several reports of local anglers finding schools of hybrids and pulling them into the boat as fast as they can drop the lure. There is however a slight technique that works well with this jig. Most of the time the fish will hit the jig on the way down. Properly jigging the lure makes if float downward with an action that looks like a wounded bait fish and those are the ones that the predators go after first. You will feel a slight bump as you lower the lure and you immediately put a slight tug on the rod tip to set the hook. This lure does not contain circle hooks so a hook set is needed. As soon as you feel the fish on, make sure you do not give the line any slack because these Lake Norman fish are educated and they will find a way to wiggle off if you let the line slack.
In one of my recent fishing lectures, I labeled this lure âmy lure of the decadeâ because I have caught more fish with this lure on Lake Norman than any other lure that I have even owned. Some anglers say that almost any color for this lure works just effectively. One popular Lake Norman guide alternates with white and chartreuse but my experience clearly indicates that any color works well as long as it is chartreuse and I stick solely with that color.
Of course the trick to success with this lure is to find the schools of fish that are in their feeding mode. This usually takes place in the spring prior to the spawn and then all summer long. I dedicate one rod to this lure and I always have it easily accessible. As soon as I spot a group of fish on my sonar, sometimes as few as three fish, I grab that rod and lower the jig and within seconds I have a fish in the boat.
Jake Bussolini is a freelance writer who has written eight books about freshwater fishing. His books can be viewed and purchased at www.booksbyjake.com.
Jake Bussolini – Writes about The Science of Fishing  Jake has spent the last 20 years re-directing his lifeâs efforts toward sharing his knowledge and fishing experiences with others. As the author of several books about freshwater fishing, Jake has taken the unusual route of investigating the science behind the sport. His books and other writings offer the unique opportunity to understand the strategies for catching more and bigger fish, while attempting to provide the scientific facts that control the behavior of the fish and their natural surroundings.