By Shane Goebel
In like a lion, out like a lamb. This ole folklore is so true for the Western North Carolina mountains. As early spring approaches and brings with it hard to predict weather patterns, one thing is sure to be consistent, and that is that the striper fishing will keep getting better on Lake Hiwassee. For us, March has always been an awesome month for catching some huge striped bass. Especially on some lite tackle. There’s nothing more exciting than reeling a 30 pound striper on an ultra-lite rod.
Currently, Lake Hiwassee is 38 feet below full pool. Water temperatures have been in the high 40’s to low 50’s. Water clarity is clear in the main lake and just slightly stained in the backs of creeks.
Striper fishing has been super out here lately. We’ve had a very successful February. Most of the stripers we are catching have been in the 20 to 35 pound range, and we’re catching a ton of them too. As for techniques, continue the same as previous months. Pulling planer boards and free lines with live herring and gizzard shad in the mouths and backs of creeks. As you’re trolling, it’s always a good idea to work the banks by casting a Zara Spook or a Red Fin. This pattern should continue for the next month or so and increase as the stripers start their pre-spawn. With pre-spawn in mind, more and more stripers will start to stage in the mouths of creeks before heading back in to very shallow water.
The smallmouth and spotted bass bite has been extremely good. We are catching some very nice smallmouth and spots in the 4-5 lb. range and in large quantities. We are at least averaging 20 to 30 smallmouth and spotted bass a trip. Several largemouth in the 8 to 10 pound range have been caught as well. These spotted bass and smallmouth have been schooling up on points and shallow areas around the lake. Down-lining live bluebacks has been the best technique for catching a slew of these great bass in 15-25 feet of water. For the shallow water, early morning bite, keep a jerk bait, a Flex-It spoon, or a fluke on hand to work the banks and points.
March is a fantastic month for catching a lot of stripers and smallmouth 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 and Chatuge (in North Carolina), and Lake Blue Ridge in Blue Ridge, GA. 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.