Lake Norman Tips?

[clemsondds]

Hey, looking to head down to lake norman next week for a few days.  I've never been on the lake. I'll be staying on the southside close to Lucky creek.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated.  I was looking to get the lakemaster chip but noticed Lake Norman isn't on it.  Can anyone confirm this?  I was shocked to see that. Will be looking to do early morning (dawn) and then also some evening/night fishing. Thanks! 

[Lasher]

Lake Norman is a ritzy lake for Wells Fargo bankers and Nascar owners.  Gigantic houses and lots of pleasure boaters who don't always respect fisherman.  Saying that, it's a big lake with lots of coves.  I've caught spots and largemouths 2-3lbs and some good numbers days, but it can be a tough lake.  Finesse fishing of dropshot, senkos, and shakeyheads seemed to be more productive than moving baits.

[clemsondds]

Ok thanks! Can you give me some coves/branches to give a try at? Or just any? Is more the more north on the lake you go the better? Thanks again! 

[spartyon8]

For me, the north end of the lake and the coves are my best producers. I pitch shakey heads and trigs to selective docks and trees. Mostly those things on points. Never really had much bite on the main lake or flat stretches of cove. 

[clemsondds]

Ok thanks!  Anyone else?  Unfortunately, I won't have a ton of time, so I'll probably stick to the south side of the lake.  Thanks again!

[clemsondds]

Just got on the lake last night. Definitely a tough lake to navigate at night...lots of shoals!  Didn’t have any luck this morning...high wind. Only had an hour or so. Just did topwater mostly. Any other tips? 

[VolFan]

Shad raps on the outside edge of cover/structure has always gotten me numbers there and downstream in Mountain Island. Those spots are pretty aggressive on anything that looks like a small shad.

[clemsondds]

Thank you!! Yeh I had pretty good luck with a 3xd shad. Was hoping to find a lmb but only got spots. But they are fun to catch...had a two ponder but mostly 1-1.5 lbs.  I think I ended up with around 10. Thanks again for the help! 

[BareHook]

If still in the area, check out Carolina Fishing Tackle, they have an amazing selection of imported swim baits.

Most are way beyond a reasonable budget but really cool to shop and look

[clemsondds]

Hey, just wondering if anyone has any updated tips on lake Norman? Heading there next week. Mid lake. 

[VolFan]

Same as before, should be some schools of shad starting to form. If you find spots in open water, they tend to school by size so if you’re catching 1-2 lb fish, try to find a school of bigger. T-rigs or shaken heads around docks for getting a bigger largemouth, but they can be elusive. I like creature baits in either red/black if you’re around sediment and vegetation or green pumpkin/blue on the rocks. Also great offshore on a football swing head around rock piles/scattered rocks.

[spartyon8]

My biggest producer on Norman is a ned rig in watermelon red or green pumpkin. My biggest bass came off a texas rigged tube after a storm on the north end of the lake near the Duke Energy park. In fact, my only success is on the north end of the lake. 

[clemsondds]

18 hours ago, VolFan said:

Same as before, should be some schools of shad starting to form. If you find spots in open water, they tend to school by size so if you’re catching 1-2 lb fish, try to find a school of bigger. T-rigs or shaken heads around docks for getting a bigger largemouth, but they can be elusive. I like creature baits in either red/black if you’re around sediment and vegetation or green pumpkin/blue on the rocks. Also great offshore on a football swing head around rock piles/scattered rocks.

Appreicate the feedback.  Do you find the areas where houses/docks are less dense are more productive?  For example, the western side of the lake vs the easter/Cornelius/charlotte side.  Or does it not matter?

[VolFan]

I mostly base it on the time of year, access to deep water, my mood, moon phase, and which ramp I end up at. Generally I haven’t seen a huge difference but I like the west side better in general.

[spartyon8]

17 minutes ago, VolFan said:

I mostly base it on the time of year, access to deep water, my mood, moon phase, and which ramp I end up at. Generally I haven’t seen a huge difference but I like the west side better in general.

I should put some more time on the west side. It is hard to not hit docks hard as they are everywhere one th east side. I also struggle with convincing myself to run away from the north side of the lake. I have yet to catch a bass south of the 150 bridge. Water is too clear for me. 

[VolFan]

I tend to feel like their strike zone is bigger in the clearer water, but the fish are a little harder to locate. Where mud and rocks meet is usually where I find decent fish, bonus if it’s on a point with some veg and deeper water nearby. There’s also a ton of structure in less than 20 ft of water that’s great for wobble heads or t-rigs. As you get further south you get more boat traffic and wind, and it gets sketchier in the summer, especially trying to fish offshore a little.

[FishTax]

I like going because of the clear water. Especially when they are shallow, I learn more about behavior from standing and watching how bass interact with their surroundings and my lures than I do fishing blind, even if I'm not getting bit. 

[clemsondds]

Had a good time! Definitely tons of bait in the backs of creeks on points. My dad and I crushed them the first day. Caught larger sizes on docks near secondary points on a jig. Thanks everyone for your help!