Photo Courtesy of Capt. Gus
Fishin’ with Capt. Gus! December Expectations November 27, 2011-nan-hollland-edward.jpg
Edward Holland of Mooresville holding two white perch caught at the same time while fishing with his mother Nan Holland.



Fishin’ with Capt. Gus!
December Expectations
November 27, 2011



Early in the month of December, fishing conditions are usually fall-like, which cause bass, perch and stripers to remain in shallower water. As the month progresses and colder weather arrives, they go deeper and usually gravitate to the warm waters surrounding Lake Norman’s power plants.



Bass fishing takes center stage as many anglers prepare for the Ryan Newman Foundation Charity Tournament, scheduled for the second Saturday of the month. While spotted bass are plentiful, their average weight doesn’t equal that of largemouth, the targeted black bass of tournament anglers.



Winter largemouth bass will be holding tight to cover in submerged brush piles, downed trees or under any of the thousands of docks that dot the shoreline. On the other hand, spotted bass will be free roaming in schools searching for baitfish. As usual, anglers who find large concentrations of bait will likely find spotted bass nearby.



White perch, a saltwater cousin of the striped bass, favor December’s cooling water temperatures, and as with the spotted bass, they show up in areas with large concentrations of bait fish. As a rule, the bigger early winter perch locate on the bottom in water to fifty feet. The easiest way to find them is with a fish finder, but on most days, they are so plentiful that they can also be found while slow drifting live baits. In either case, once a school is located, throw over a marker buoy to identify the spot.



Like perch, crappie will be active throughout the month. Best bets are the pilings around the main channel Highway 150 Bridge or any of the bridges in Mountain Creek (4). Bridges aside, Mountain Creek, with many brush piles positioned on the bottom over the years, is one of the best arms of Lake Norman to catch crappie in December. Again, use your fish finder to locate brush, and then mark it with a buoy or a waypoint on your GPS. Cold water crappie prefer minnows over jigs. The smell of a minnow will tempt even well fed crappie into biting. Remember, the Lake Norman creel limit is twenty crappie at a minimum of eight inches each.



Catfish are affected the most by cooling water temperatures. They don’t stop feeding, but their metabolism slows to the point that they don’t eat as frequently. For this reason, many anglers prefer to fish the warmer waters near the power plants.



Upcoming Events:
Ryan Newman Foundation 6th Annual Charity Fishing Tournament
Date: Saturday, December 10, 2011
Time: 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Place: Blythe Landing on Lake Norman, Huntersville, NC.
For more information: http://www.ryannewmanfoundation.org



Winter Fishing Tips from Capt. Gus:
* Wear latex surgical gloves to keep hands dry when dipping bait.
* Boots with 200 grams or more of Thinsulate will keep your feet warm on cold days.
* Pocket warmers can be purchased at local tackle shops. They last all day.
* Gore-Tex outerwear will keep wind and rain from penetrating your clothing.



Hot Spots of the Week:
Pleasing to holiday weekend anglers, perch and spotted bass are biting. Some reports indicate that spotted bass are so plentiful, that they are being caught two and three at a time on Alabama and Sabiki rigs. Bass are schooling over submerged brush piles near water islands and in the middle of coves. White perch are also hitting Sabiki rigs fished vertically and on crappie minnows positioned near the bottom. Anglers fishing deep brush piles and bridge pilings are catching twenty fish limits of crappie (some over fifteen inches in length.)



The lake level on Lake Norman is down about 3.8’ from full pond and down 3.0' on Mountain Island Lake. The water surface temperature is in the fifties and low sixties.



Captain Gus Gustafson, licensed by the US Coast Guard, is a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and a Professional Sport Fishing Guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his website at www.FishingWithGus.com , e-mail him at Gus@lakenorman.com or call 704-617-6812.