Photo courtesy of Don Williams
Fishin’ With Capt. Gus! Lake Norman’s Winter Birds 12/4/11-don-williams-11-2011.jpg
Eight year old, Jenna Washburn shows a flathead catfish caught while fishing with her Grandfather, Don Williams of Mooresville, NC



Fishin’ With Capt. Gus!
Lake Norman’s Winter Birds
12/4/11



Colder weather brings with it an influx of sea birds and an increase in the duck and geese population on Norman and other area lakes. Loons, another migratory waterfowl, arel also seen from late fall until early spring.



While certain birds travel long distances to winter on Lake Norman, others, like the osprey (fish hawk), choose to spend their vacation in the warmer areas of the southern United States, Mexico and Central America. The blue heron, a Lake Norman icon, is present year round, but its population thins significantly during cold weather.



Cold temperatures, iced over ponds/lakes and a lack of forage are the driving reasons that birds fly south for the winter. These annual migrations go unnoticed by many, but are welcomed by fishermen, who use seabirds and loons to help locate schools of bait that stripers, bass, hybrids and white perch feed on. When terns and gulls are seen flying low to the water and picking up random shad from the surface, savvy anglers know that larger fish are feeding below. Better yet, when seabirds begin to swirl and dive in a tight clump, it’s a known fact that game fish are feeding on the surface and easy to catch.



Loons spend most of their time swimming, not flying. When they sense a school of baitfish below, they dive and spear the unsuspecting prey with their sharp beaks. At times, dozens of loons will gather and dive in formation to roundup and devour their prey. Again, this activity leads the angler to an area where game fish are likely feeding. To a lesser degree, blue herons, kingfishers and crows also show the way to feeding fish.



While blue heron silently stalk the shallows, the noisy kingfisher dives into the water from vantage points high above. At other times, they simply fly from the sky into a school of bait swimming below. Kingfishers are a sight to see when they leap from a tree branch with the grace of an Olympic high diver to snare a meal. Since the king fisher is rather small, it’s hard to see, but is easily recognized by the loud rattling sound it makes while hunting.



A bird, not thought to be a live fish eater, is the crow. But at times, they will dive for baitfish with the terns and gulls, or can be seen hopping along the bank where they eat flopping baitfish that have been chased to shore by feeding bass or stripers.



In March, the osprey and blue heron return to the lake, while the seabirds and migratory waterfowl begin to fly north to start another nesting season. Their departure will be especially missed by fishermen.



Tips from Capt. Gus:

Just before sunset each winter night, tens of thousands of seabirds raft up to spend the night in the open waters of Reed and Ramsey Creeks. At sunrise, they fly away in groups to their daytime hunting grounds on the lake or in the mall parking lots!



Upcoming Events:

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

A Free Safe Boating Class on “How to Navigate Lake Norman in Low Water” will be held at North Point Watersports, 112 Doolie Road, Mooresville, NC 28117 on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Topics for discussion will include “Understanding Lake Norman’s Channel Marker and Buoy System”, “Identifying and Learning How to Avoid the Ten Most Dangerous Spots”, and “Safely Navigating In Low Water Conditions.” For more information, call me @ 704-617-6812 or email Gus@LakeNoman.com.



Hot Spots of the Week: Spotted bass fishing has been phenomenal. Anglers fishing at dawn are reporting catches of five fish limits before the sun clears the horizon. Best results are with buzz baits thrown rip-rap points and adjacent to exposed rock piles and stumps. White perch and crappie are being caught in Little and Mountain Creeks on small minnows in around submerged brush piles.

The lake level on Lake Norman is about 2.6' from full pond and down 2.9' on Mountain Island Lake. The water’s surface temperature is in the fifties and low sixties.

Captain Gus Gustafson, is licensed by the US Coast Guard, 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.