Fishin’ With Capt. Gus!
Locating Winter Fish
January 8, 2012



Photo courtesy of Capt. Gus:
Fishin’ With Capt. Gus! Locating Winter Fish January 8, 2012-johnpe-1.jpg
Austyn Petyan of Mt. Holly, NC holding a Lake Norman striped bass caught on a holiday fishing trip with brother Dustyn and dad John.



An easy way to locate feeding fish in January is to watch for diving sea birds. They identify the exact places where stripers, bass or white perch are chasing forage fish to the surface. The feeder fish are squeezed by the predators from below and the birds from above. Surface feeding activity can result in a memorable fishing trip, but don’t expect it to happen every day.

When fish aren’t surface feeding, they move deeper into the water column, where temperatures are a few degrees warmer. If in doubt, fish deeper. In addition to temperature considerations, herring live in deep water. This forage fish is the one most sought after by the deep swimming stripers, spotted bass and white perch.

When fish are deep, your fish finder is useful in helping to locate them below the surface. Constant surveillance of the screen will eventually show their presence. When the “Fish ID Mode” is disabled, fish will appear as arches. The thicker the arch, the larger the fish will be. A concentration of arches indicates that a school of fish is under the boat. Arches appear from time to time throughout the water column, but pay particular attention to those shown mid-way in the column. They usually indicate actively feeding and easy to catch fish.



Very cold water drives fish to the hot water discharge channels of Lake Norman's two power plants. Hot hole fish can be caught by using a multitude of fishing methods, including tossing surface lures when fish are feeding on top. But, most of the time, live baits, buck tails and spoons work best when fish are deep.



On sunny afternoons, large bass and stripers will sometimes cruise or not move at all in extremely shallow water. When that happens, they are not there to feed but to warm their bodies from the heat generated by the rays of the sun, but can be tempted into biting.



Tips from Capt. Gus: Regardless of how or where you fish in late winter, be prepared for chilly mornings and cold days, particularly when a weather front has just passed. Regulars, usually have a propane heater on board to warm wet hands and cold faces. Single, double or triple heater heads are mounted atop twenty pound propane tanks. Others use smaller catalytic heaters mounted on one pound disposable cylinders.



Upcoming Events:
FREE SEMINAR - “How to Safely Navigate Lake Norman Using Sonar and GPS.” Join me on Wednesday, January 11, 2012, 6:30 p.m. at North Point Watersports, 112 Doolie Road, Mooresville, NC to learn the “Basics of Sonar and GPS.” Bring your questions and instruction booklets to this informative ninety minute boating safety session. Call 704-799-1994 for more information.



FREE SEMINAR - “How To Use Your Lowrance or Humminbird Fish Finder to Catch Bass, White Perch and Stripers” - Jake Bussolini, Bill Hassig and I will conduct this all new fish finder seminar on Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 6:30 p.m. at Gander Mountain, Exit 36 in Mooresville, NC. Bring your questions and instruction booklets to this ninety minute seminar. For additional information, call 704 658 0822.



Hot Spots of the Week: Diving seabirds are showing the way to feeding bass, perch and stripers. Best bets on the north end of Lake Norman are Stumpy, Rocky and Hicks Creeks where surface feeding occurs mainly in the morning and on cloudy days. To the south, fishing is similar in Mountain, Lucky and Reed Creeks. On sunny afternoons, bass are hitting buzz baits on shallow stumpy points and in the backs of coves. Perch and crappie fishing is very good on small jigs, minnows fished over deep brush and in open water on Sabiki rigs.



The surface water temperature is in the forties and low fifties. The lake level is about 2.5' below full pond on Lake Norman. Mountain Island Lake is approximately 3.0’ below full pond.



Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and is a full time Professional Fishing Guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his website at www.fishingwithgus.com or call 704 617-6812. For additional information, email him at Gus@Gus@lakenorman.com.