New bass guy here

“J”

Twelve Pointer
Evening folks, new too the site and relocating to Davie county next month. Been bass fishing since the mid 80’s . Fish a lot of tournaments (local level) up here in Ohio and was hoping to get connected with a club or two in the area. I’ve fished Norman a couple times now and love the tenacity of the spots there. They are a heartier fish then we have up north. The spots up there are lazy compared to their counterparts at Norman ?
Looking forward too my time on the water in the coming future here in NC. Hope too see some of you on the water.
 

thelivecanary

Eight Pointer
Hey I moved to NC from Michigan and grew up fishing clean clear water. I'm still learning how to catch em in the clay murk. If you need advice im not your guy hahaha. Good Luck - Cheers.
 

LIZZRD

Eight Pointer
Welcome , plan on fishing the Piedmont , Jordan, Falls, Shearon Harris reservoirs ... where the big ones live :)
 

“J”

Twelve Pointer
Hey I moved to NC from Michigan and grew up fishing clean clear water. I'm still learning how to catch em in the clay murk. If you need advice im not your guy hahaha. Good Luck - Cheers.
Thanks, it’ll be a learning curve but we’ve done decent on Norman, so hopefully I can do the same on other bodies of water around here.
 

“J”

Twelve Pointer
Welcome , plan on fishing the Piedmont , Jordan, Falls, Shearon Harris reservoirs ... where the big ones live :)
Actually haven’t even gotten too look at the local lakes. Narmada, High Rock are writhing an hour or so. That’s good too me for now. My son lives in Camden SC and can be at the ramp on Norman outside of Mooresville in under 2 hours and I’ll be happy fishing with him there if that’s all there is.... He and I fished together since he’s been 2.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
Evening folks, new too the site and relocating to Davie county next month. Been bass fishing since the mid 80’s . Fish a lot of tournaments (local level) up here in Ohio and was hoping to get connected with a club or two in the area. I’ve fished Norman a couple times now and love the tenacity of the spots there. They are a heartier fish then we have up north. The spots up there are lazy compared to their counterparts at Norman ?
Looking forward too my time on the water in the coming future here in NC. Hope too see some of you on the water.
if you fished ohio river local tournaments you'll be very happy here :)

.just to your east you have the yadkin chain highlighted in last years MLF championship. Then a little further east you have some fine easy big fish spring fishing that has already been mentioned. Being retired; harris; jordan and falls will delight you with their weekday fishing. jordan just had a small derby on a Sunday and it took 20lbs to get a check. Come spring that number may be 30.

Lotsa good bass fishing around and of course Norman's spots are fun. but with your time you can do better.
 

“J”

Twelve Pointer
if you fished ohio river local tournaments you'll be very happy here :)

.just to your east you have the yadkin chain highlighted in last years MLF championship. Then a little further east you have some fine easy big fish spring fishing that has already been mentioned. Being retired; harris; jordan and falls will delight you with their weekday fishing. jordan just had a small derby on a Sunday and it took 20lbs to get a check. Come spring that number may be 30.

Lotsa good bass fishing around and of course Norman's spots are fun. but with your time you can do better.
Thanks for the heads up, I look forward too exploring he local waters....
Spent many days and nights on the ole Ohio River. It’s a great fishery and love the moving water. Smallmouth bass are my favorite with spotted bass a close second.
 

Panthera

Eight Pointer
Welcome to NC. Bass grow big and fat here. For the purist of bass fishermen you will have to be satisfied with smallies and largemouth. There are zero spotted bass in Lake Norman. Hear me guys, NONE! Those fish we've been calling spotted bass for years are actually Alabama bass, very similar in appearance but grow larger. There are spotted bass in some eastern rivers, but not Norman, or Belews Lake in Stokes County. These lakes contain the invasive Alabama bass.
I shall provide proof..http://www.seafwa.org/Changes%20in%20Black%20Bass%20Population%20Characteristics%20after%20the%20Introduction%20of%20Alabama%20Bass%20in%20Lake%20Norman,%20North%20Carolina-2016-03-01.pdf
 
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Duckmauler dhc

Old Mossy Horns
Hey I moved to NC from Michigan and grew up fishing clean clear water. I'm still learning how to catch em in the clay murk. If you need advice im not your guy hahaha. Good Luck - Cheers.


You sir definitely went the wrong way. Michigan is heaven on Earth. Fishing here is a joke compared to up there. Spend a week or 2 up there every summer and it sure is hard to come home.


You are moving to a good area with Norman(being the best fishery in the state in my opinion) being very close. Yes we have the yadkin lakes that get the crap beat out of them and are extremely overrated as well as Jordan Harris and falls. Jordan is great......Harris is a desert these days and falls is quickly heading that way as well. Enjoy Norman. It is a true gem. Contrary to popular belief it is full of big spots. Thankfully most people in this state hate spots and it doesn't get nearly as much pressure as the trash fish(LM) lakes. Check out the other lakes in the Catawba as well and the local city lakes.
 

“J”

Twelve Pointer
You sir definitely went the wrong way. Michigan is heaven on Earth. Fishing here is a joke compared to up there. Spend a week or 2 up there every summer and it sure is hard to come home.


You are moving to a good area with Norman(being the best fishery in the state in my opinion) being very close. Yes we have the yadkin lakes that get the crap beat out of them and are extremely overrated as well as Jordan Harris and falls. Jordan is great......Harris is a desert these days and falls is quickly heading that way as well. Enjoy Norman. It is a true gem. Contrary to popular belief it is full of big spots. Thankfully most people in this state hate spots and it doesn't get nearly as much pressure as the trash fish(LM) lakes. Check out the other lakes in the Catawba as well and the local city lakes.
Thanks for the heads up...
 

Panthera

Eight Pointer
Thanks for the heads up...
We can agree to disagree. Norman is full of Alabama bass, true. But Norman is not even close to being the best in state lake.

My top ten are: 1. Badin 2. Randleman 3. Jordan. 4. Fontana 5. Shearon Harris 6. Falls Of The Neuse 7. MacIntosh 8.Oak Hollow 9. James 10. Buggs Island.
As a fishery, Michigan is nowhere near as good as NC, overall. Just my opinion, mind you.
Oh. As for the Falls, Shearon Harris, and Jordan group being overrated, MLF broke all existing records for their tours at those lakes this past March...So there's that.
 

Panthera

Eight Pointer
I forgot the Great Lakes, with their smallmouth and walleye fishing,, which gives Michigan a boost. But if you include our saltwater fishing, back to square one..
 

Duckmauler dhc

Old Mossy Horns
We can agree to disagree. Norman is full of Alabama bass, true. But Norman is not even close to being the best in state lake.

My top ten are: 1. Badin 2. Randleman 3. Jordan. 4. Fontana 5. Shearon Harris 6. Falls Of The Neuse 7. MacIntosh 8.Oak Hollow 9. James 10. Buggs Island.
As a fishery, Michigan is nowhere near as good as NC, overall. Just my opinion, mind you.
Oh. As for the Falls, Shearon Harris, and Jordan group being overrated, MLF broke all existing records for their tours at those lakes this past March...So there's that.


You ever been to Michigan or anywhere up north?

I said it think it is the best "fishery" that doesn't just include bass. I didn't say it was the best trash fish lake in the state. And as I always say, you absolutely cannot take tournament weights from springtime and determine how great a fishery really is. Jordan is a good lake although it has its times where it absolutely sucks just like all the Raleigh lakes. Norman is good from jan.1st-dec 31st with no down time. And it is loaded with 3-5 pounders, it just has so many fish in it that those big ones are a little harder to come by. It also gets a lot less pressure than all the other lakes named on your list. I fish them all......if it weren't for lakes like Norman, Fontana, and hickory I wouldn't even want to fish in this state. And yes we have saltwater fishing that I don't get into much. But even your best day in NC doing any kind of fishing doesn't compare to a sub par day in Michigan.
 

Duckmauler dhc

Old Mossy Horns
I forgot the Great Lakes, with their smallmouth and walleye fishing,, which gives Michigan a boost. But if you include our saltwater fishing, back to square one..


A boost? You clearly have never been anywhere up there. There are 1000s of lakes up there that are loaded with greenies and smallies that would make your mouth water.
 

Panthera

Eight Pointer
Maybe so, but I have fished Erie a few times from the Buffalo side. Did well on the smallmouth..So, where is there saltwater in Michigan...
 

Duckmauler dhc

Old Mossy Horns
Before I forget, did you call the largemouth a "trash fish"? Really?

Yep, you heard right. It's really a joke though. I love the green ditch pickle trash fish. But after you catch 4-5 pound smallies and spots, largemouth become very boring. I really enjoy largemouth fishing up north. I would bet everything that I have that there are more largemouth along the mile roads side of lake St Clair than there are in all 10 lakes he spoke about put together x 10.

Largemouth are my least favorite of the 3. It would be fine with me if they would feel every lake we have with the Alabama strained spots and I would love it even more if we had smallies in our lakes......and not just the rare brownie that gets caught in the upper end of some of our lakes in late winter. Furthermore I would really love it if our state would allow grass to grow in out waters like they do up north.
 

Duckmauler dhc

Old Mossy Horns
Maybe so, but I have fished Erie a few times from the Buffalo side. Did well on the smallmouth..So, where is there saltwater in Michigan...

If you've never been then you have no idea what you're missing and how it compares to here. If you ever go somewhere like st Clair , traverse bay, Huron you will change your mind.
 

Panthera

Eight Pointer
Might some day. But I love fishing the salt..BIG fish. Like 60 pound red drum and sea trout.... My personal best smallie came from the New River, NC side.. 5 pounds 13 ounces. NC holds four World Record species..I love my trash fish my friend. Hate those invasive Alabamas..
 
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Duckmauler dhc

Old Mossy Horns
If you like grass you need to see Badin..All the way around the grass beds far as the eye can see..


I've fished badin all of my life. I love fishing canary grass, but that isn't the kind of grass I'm referring to. I'm talking about hydrilla, eel grass, etc. It isn't as easy to fish since the bluebacks got in it. It was much better prior to that. They're still in it but it's tough for me other than spring and certain days in the winter or if it gets dirty in the fall. Used to be an awesome offshore lake after the spawn......the bluebacks changed that.

And one of those 2 lb Alabama strained spots would pull one of those 5 lb trash fish across the lake.

To each his own. We all enjoy different things.
 
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Duckmauler dhc

Old Mossy Horns
Might some day. But I love fishing the salt..BIG fish. Like 60 pound red drum and sea trout.... My personal best smallie came from the New River, NC side.. 5 pounds 13 ounces. NC holds four World Record species..I love my trash fish my friend. Hate those invasive Alabamas..


I've caught the big drum.....it's okay.....just not as much fun to me fishing for 1-4 bites per day. And they look like saltwater carp to me. I don't live close enough to do as much salt water fishing as some. I would probably have a different opinion if I did. I would much rather be on any lake in Michigan catching 150 smallies a day in the 3-5 lb range and all of the 3-4 lb largemouth you could imagine.
 

Panthera

Eight Pointer
Come now..150 smallies 3 to 5 pounds? NC has big smallies too, in fact, our record is bigger than Michigan's. Bamas pull hard true, but a two pounder in no way stronger than a five pound largemouth. I have caught Bamas (they are no longer called spots) and while pound for pound they fight better, the difference is not that large.
 
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