Fishing Mountain Island Lake during this weekends warm front!

Ketchum

Guest
Going to fish Mountain Island Lake this weekend. Weather says 71 degrees. Going by canoe probably launching out of the HWY 16 bridge launch. any advice for crappies maybe???
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
They will be fairly deep, you better have sonar or be able to find structure. If not I hope you have good luck playing the lottery because it will be like playing it finding them.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
there is a kayak only ramp near the latta plantation that looks like a good creek to explore to take advantage of this warm snap. it lies so that it will warm up quicker than that main lake area you are considering.

i bet you could catch some bass in it on a shad rap. it also looks more conducive to a kayak fishing to me.

but that is just cyber fishing , i have never wet a hook in Mt island.

if you do put in at the bridge, many lakes have good crappie bites around bridges this time of year, if you can figure out the depth, as nccatfiser said.

ime the easiest fish to catch on winter warm ups are largemouths. they will bite shallow at the least bit of warming.
 

ncstatehunter

Twelve Pointer
Go to Latta to launch and you'll probably get into some white perch. I have yet to figure the crappie out on Mountain Island, but I also have never fished north of the sandbar for them which is where I hear is the best place to catch them. I'll be heading out there in about an hour in myy Triton.
 

spinnerbaitor48

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
You can also put in a Neck Landing and head up towards the sandbar..nice banks to fish, and the current usually helps the bite when they start pulling water
 

ncstatehunter

Twelve Pointer
Spots were crashing bait out in front of the point (at the turn in the lake) at Latta this evening. Fun on a fluke!
 

Ketchum

Guest
UPDATE: So we took the canoe out that weekend and had NO LUCK jigging minnows and jigs down deep. We also tried minnows on bobbers around the bridge, again NO LUCk. That next weekend i got my boat running and legal and we headed to the north end of the lake to mcdowell creek and the white perch were hitting the surface constantly, but we were still after crappies. We found luck with the brim early with red worms and bobbers in roughly 3/4 feet of water near the brushy banks, but quickly quit this tactic in search of crappies. FINALLY , in 7-9 feet of water while jigging minnows just off the bottom we reeled in three small YELLOW PERCH. Drifting toward the lake along the bank we came across a large tree in the water and ended up pulling THREE SLAB CRAPPIES (10/11"), and missing a couple more. The storms set in and the hauled back to the dock at the bridge. The next day i took my lady out and Mcdowell creek had muddied a good portion of the north end of the lake, so we headed to Gar Creek (knowing it pushed less water than Mcdowell). The white perch were hitting the surface there as well, but we could only manage to catch one of them. We did have multiple takes on the minnows but they were few and far between. I went out again this past saturday dispite the cold weather and fished the river above mountain island. We caught one 14" spotted bass and froze on the trips to and from. Has anyone else been having better luck?!?!
 

Ketchum

Guest
UPDATE: So we took the canoe out that weekend and had NO LUCK jigging minnows and jigs down deep. We also tried minnows on bobbers around the bridge, again NO LUCk. That next weekend i got my boat running and legal and we headed to the north end of the lake to mcdowell creek and the white perch were hitting the surface constantly, but we were still after crappies. We found luck with the brim early with red worms and bobbers in roughly 3/4 feet of water near the brushy banks, but quickly quit this tactic in search of crappies. FINALLY , in 7-9 feet of water while jigging minnows just off the bottom we reeled in three small YELLOW PERCH. Drifting toward the lake along the bank we came across a large tree in the water and ended up pulling THREE SLAB CRAPPIES (10/11"), and missing a couple more. The storms set in and the hauled back to the dock at the bridge. The next day i took my lady out and Mcdowell creek had muddied a good portion of the north end of the lake, so we headed to Gar Creek (knowing it pushed less water than Mcdowell). The white perch were hitting the surface there as well, but we could only manage to catch one of them. We did have multiple takes on the minnows but they were few and far between. I went out again this past saturday dispite the cold weather and fished the river above mountain island. We caught one 14" spotted bass and froze on the trips to and from. Has anyone else been having better luck?!?!
 
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