Winter is not usually a good time to go freshwater fishing in North Carolina. The reasons are many.
The main one is because (duh) it’s too cold. But that doesn’t mean it’s too cold for fishermen. Nature lovers don’t mind the cold much; just ask a waterfowl hunter’s wife.
Guys who chase swans, geese and ducks like bad weather. If it’s drizzling and the season is open, you’ll find them shivering in the Currituck shutters or standing waist-deep in a beaver pond that they had to break through a sheet of ice to wade through, waiting for wood ducks to come flying over the tree line at dawn or dusk. If the specks or reds are stacked at Cape Lookout, the boats will be lined up thick enough to walk from one end of the jetty to the other when the temperature is so low that ice forms on the line guides. Have you ever been to a Donzi a mile up the beach north of Oregon Inlet in January and heard on the radio that the stripers are packed in Boiler, 6 miles south? Get ready to run screaming and riding waves to get to where the action is. You can worry about frozen nose, cheeks and ears later.
But freshwater fishing is different. Bass and Crappie become torpid and wander deep where they will sulk until March, eating one baitfish a week as their metabolism slows to support hibernation levels.
Only a few great lake freshwater fish remain active in winter throughout the Tar Heel landscape. They include walleye (yes, swimming walleye in North Carolina) and mountain trout.
Winter trout fishing, believe it or not, is a big problem in North Carolina, especially in delayed harvest streams stocked, maintained, and regulated by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
The WRC revenue figures from the sale of trout fishing licenses are staggering. In all, trout hunters spend more money to fish for rainbow, brown and brook trout than any other species in the Tar Heel State, and have done so for years. Why do you think the WRC has thrown all that money at hatcheries to seed 3000 miles of mountain streams, plus lakes every year (where do you think the money comes from)? Last year the two remaining cold water hatcheries (Marion and Pisgah) produced 850,000 rainbows, browns and brookies and released them into North Carolina waters. An estimated 130,000 anglers fish for trout annually in western North Carolina, spending $174 million, not including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cherokee Indian Reservation.
Delayed harvest streams provide the best opportunities for winter trout anglers. They are marked with creekside signs, and anglers are allowed to keep fish until 7pm June 1, 2012, but the season reopens at 6am June 2, 2012 (after restocking).
Catch-supported hatchery waters can be fished until February 29, 2012, then they close from April 7 to July 31. Hatchery-supported waters have no lure restrictions (live or artificial bait may be used), while delayed-catch waters are restricted to artificial lures with a single hook and no live bait.
Wild trout, wild trout with natural bait, catch and release/lure only, catch and release/fly only, special regulation, and non-designated trout waters have no closed seasons.
One of the newer, fishable, delayed harvest streams is the Ararat River in Mt. Airy between the NC 103 and NC 52 bridge. It was designated as delayed harvest in August 2011 and opened to the public this fall.
The delayed harvest signs nailed to the tree trunks are black and white. Anglers can fish on a catch and release basis from fall through spring.
“Given its relatively low elevation, about 1,000 feet above sea level, the Ararat River should stay a bit warmer and provide more good fishing in the winter months than many other delayed-fishing streams,” said Kin Hodges, a biologist. fishing district WRC.
Mt. Airy recently completed three “greenway” walking areas along the riverfront at Riverside Park on NC 103; HB Rowe Environmental Park on Hamburg Road; and Tharrington Elementary School Park upstream of NC 52. Anglers can fish the Ararat River from the banks of these parks.
Winter walleye fishing is good on Fontana Lake on the southern edge of the Great Smokies near Bryson City; Hiwassee Lake in the far western (near Murphy) end of the state; and Lake James, east of Asheville.
Anglers will need a good fish finder because walleye like to hang out at depths ranging from 40 to 80 feet because they avoid bright sunlight. Night fishing is popular during the spring and especially during the summer and fall. Walleye are often found near really deep structures that contain baitfish.
Spoons, jigs, and plastic worms are good lures for walleye.
One technique that works well is to cast a jig parallel to the boat and let it sink. Initiate a jumping motion using only your wrist. Jig hop 6 to 12 inches from the bottom while retrieving the jig between jumps. Slack the line after each jump.
While walleye are some of the best-tasting freshwater fish, anglers should be aware of a walleye consumption advisory due to mercury levels in Fontana and Santeetlah Reservoirs.