FISHING OFF THE BANKS OF LAKE NORMAN

I had a weekend in between my AT hike to Mt. Rogers trip and my family Santeetlah camping trip. So, I decided to try my luck at lake fishing off the shore of Lake Norman State Park. Lake Norman is one of the larges lakes in NC with over 520 miles of shoreline. With a large stock of striped bass, largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, spotted bass, and bream, I was confident I would catch tonights supper. Behind the facilities at the picnic area was a trail leading into the woods to a nice little fishing spot. This spot was perfect on paper with coves on the left and right, some laydowns nearby, and plenty of shade overhead. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and warm with a light breeze. Once I established my spot I started off fishing on the bottom using earthworms for striped bass, a popular fish near the shoreline of Lake Norman. NC fishing regulations are still in effect at the state park. NC Wildlife Resources Commission Fish Size and Creel Regulations for Lake Norman are the following: Crappie has an 8" minimum size with a limit of 20, Largemouth is 14" and 5, Smallmouth is 12" and 5, Striped Bass is now 16" and 4, while catfish and bream has no restrictions. After about 4-5 hours of fishing, soaking in the sun, and only catching a few small sunfish, I packed it up. On the way back to the parking lot I passed a small field with a lone deer staring at my every move. No fish for dinner so I guess tacos instead.