Keith Lusher 07.02.24
Summertime has officially arrived in North Carolina! Gone are the days of targeting bass in the shallows and relying on the cicadas to evoke a feeding frenzy.
Cameron Bissell has been fishing the lakes of North Carolina for the last 10 years and says he’s seen this story play out a time or two before. “The past month has seen a drastic change in North Carolina, resulting in the entire ecosystem changing its seasonal habits because of the heat,” he says. Bissell says he’s enjoyed the spring bass fishing season and had plenty of success targeting the shallows but it’s now time to focus on deeper water. “The summer heat and low rainfall have pushed the bass into deeper water for most of the day,” he says. “Targeting drop-offs and channel bottoms with slow-moving baits has been the ticket for most daytime anglers.”
Bissell’s top location for largemouth bass in July is Lake Norman.
“Lake Norman is the go-to spot for lake anglers in North Carolina. With a surface area of almost 50 miles, there is an opportunity to find favorable conditions regardless of the weather,” he said. While the lake offers plenty of space for anglers who fish from a boat, the 500 miles of shoreline offers tons of opportunities for anglers who fish from the bank “There are plenty of inlets, creek mouths, and coves for shore-based anglers to fish from,” Bissel says.
Bissell fishes with a 7-foot Med-fast St. Croix Rod paired with a Shimano FX 2500. He uses 15-pound Spiderwire Braid with a 15-pound Seaguar Fluorocarbon leader with a Senko-style plastic on the end. “My summer bait is a wacky rigged Senko for the ultimate in finesse versatility. A 5-inch Yum Dinger in watermelon with a chartreuse tail has provided me with bass in nearly any situation in July. I prefer to rig these with a 1/0 finesse hook tied to a 15-pound fluorocarbon leader. I use this Senko setup weightless, targeting the overhangs and fallen logs, especially on the eastern side of the lake,” Bissell says. The initial drop of the lure provides the majority of the strikes for Bissell. If that doesn’t work he says to slow the retrieve down. “I retrieve the rig with a slow series of pops, letting the bait flutter back to the bottom after every two or three cranks,” he says.
If you plan to fish Lake Norman, Bissell recommends taking to the water early as you can not only beat the heat but beat the boat traffic. “Between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, it’s going to be crowded with jet skis, pontoons, and plenty of bass boats during the mid-day hours.
