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Fishing near Winston Salem

26K views 33 replies 17 participants last post by  SurfRider 
#1 ·
Hello folks, and tight lines from Upstate NY!

I plan on making a trip down to see my buddy in Winson Salem, and we plan on doing some local fishing a few of the days I am down. I actually planned my trip down to corrispond with the full moon at the end of March, hoping to catch the bass spawn... although that is at the end of my trip down. (Going down March 19-30th)

We will be fishing most likely from shore, as we do not have a boat... (Although we are contemplating fishing Kernersville lake and renting a row boat... however I have heard mixed reviews of that lake) We will fish for and catch anything that is of decent size... bass, catfish, whatever will give us a decent fight. All fish will be released, as we fish for recreation.

I guess what I'm trying to determine is what are the best options for success fishing from shore within a 30 minute drive of Winston Salem? Also what baits/lures seem to produce the late March bite?

And so you dont feel like I am wasting your time, I have done some searching and found minimal information on this region, nothing too recent and no real solid leads.


PS. If possible, I would love to be able to find the pond/lake/river suggested on google earth to see a visual picture of my upcoming battle field! Thanks for any info you can give up, I know its tough to give up them honey-holes!;)
 
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#3 ·
Thank you for the quick reply... Ahh, I did not know you could rent boats there. I understand there is no shore fishing there, only fishing off the pier and from boat? That could be ok, but I don't like being so limited to only 1 spot. Although if the boat rentals are cheap enough its deffinately an option. Thanks again

How much are the boat rentals? Kernersville lake boat rentals are like $1 an hour or something like that... This is a real super tight budget trip I am making, so I cant spend a lot on an expensive boat rental
 
#5 ·
Fish Salem lake!! Use a jig and pig with rattle(black/blue), some braided line and hang on. It's the best bass lake I've ever fished. Go up the business 40 leg. Caught numerous 5 to 8 pounders out of there and had monofilment line broke off alot, till I switched to braided. If the waters muddy throw it right up on the bank next to cover, hop real slow and wham. Plan B buzz bait. Good luck.
 
#6 ·
Kernersville is a good option if you plan on rowing since it is a small impoundment. $3 for three hours is a good deal too! You really need a trolling motor to make the best of Winston Lake. I fish Kernersville often and could possibly arrange to meet up with you guys if I'm not working. Drop me PM.
 
#8 ·
I'm not fermilure with Belews... Salem lake sounds promissing, as It is only $6 to rent a boat according to their webpage. (I hope thats not per hour?) I know we will go more then once durring the 10 days, but most likely we will just have 1 day that we can really dedicate to fishing... (the others will just be 'oh, we have a few hours, lets go wet our lines') Those days I assume we will just hit some local ponds that we went to last time, but I am not confident with those for anything other then the occasional cat fish...

According to the reviews I've read, Salem lake... and correct me if I'm wrong... is at least as good if not better of a fishery as Kernersville lake. Since it is considerably closer to his house, it makes more sense to try this place with a boat...

Does anyone know any more about Salem lake? Or the boat rentals? I'm afraid its going to be a little jon boat, and while my buddy is average size (175lbs)... I am not, as I go about 340lbs, and most jon boats have a reletively low weight limit designed for two average sized individuals...

Thanks again everyone :) Your keeping my hopes about as high as can be about this trip :D
 
#11 ·
Good to hear. Well I am not sure what we are goin to do or where we are going to go, however I feel that we have a few more options available to us... I think if we go the boat route, Salem lake will most likely be our best bet.


Anyone else have any input on other bank fishing locations near winston salem?

Also, do we think the water temp will get up into the lower 50's by the end of the month to allow the spawn to happen? The full moon is schedualed for around March 29th I believe... I just dont know what your current air and water temps are there, and when the spawn usually happens...


Edit: one more thing... Neither of us have a trolling motor, and it isn't in the budget for the trip to get one... Do the Jon Boats come with ore's?
 
#12 ·
Ditto on the salem lake advice. The air bubblers out in the middle can be good for crappie and catfish, just troll/drift along parallel to the lines with bottom baits for cats and mid depth lures for crappie. The point directly across the lake from the dock is a cat hot hole too.
 
#13 ·
Thanks everyone for all the help.

I have just one more question in regards to Salem lake, or really any location around...

On average, what is the clearity of Salem lake? Is it normally stained or murky? Or is it usually fairly clear? I'm trying to decide which lines I should have spooled up. Thanks Again!
 
#20 ·
Recently found this forum and joined today. The post about Muddy Creek caught my attention. I live near Clemmons and Muddy creek is accesible not far from where I live near the cooper road bridge. I can tell you first hand that creek is full of fish and if you can get to it, you are in for a treat. I always catch and release. White bass and catfish get huge back there. More panfish than you can count ! I use light weight tackle and rooster tails. Creek is always high and muddy after rain but when it settles down the water is clear and easy to see the best spots. Leaf Wood Branch Trunk Plant
Vertebrate Plant Fish Water Fisherman
 
#22 ·
Recently found this forum and joined today. The post about Muddy Creek caught my attention. I live near Clemmons and Muddy creek is accesible not far from where I live near the cooper road bridge. I can tell you first hand that creek is full of fish and if you can get to it, you are in for a treat. I always catch and release. White bass and catfish get huge back there. More panfish than you can count ! I use light weight tackle and rooster tails. Creek is always high and muddy after rain but when it settles down the water is clear and easy to see the best spots. View attachment 158673 View attachment 158681
If you want to show how to access it sometime, I will find a way to pay back... I love catching white bass, and I release.
 
#21 ·
River is mainly private but you can bank fish around Tanglewood, Shallowford Road, Donnaha at Highway 67, Old 421 Park in Lewisville, Pilot Mountain, Elkin, North Wilkesboro Smoot Park. Get a kayak for sure. Yadkin tends to stay muddy, I'd go now if you can before it rains in the mountains.
 
#27 ·
Again, thanks... If there's not an easy slope in/out, I can't kayak it. But will eyeball it and look for an easy way. It's worth it to catch a few white bass, they are dang near impossible to find these days.
 
#28 ·
They are definitely in there - I was stunned - never seen in them in a creek and they average 2 to 3 pounds

you have to get to the holes - usually in a bend where the trees hang over

I did a lot of map research before I put the kayak in - bing maps in the birds eye view is invaluable for planning and you get a really good view of you landmarks along the way so you always know where you are at.

The smell in some areas is - well- aromatic to say the least .

The creek has all the trash that flows down out of Winston - it's sad really because that is a really nice waterway if cleaned up.

Debris in some areas is easy to get around - others not so much . We had two kayaks- ropes and machetes - had to climb out at one point - used ropes to pull the boats out - hacked a half mile down a game trail to get back in - even had to rope it all back in but it was a great trip and my first time kayaking .

Sorry for the typos - using my phone
 
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