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R. D. Holt Reservoir, Butner, NC

28K views 26 replies 16 participants last post by  Let•Go•&•Let•God 
#1 ·
location: http://memurl.com/musede

location:
ca. 10-15 miles north of durham, nc; short drive west of I-85.

have intended to visit this lake for over a year now, finally made it out there recently with my kayak. good and easily accessible launch ramp for motorized boats as well as yaks. you check in at the store (see map) -- fee is something like $3 boat launch, $2 fishing fee, and lake is open basically every day from sunup to sundown.

only landed 3 small bass from about 3-8pm, but spent most of the time paddling, exploring and watching my fishfinder, looking at water depth and structure. very nice looking lake; very little development along the banks, lots of overhanging trees, blowdowns, rocks,etc.

but two important facts to keep in mind when fishing this lake: water is amazingly clear, and it is *full* of weeds. caught all 3 fish on a crank, but it was hard cranking with all the weeds. also realized i could see my lure (a dtfat3 that runs 3-4ft deep) clearly on the retrieve. wasn't really prepared for water this clear. my 14lb "crystal" fireline braid is actually NOT very invisible in water this clear, and i prob should have stuck with natural colored lures. the fish i did catch were clearly reaction strikes at the beginning of a retrieve.

anyway, it would take a few more trips to figure this lake out in terms of any serious "catching." good to keep in mind if you have a jon boat with a gas or electric motor as well.

photos on the bulletin board in the store clearly indicate there are some large bass in the lake.

fyi -- joel
 
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#3 ·
I used to go over there when I lived in Franklinton. Caught some crappie and small cats on the pier but didn't have a boat back then..
 
#7 ·
I like this lake, never caught that much, but it is a nice alternative to the big lakes.

As far as the clear water goes, if you are going to stick with the fire line, I think the smoke works best, that crystal stuff seems to show the worst. I'd just put about 24 inches of flouro on the end.

G
 
#27 ·
thanks. looks like a great lake. do they rent jonboat or kayak at that store?
Yes they rent out Kayak's, Jonboats, peddle boats & I think they have canoe's As well. They are extremely affordable! I couldn't believe how cheap it was. I want to say it's around $8-$12 for 4hrs. The people that work there are absolutely amazing and they keep the place very clean.
 
#16 ·
NCbassin,
I would suggest any plastic rigged weightless. With all the plants around the dock area it would be you best bet, at the very least I would go to something 'weedless' like a spinner bait, or top water.
 
#18 ·
NCbassin13, I fished there about 3 weeks ago and I had luck on a brown crayfish crankbait. The water there is exceptionally clear for this area, and in clear water, its usually better to use natural colors.

The one thing about Holt, is there is a lot of vegetation around the edges, so if you are fishing from the bank, you will need to use something that doesn't get hung up much. I would think that a plastic worm in a natural color would probably be a good idea for bass, and maybe a natural-looking topwater plug if you are there early in the morning.

For bluegill, I always have luck with flies, but if you don't use a flyrod, then small spinners usually work well. My personal favorite is the small size Panther Martin. I have been having luck with Panther Martins since I was a kid, and that has been a long time now....
 
#21 ·
Another factor that I have found helps in clear water, is to use painted blades on your spinners. the shinny brass and chrome blades seem to create to much flash and is very unnatural.

As far as the best time? EARLY or LATE, with the warm weather here for the summer, they get lock jaw after about 9:00 am. I've found lately that the evening bite is late and short, starting after 7:00.

But this is all just an opinion.
 
#25 ·
Me and my brother went out to Holt last week. I was fishin for Bluegill and my brother fished for bass. There is plenty of baitstealers with a few keeper gills. My brother caught 1 bass about 6". All caught from the bank. There were 2 other guys fishin for cats and they caught nothin so Im assuming there are none or they arent around the bank.
 
#26 ·
ok I have seen a bunch of post's on the lake and decided to put in my 2 ct worth coming from the boat dock turn left like heading to the dam the last cove on the right to the back hit the bank there used to be a dam like a water fall in the back of the creek i pulled out and fished the top it was like a swamp up there laydown's every where very good top water action you need a kayak or canoe to access it as for the rest of the lake i think it is more moody than my woman it will be on then off and back on through out the day very good fishery when on they love soft plastics never had much luck myself on jigs or spinner bait's but a hopkins spoon did work and fly rod was ok but you have to fish away from you very very clear you need to be able to cast and a lite breeze will help but wind seemed to scare them a good place to go but a boat really helps never did good from the bank there if you must bank fish go into town and fish creedmore lake better fish from the bank
 
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