From what I understand about spots and Lake Norman The LM are more prevalent in the river section or at least upstream of Hwy 150.
Darrell
Darrell
Spots Taking Over Norman
Been asked to fish a tourney at Norman, and am thinking about it. Haven't fished it in years, not since the plague of spots arrived. I know there are still largemouth there, but I've been told they are getting harder to find each year. If I am gonna put cash on the line, I want to target the largemouth, if they can be picked out for a limit.
I sat here and watched several Norman vids on spot fishing, and saw maybe ten keepers caught. Most of the little devils were skinny like snakes..lol
I just hope they never make to High Rock and Badin. Aggressive and pugnacious, they can out produce other bass (see Lakes Chatuge and Lanier), and besides, although they are game fighters and many like to fish for them, they are non native species, and don't belong in our waters.
I sat here and watched several Norman vids on spot fishing, and saw maybe ten keepers caught. Most of the little devils were skinny like snakes..lol
I just hope they never make to High Rock and Badin. Aggressive and pugnacious, they can out produce other bass (see Lakes Chatuge and Lanier), and besides, although they are game fighters and many like to fish for them, they are non native species, and don't belong in our waters.
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Norman is a lake in the throes of change. The Spotted bass are reasonably new, as are the white perch. In years past there were white bass and stripers. Now there are almost none. White perch killed off the white bass, and stripers have been killed off by heat. Hybrids have been added to the lake, but time will tell if they will survive. Cant say if the perch and spots are a good thing, but I can attest that compared to 20 years ago Norman is a lively lake now...used to be called the Dead Sea.
Yeah, that's what I am hearing. But I just have this thing about non native species. What's next, snakeheads?..lolNorman is a lake in the throes of change. The Spotted bass are reasonably new, as are the white perch. In years past there were white bass and stripers. Now there are almost none. White perch killed off the white bass, and stripers have been killed off by heat. Hybrids have been added to the lake, but time will tell if they will survive. Cant say if the perch and spots are a good thing, but I can attest that compared to 20 years ago Norman is a lively lake now...used to be called the Dead Sea.
Thanks for the info!From what I understand about spots and Lake Norman The LM are more prevalent in the river section or at least upstream of Hwy 150.
Darrell
In the mountain streams they stock trout that are sterile. This is in water were the population would take care of itself over time and even though the bows and browns are not native they are still trout. The white perch in the Yadkin and Catawba was a complete blunder, and the spotted bass may turn out to be as well, but much more welcome in my opinion than the perch. Hybrids have to be a good idea and if not they will die off and correct the situation. I wish they would put hybrids in on up the chain. Hickory and Rhodehiss are loading with threadfin as well as good population of gizzards.
I hope you have a good day on Norman Jerry, as for the rest I will fish for whatever is where I am at. I would like a crack at some snakeheads on of these days I just hope it is on the Potomac or in Fla.
I hope you have a good day on Norman Jerry, as for the rest I will fish for whatever is where I am at. I would like a crack at some snakeheads on of these days I just hope it is on the Potomac or in Fla.
Since my last post, been doing a bit of looking about the effects spots are having on lakes they were introduced, and none of the news is good for smallmouth or largemouth. Seems in Georgia now guys are calling them "water coyotes", and are pushing for control methods, such as keep all ya catch, for instance. I cannot really say, last time I fished Norman there were no spots, but I do love my smallies and largemouths, and would hate to see them devastated by an invasive species, even if it is another quality gamefish, like the spotted bass is.
One site had shock survey results over a period of years from Fontana and Hiawassee, and the spots greatly outnumber the other species in recent surveys. You could see the trend, each time there were more spots and fewer of the other two keystone species in each new survey.
I know lots of the fellas here love to fish for them, as they are little brutes on a hook, but I have an affinity for the other two, as they are ours, and we all grew up catching them. To see them fall by the wayside to this invader kinda makes me nauseous.
One site had shock survey results over a period of years from Fontana and Hiawassee, and the spots greatly outnumber the other species in recent surveys. You could see the trend, each time there were more spots and fewer of the other two keystone species in each new survey.
I know lots of the fellas here love to fish for them, as they are little brutes on a hook, but I have an affinity for the other two, as they are ours, and we all grew up catching them. To see them fall by the wayside to this invader kinda makes me nauseous.
I found this chart.
http://www.tva.com/environment/water/catchtables.htm
http://www.tva.com/environment/water/catchtables.htm
I agree that you don't want an invasive species taking over but looking at your list, it seems to me that Fontana is an outlier not the norm. For example, Chickamagua shows the spot population declining in ratio to the laregmouth while numbers overall increased. Another example is Chatuge, where the spot population increased greatly but the largemouth harvest remained about constant, so they improved the fishing in that lake. It appears that in certain conditions they can take over a lake but most of these surveys show they will find a balance with the other black basses.I found this chart.
http://www.tva.com/environment/water/catchtables.htm
If they were stocked in Norman, they'll be stocked by cover of darkness to other impounded water.
That is always the case. It's how the the flat head went from one stocking in the east to many stockings.
That is my biggest issue with non natives. They can not be contained to just the original stocking. the stocking may be fine for the original body of water, but may be a disaster for others that are stocked from that body of water illegally.
That is always the case. It's how the the flat head went from one stocking in the east to many stockings.
That is my biggest issue with non natives. They can not be contained to just the original stocking. the stocking may be fine for the original body of water, but may be a disaster for others that are stocked from that body of water illegally.
Spots in Norman started out on the lower end mainly in Ramesy creek. Seems they got here by way of Lanier,good sources tell me that guys going down and fishing lanier started bringing them back.This was in the early to mid 90's. They seem to thrive pretty good over there, before you had a bunch of 14 1/2" largemouth where a ten pound limit would get you a check most of the time in the summer months.Now you have a ten pound limit of spots that might get you a check. The addition of the bluebacks helped the largemouth out a ton. I'm catching bigger largemouth and more spots. As far as High Rock is concerned they are already here.If you fish above Potts much I know you have caught them, they get to be football size up there. they have been caught down the lake but the are deep. Good luck when you fish for them !!
No doubt the NCWRC has made mistakes. Many mistakes.
No excuse in them today. They aren't mistakes anymore.
No excuse in them today. They aren't mistakes anymore.
When I was down in Montgomery, AL a few years back, a guy told me that the spotted bass were just as big as the large mouth bass down there and the size limits were identical.
I always tend to catch big LMB by the bridge @ the McGuire Station fishing access but, I have caught a great deal of spotted bass.
I always tend to catch big LMB by the bridge @ the McGuire Station fishing access but, I have caught a great deal of spotted bass.
I wouldn't base your desire to fish a tourney on Norman on your extreme dislike of non-natives. When man dammed the river they damned the native species natural habitat.... So I think the native-ness argument is absolutely understandable but on the whole is irrelevant. What's there now is there now. And if u ask my wife... Men don't always or ever get it right. Trust me... I watched my dad complain about the mismanagement of Michigan lakes all my childhood and his arguments though valid, never caught him any fish. He fishes no more than 5 times a year now because "it ain't what it used to be." He's right , but many fisheries up there are great now.
Many spots in Norman are getting fatter . I've caught a few bass lately that seem like a crossbreed. Those are the biggest bass I've caught on the lake... Around 4.5lbs. I've lived here since 07 and with exception to the loss of good size striper...the Norman fishing the past year is the best it's been in 7 years. Perhaps when luck and skill collide, you will find a money spot on the lake.
good luck
Many spots in Norman are getting fatter . I've caught a few bass lately that seem like a crossbreed. Those are the biggest bass I've caught on the lake... Around 4.5lbs. I've lived here since 07 and with exception to the loss of good size striper...the Norman fishing the past year is the best it's been in 7 years. Perhaps when luck and skill collide, you will find a money spot on the lake.
good luck
Have seen spots caught at High Rock already, in a tournament last year. Haven't seen many, but they are there.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^When man dammed the river they damned the native species natural habitat.... So I think the native-ness argument is absolutely understandable but on the whole is irrelevant.
Could not agree with you more.
Hybrids, Spots, Brown Trout, Rainbows (the last two not in Norman of course but still foreigners)........I ain't complaining.
I just won a big fish prize with a spot on MIL last weekend (first tournament too!) So I ain't complaining. I'm relatively new to bass fishing though so don't have the prejudices. Any fish caught and released is a good time, except the truly damaging species (asian carp, snakehead, etc.)
Lake Chatuge is being over ran by the spots now. The spotted bass is in general the smallest of the three largest black bass species, and though most guys tell me they are tough fighting fish, surveys show 80% of them in Chatuge are less than 12" long.
I don't want to sacrifice 7 pound largemouths or five pound smallies for two pound spots.
But, that being said, it appears there's nothing to be done about it now short of placing a "keep all ya catch" rule, and doubt that's gonna happen. Some experts claim largemouth and spots can and do coexist, but others say differently, and they have some pretty strong evidence on their side.
I know they are in the Yadkin now. I hope they stay out of the Deep. So far, have not heard of any in Oak Hollow or HPCL.
If they ever get to my local lake, gonna be eating a lot more fish....
I don't want to sacrifice 7 pound largemouths or five pound smallies for two pound spots.
But, that being said, it appears there's nothing to be done about it now short of placing a "keep all ya catch" rule, and doubt that's gonna happen. Some experts claim largemouth and spots can and do coexist, but others say differently, and they have some pretty strong evidence on their side.
I know they are in the Yadkin now. I hope they stay out of the Deep. So far, have not heard of any in Oak Hollow or HPCL.
If they ever get to my local lake, gonna be eating a lot more fish....
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