LAKE GASTON – The moderate breeze and scattered showers today have created some nice ripple on the water – potentially ideal conditions for active feeding, but we’ll see. Water temperatures remain warm for November, keeping fish patterns fairly consistent.
Striped bass are schooling heavily around the mouth of Pea Hill Creek and along the main channel from Eaton Ferry Bridge down to the dam. Keep an eye out for diving birds working the bait schools. Live shad are your best bet, but white bucktails and Cordell Redfins trolled in 15-20 feet are also producing nice catches in the 8-15 pound class.
Largemouth bass have been holding on main lake points and creek channel bends. The light chop has made spinnerbait fishing particularly effective – try slow-rolling 3/4 oz models with large gold willow-leaf blades near depth changes. Between showers, Rat-L-Traps worked parallel to riprap are turning some good fish. The better bass are running 3-6 pounds.
Crappie fishing remains excellent around bridge pilings and deeper brush piles in 12-15 feet of water. Small minnows or white/pink jigs are filling livewells for those who can stay on top of the schools. The average size has been impressive – lots of fish over a pound.
Catfish are taking cut shad and chicken livers along channel edges. Blues in the 20 pound range are fairly common right now.
