Important Correction

 I indicated in a previous post that the length limit on hybrids was being increased to 20 inches. I have since found that this was not true and there is no change planned foe the length limit on that breed. I will be discussing the new tiger bass details in a future issue of "The Angler magazine".

New Species of Bass to be Introduced Into Lake Norman

 The North Carolina Wildlife Commission has announced that it is attempting to rid the lake of the Spotted Bass and will replace them with a species called the F1 bass or the Tiger bass. To speed up the removal of the spotted bass the rules have been changed. All limits for the spots have been removed. You can catch and keep as many as you want and there is no size limit.

As a replacement, they intend to start stocking the Tiger bass next year and continue at least 5 years. The tiger bass is a hybrid of the Florida largemouth and the Northern largemouth. It handles the cold winters better than other species and it grows much faster than the regular largemouth and supposedly is easier to catch (although that remains to be seen.) The Commission considers this an "experiment". I questioned them about the ability of the Hybrid to multiply and they indicated that this hybrid breed can reproduce in the lake, unlike most other Hybrids.

Some Interesting Activities Taking Place

 Several of us recently received a memo from the Wildlife Commission that the planned fish attractor program has been cancelled. The Commission had announced this new program several months ago and many of us volunteered to help with the program. The apparent reason for this cancellation was the objection by Duke Energy about the selected site requirements and also current Buoy requirements. Of course both of these are non-existent problems. Duke simply doesn't want anything placed in "their" lake. I am asking around and have contacted the Wildlife Commission to get a more sensible response to this decision. I have also requested from them, to provide me an interview so that I can write an article on this decision. I have yet to get a response.

Also I have heard that there are two changes in fishing rules. The first is that the length requirement on hybrids is being increased to 20 inches and also that the catch limit on spotted bass is going to be removed so that anglers can catch as many of this species as they wish. The purpose of this change is to try and eliminate all spotted bass from the lake. I have also expressed to the Commission that this rule would only make sense if there was a plan to start stocking largemouth to replace the spots. Apparently there is no such plan. I believe that these rule changes will eventually eliminate Lake Norman as a good fishery and I am concerned about Duke Energy's motives. I will keep you updated as I get responses from the Wildlife Commission.

The Waters Are Changing

 Not much new going on around the lake these days. The water temperature is still in the high 80's and although there are a few nice fish to be caught, they are few and far between. Most fish are caught in 20 plus feet of water and there are very few schools being spotted on the sonar screen. The hot water and constant sun has again this year caused grass to grow where it hasn't grown before. The grass is OK as far as the fish are concerned but when fishing deep, you have to check your lines regularly. Even a small amount of grass on the hook will cause the fish not to bite. I have caught a surprising number of gar this summer. This week I caught one that was nearly 4 feet long. There are a few shad schools showing up in the coves but not as many as in past years. I always use the bait sightings as an indicator of fish activity because he shad are the primary food for every species of fish in the lake. Haven' caught any crappie lately, the channel cats are much bigger than they have been and the blue cats have also been rare this summer. They should start getting active as the water cools. The bait situation has stabilized and shiners are again available but the price has gone up a little and the shiners are smaller than usual but still effective for the bass and other species. Keep fishing guys, the good months are about to arrive soon.