Doggone confusion

Pros still trying to make heads or tails out of Lake Norman bass

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – One of the best parts of having 150 of the nation’s top bass pros dissect a lake is that by tournament’s end, there is usually a general consensus on how the fish are behaving or where they are in their seasonal patterns.

At stop No. 1 at Guntersville, lipless crankbaits fished over grass for pre-spawn fish was undeniable. Then at Table Rock, stained water up the James River was a big player as were suspended fish over points.

But this week at the National Guard Open on Lake Norman, FLW Tour’s top pros can not seem to get on the same page in terms of what the fish are doing. In fact, they can not even seem to get on the same book as to what the fish are doing.

Some, like front runners Greg Pugh (7th) and Koby Kreiger (14th), swear the spawn has barely started on Norman and the best is yet to come. Both said they have seen very little fry and no empty beds. Yet, others, like National Guard pro Scott Martin (5th), say the spawn is over.

Pro Matt Arey, of nearby Shelby, N.C., believes Norman’s biggest fish have definitely already spawned.

“Chris Elliot and I won a tournament over here three weeks ago and we caught them all sight-fishing,” Arey said. “The big ones are done and gone. And as far as seeing fry or old beds go, we never really see fry or old beds on this lake. The beds silt over in just a couple of days and I don’t know what happens to the fry, I just know we never see much of it.”

Castrol pro David Dudley has his own opinions.

“The shad spawn usually comes at the very end of the bass spawn and there is no shad spawn at all that I’ve found,” Dudley said. “That tells me the bass spawn is still going on. But I don’t think fish have crashed the banks all at once this year. It’s been warm, then cold, then warm again. And there have been some come up, then another little group comes up, then another. I think when we’ve been here before, all the fish have been on the bank and that’s just not the case this time around.”

And still local pro Bryan Thrift offers another explanation.

“It all depends on where you are,” Thrift said. “This lake is very sectionalized. One creek might be totally pre-spawn without a fish in sight; the next creek might have fish laying all over beds; and the next creek might be totally done. And I think that’s why you’re getting so many different versions of what’s going on here. It can be totally different from section to section.”

Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt (17th) said he’s done with all the guessing and hypothesizing.

“I don’t know what phase the fish are in and I really don’t care,” Wendlandt said. “I’m just going fishing. There are so many fish in this lake, you can go anywhere, cast something out there and get a bite. Yeah, I looked for bedding fish in practice – and I saw plenty – but they were all 12 to 14 inches. Heck, I can catch that just going down the bank fishing. Plus, I think your best chance at a bigger fish here is by just fishing, so that’s what I’m doing.”

Wendlandt’s neighbor in the day-one standings, Chevy pro Luke Clausen (18th), has the same attitude.

“I’m done trying to figure it out,” Clausen said. “All I know is that if you go down the bank with a Berkley Shaky Worm, casting at docks, stumps – whatever looks good – you’ll catch fish. I’m sure some of them are spawning and some are not and I really don’t care as long as they bite.”

Day two weigh-in of the National Guard Open on Lake Norman will begin Friday at 3 p.m. at Blythe Landing located at 15901 Hwy. 73, Huntersville, N.C.

Friday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:40 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 54 degrees

Expected high temperature: 85 degrees

Water temperature: 62-66 degrees

Wind: ESE 5 to 10

Day’s outlook: sunny and warmer