The holder this time is 15-year-old Landon Evans, of Benson, who landed a 117-pound, 8-ounce whopper on June 11. “I fish in shallow water a lot,” he said. I believe if you use enough (different depths of trolled baits), you can zero in on what they want, where they want it and how they want it presented. Visit www.lakedirectory.net/browse_categories.php?id=17&page=2. 58 West, Left on Rt. 626. 127 catches; 961 followers; 132 spots; This border water has developed a diverse warm/cool water fishery. 626, Left on Rt. In addition to having respectable populations of largemouth bass and walleye, this lake is one of the best lakes in North Carolina for catfish. Variant Names: Brown Bass, Brownie, Bronze Bass. Besides six rods in rod holders that pull traditional Santee rigs — with 1-ounce “string” weights or circular 1-ounce river sinkers and which he calls “down” lines — he likes a long leader with a bream cork tied to a 3-way swivel to keep his baits from hanging up on rocks and wood. Many anglers like to fish the aquatic vegetation for largemouth bass. A valid license for either Virginia or North Carolina permits fishing from a boat in either state. Here is a good resource we found for boating and fishing the lake: ... Also take a look at our custom maps with points of interest along East Lake Gaston and West Lake Gaston here: East Lake Gaston Map (toward the dam, Roanoke Rapids, & 95) West Lake Gaston Map (toward Bracey, VA & … Striper fishing in the tail waters below Kerr Dam is an annual event. Of course, there is always live bait and some serious catfish bait, too. Intersection of U.S. 158 and N.C. 9… “June’s a good time to fish, mostly because you can be comfortable, but (water temperature) doesn’t affect blue cats,” Enderle said. Fortunately for Virginia anglers, a VA fishing license is good throughout the lake. “They eat all the time. An engineer for a construction company who lives in Rocky Mount, he enjoys guiding on Kerr, Gaston and Roanoke Rapids lakes. Before leaving Lake Gaston, boat owners should make sure that their boat, motor, and trailer do not have hydrilla on them. Located between the NC and VA border between I-85 and I-95. Of course if you are wanting to take a few smaller fish home to eat you are welcome to! The difference could be something as insignificant as putting a piece of split shot above your bait when you’re fishing a down line.”. GUIDES/FISHING INFO — Don Enderle, Tri-Lakes Guide Service, 252-813-8501; Stonehouse Timber Lodge, 252-586-3012. The weights and hooks on free lines can be held at a specified depth by the cork; the rig allows him to troll baitfish at different depths. “You just downsize your tackle if you want to catch channel cats, which a lot of people do because they’re good to eat,” said Enderle, who said channel cats at Gaston average between five and 10 pounds. Lake Gaston is 35 miles long and spreads across 20,000 surface water acres, but it’s almost a riverine system, with current flowing west to east. Lake Gaston is a reservoir located just 7.2 miles from South Rosemary, in Northampton County, in the state of North Carolina, United States, near Thelma, NC. Lake Gaston is located in Brunswick County, Virginia. Blue catfish will eat live or dead baits that can be slow-trolled using side planers, slip-knot cork rigs and free lines. Down in the bayous, they even serve up what they call a “catfish Po-Boy dressed” — a submarine sandwich with two or three fried catfish filets between two long slices of French bread and shredded lettuce, tomato slices, dill pickle slices, Creole mustard, ketchup, cocktail or tartar sauce, sea salt and Creole seasoning. As Enderle sees it, blue cats have an advantage over flatheads, which also may grow to prodigious sizes. This newly created habitat should allow more fish to move upstream during the summer. Not only is the weather very pleasant, but the fishing can also be exceptional! You can now select tournaments on just Kerr Lake or just Lake Gaston or both. “If you’re after blue cats in June, the best place to fish for them are at the spoil areas near the railway trestle.”, HOW TO GET THERE — Lake Gaston, on the North Carolina-Virginia border northeast of Raleigh, is most-easily accessed from I-85 to US 158 around Manson, and from I-95 north to NC 46 west to Gasburg, Va. Famous for its stump fields and docks that attract largemouth bass and anglers each spring, Gaston also has held blue, flathead, channel and bullhead catfishes for years. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) annually stock walleyes, and the best fishing is usually in the upper end during February and March. Enderle’s family moved from New Orleans to Raleigh in 1963 when he was five. Lake Gaston is well-stocked with game fish, which include striped bass or rock fish, large mouth bass, crappie, sunfish and several varieties of catfish. At Gaston, where the water level cannot rise or drop more than 18 inches by law, Enderle does most of his fishing in tributary creeks or in the narrow, upper reaches of the river. The best time I found is January, because it never gets too cold for them to eat. Catfish were the second most popular species during a 2008 Lake Gaston creel survey, behind Largemouth Bass. Lake Gaston, North Carolina, US Fish Identification Chart. FISHING is fabulous all year long and Lake Gaston hosts several fishing tournaments each year. Lake Gaston can claim 3 consecutive state records since December 2015 with the established, non-native Blue Catfish; the latest weighing 117 pounds caught in June 2016. This will decrease the likelihood of spreading this exotic plant to other water bodies. Although it is primarily in North Carolina, a portion of Gaston lies in Brunswick County, Virginia. For a list of organizations that hold tournaments on Lake Gaston & Kerr Lake, click here. Fishermen will find a variety of fish including crappie, striped bass, rock bass, walleye, sunfish, largemouth bass, catfish, white perch and blue catfish … The water abounds with striped bass, largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, bream and many other varieties. “Things like water conditions and the bite are always changing from one lake to another,” he said. There’s no question that COVID-19 was THE story of the year, everywhere, but we’d rather not give it … If you want the best-tastin’ catfish in the United States, try spiced, deep-fried chunks when you find yourself in Louisiana or walking through the doors of a restaurant that specializes in genuine Cajun soul food. “You need to try different things. Other species of fish sometimes caught are walleye, yellow perch and chain pickerel. Famous for its stump fields and docks that attract largemouth bass and anglers each spring, Gaston also has held blue, flathead, channel and bullhead catfishes for … Striped bass, which are stocked by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, continue to produce a number of quality-sized fish. A bigger-than-average landing net is good to have. Species Regulations Plenty of public and private ramps are available. Variant Names: Black Bass, Guadalupe Spotted Bass. Lake Gaston also contains channel catfish, blue catfish, chain pickerel, and bluegill. Dark colored jig ... Lake Gaston Water Level. Anglers fishing live shad baits are taking 8-14 pound stripers at the base of the dam, with some running to 20 pounds. As the water temperatures start to rise … “I don’t feel good unless I have at least 50 live shad swimming in my bait tank,” he said. Lake Gaston also contains channel catfish, blue catfish, chain pickerel, and bluegill. lake gaston catfish fishing 810 willie gray road timberlake, nc 27583 jack's guide service lake gaston Blues Brothers Guide Service now holds two North Carolina state records for largest blue catfish. Many professional and amateur tournaments are held here each year, so it receives a good deal of fishing pressure. His aerated bait tank is in the front of his center-console boat, but when targeting catfish, he uses a bow-mounted trolling motor with a remote-control device resembling a wrist watch that controls his speed and direction, leaving him free to tend his rods. Fishing reports for Lake Gaston, Kerr and Buggs including both bass and catfish - share reports, water conditions and tournament results. There are numerous different species of fish to find on this body of water. Now 56, Enderle started guiding during the 1980s, the heyday of Gaston and nearby John H. Kerr Reservoir as largemouth and striped bass destinations. This lake is 18,987 acres in size. Tournaments every Saturday night! But blue cats are the largest, most-active predatory fish that swims in Lake Gaston. By Steven Vonbrandt Lake Gaston is located in both Virginia and North Carolina. TACKLE/TECHNIQUES — Medium-heavy baitcasting outfits spooled with 20-pound line, a 50-pound leader, 7/0 to 9/0 circle hooks and slinky/snake or river sinkers threaded on above the leader. Guadalupe Bass. By Kellen Holtzman, Lake Gaston Gazette-Observer Updated Feb 10, 2021 VALENTINES - It’s the weekend before Valentine’s Day, which happens to fall on a Sunday this year, and the Valentines, Va. Post Office parking lot is roaring with activity on this Saturday morning. Catfish aren’t always in deep water; they’re usually just close to the bottom. From Gasburg East on Rt. “In summer, I can troll for striped bass at Kerr and Gaston; in spring I can go to the tailraces at Kerr and Gaston dams and get into spawning runs of stripers and sometimes walleye. I think the bite is so good in January because there’s not a lot of baitfish around then. “In fact, I prefer it shallow. Fishing tournaments are popular throughout the season. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake recently completed venting all the turbines in Kerr Dam to oxygenate the tailrace during summer months. He also ties slip knots on his free lines that stop a barrel-shaped cork from sliding up the line. For more information on Lake Gaston, contact: Lake Gaston Chamber of Commerce Lake Gaston also contains channel catfish, blue catfish… But a normal Gaston trophy blue will weigh 30 to 50 pounds.”. “The best place for flatheads is up the river toward the I-85 bridge,” said Enderle, who knows several holes that contain blowdowns and rocks that are among the best spots on the lake to catch flatheads. Fishing Hot Spots ® is a registered trademark of Fishing Hot Spots. It is a large lake of 20,300 acres. ACCOMMODATIONS — Roanoke Rapids Chamber of Commerce, 252-537-3513, www.rvchamber.com; Vance County Department of Tourism, Henderson, 866-438-4565, www.kerrlake-nc.com/kerrlake.cfm; MAPS — GMCO Maps, www.gmcomaps.com, 888-420-6277; Fishing Hot Spots, 800-500-MAPS. LITTLETON, N.C. (June 21, 2016) — For the third time in six months, Lake Gaston has produced another blue catfish state record. We release all catfish over 15 pounds to help preserve the sport for generations to come. Lake Gaston is well stocked with game fish which include striped bass or rock fish, large mouth bass, crappie, sunfish and several varieties of catfish. Other fish that call these waters home are … The Virginia portion of this lake is primarily in Brunswick County, just below Buggs Island Lake (Virginia licenses are legal lake-wide). Book a trip with us today and come experience the amazing catfishing that Lake Gaston and Kerr lake have to offer and have a great time you will always remember! Other species of fish sometimes caught are walleye, yellow perch and chain pickerel. 20,300 acres Located just below Buggs Island Lake (aka Kerr Reservoir) is Lake Gaston. Lake Gaston has an excellent largemouth bass population. CATT NC – Lake Gaston View All Lake Gaston News Lake Gaston 2021 SPRING TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE Lake Gaston DIVISION DIRECTOR Cory Byrum PHONE: 252-676-9231EMAIL: [email protected] DIVISION NEWS & UPDATES USE PHANTOMCATT15 AT CHECKOUT TO RECEIVE 15% OFF YOUR PHANTOM OUTDOORS TOURNAMENT GRADE FISHING APPAREL … Tweets by @nchuntnfish It is bounded by the Kerr Dam and Gaston Dam and borders the counties of Warren, Halifax and Northampton in North Carolina as well as Mecklenburg and Brunswick counties in VA. As determined by a N.C. Department of Transportation study, mileage to the Lake Gaston area from specific points has been established as follows: 1. !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? Map, From Broadnax, Rt. Best places to troll are parallel to channels or across ledges, keeping some baits in deeper water and some on the shallower flats. We can outfit you with the stuff that works here, on Lake Gaston. www.lakedirectory.net/browse_categories.php?id=17&page=2. The most notable fish species of the lake include blue catfish, striped bass, largemouth bass, channel catfish, and bluegil. Striper fishing in the tail waters below Kerr Dam is an annual event. Lake Gaston Fishing Map Popular Fishing Species List. Spring and early summer are good times at Roanoke Rapids Lake for stripers, and you can fish the Roanoke Rapids grass for largemouth bass. Boat docks also are likely places to catch largemouth bass. Largemouth Bass Fishing At Lake Gaston. Tired of fishing the same spots? The lake has a healthy population of this iconic species, and the specimens get pretty big, making it a prime Largemouth fishing hotspot. Smallmouth Bass. Phone: (919) 586-6287, © 2021 Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. “Blue cats will eat live or dead baits,” he said. 199.8 ft. … “Ridges are edges of channels,” he said. 705 You can find Blue Catfish, Crappie, Channel Catfish, Bluegill, Striped Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, Walleye, Largemouth Bass and Chain Pickerel on these waters. There's a good largemouth population with many double-digit hogs, nice Crappie, stripers and some decent Walleye. Our files contain artificial and natural reefs, buoys, ledges, rocks, shipwrecks, and many other types of structures that hold fish, in a 35 miles radius of Lake Gaston. He also deploys four rods on the gunwales — two on each side — attached to planers so he can cover a wider swath of water and that pull baits that are supposed to skim just above the bottom. As with most bodies of water with catfish, most varieties of catfish reside in deep areas. It ain’t rocket science. The fishing opportunities of Lake Gaston are vast. Over the years, Enderle has learned the easiest and quickest-to-reach baitfish spots at the lake, so finding bait often takes about 30 minutes, although it can take longer. Striper fishing in the tail waters below Kerr Dam is an annual event. “In May, baitfish will get in creeks that might only be six to 12 feet deep, and blues cats, which are all over the lake, will eat food pulled past their faces.”, Productive areas to fish for blue cats in June include breaks, which means Enderle trolls from .5 to .6 mph along what he also calls “ridges.”. Variant Names: Black Bass, Green Trout, Bigmouth Bass, Lineside Bass. Gaston covers … “I like to double-bait hooks some times, so if you got a dozen rods out and are slow-trolling, it doesn’t take long to go through a lot of bait.”. You don't need to run around looking for the right fishing gear. Okay, I’m not really sure if Wister Lake is actually in the 918 area code, but I don’t really care either! Lake Gaston is 35 miles long and spreads across 20,000 surface water acres, but it’s almost a riverine system, with current flowing west to east. “The food chain for bigger fish up here probably has blue catfish at the top, followed by stripers, then largemouth bass, then walleyes,” he said. So it’s entirely understandable that Don Enderle, a Louisiana native, would be one of the top catfish guides on Lake Gaston. Go on! Striper fishing in the tail waters below Kerr Dam is an annual event. “If the bite’s going good, sometimes I’ll stay in the same creek all day,” he said. So, what type of fish are in this lake? See also Guides and Charters in Classifieds. by Zakk Royce, published by the Lake Gaston Gazette-Observer Springtime is one of my favorite tines of the year to fish for catfish. His catfish trolling rods are medium-heavy, 6 1/2-foot Eagle Claw Granger Ocean II, mated with Ambassadeur 6500 reels spooled with 20-pound line, tied to a 30- to 50-pound leader and 7/0 to 9/0 circle hooks. Even with that early displacement, fishing urges and abilities that were obviously in the family’s gene pool and settled in him at an early age. He knows how to catch these broad-shouldered beasts, some of the “blue” variety that have pegged at 60 pounds or more on the certified digital scales he keeps in his boat’s console. Contact Us to correct, update or add to this list. This 20,300-acre reservoir is 34 miles long and has 350 miles of shoreline. Enderle uses the slow-trolling approach to present his baits to catfish. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) annually stock walleyes, and the best fishing is usually in the upper end during February and March. Evans caught the fish, which measured 55 inches in length and 40½ inches in girth, using cut shad as bait. “Flatheads mostly like live bait, mainly live bream.”. Professional fishermen tell us what works on Lake Gaston and that is what we stock. Lake Gaston Warren - North Carolina. Lake Gaston contains largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie, bluegill, walleye, and catfish. When fishing, anglers can expect to catch a variety of fish including Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Walleye, White Crappie,. Lake Gaston, at least temporarily, has become a refuge of sorts. I consider Wister Lake one of the most overlooked and underrated fishing lakes in Oklahoma. Download GPS Files Download over 310+ fishing spots in Lake Gaston, North Carolina, US.We have the best Lake Gaston fishing spots. And shouldn’t either if you like to catch catfish from the bank! There’s one thing on everyone’s mind when they go fishing in Lake Gaston – Largemouth Bass! 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Guide Don Enderle has the right stuff when it comes to catching Lake Gaston’s trophy blue catfish. “I’ll pull half my baits on the upside of a ridge and half on the down side. “There might be more monster blue cats at Buggs Island (Kerr Lake), but I’ve caught 60-plus pounders from this lake, and there’s been 80- and 84-pounders caught here. Catfishing can be awesome at Kerr and Gaston in the summer.”. More Information Closed on Monday (except Holiday Mondays) Open Tuesday - Thursday 9am - 10pm Friday & Saturday 9am - 2am Sunday 9am - … We are working on a new calendar format for fishing tournaments. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) annually stock walleyes, and the best fishing is usually in the upper end during February and March. Interstate 85 to Interstate 95 crossing EFB (Eaton Ferry Bridge), 44.3 miles 2. In years past, the headwaters of Lake Gaston have been low in oxygen and not had the habitat to hold fish. Both Virginia and North Carolina Wildlife Commissions have stocked the lake. Largemouth Bass.

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