Fed by the Catawba River and covering 32,510 acres, Lake Norman is the largest manmade lake in North Carolina. It was created in 1964 when the Cowans Ford Dam was completed by Duke Energy and is situated just north of Charlotte, NC, at 760 feet above mean sea level. The lake is named after Duke Energy president Norman Cocke and is home to the FLW Tour’s annual National Guard Open. The main channel is 34 miles long. 

The weather can start to cool off in November, but I expect you’ll see highs in the upper 50s to low 60s and water temperatures in the mid-50s. Be sure to bring some warm clothing, though, just in case.

Historically the lake does not fluctuate much. Currently it’s about 2 feet low, and it will probably be around the same level come November. The water should be clear with visibility of 6 to 10 feet depending on were you are fishing. 

Docks, ledges and riprap will be your primary cover during the tournament followed by laydowns and brush piles. The primary forage will be crayfish, blueback herring and shad. More than anything else, it will be important to match your lure size and color to the forage that seems to be preferred when you get to the tournament. Be sure to use your practice day to experiment with colors and dial in your lure selections. Shad and blueback herring may be schooling over the lake’s many shoals and drops.

Lake Norman is absolutely full of bass, and if you find a concentration of them, you could catch a hundred in one small area. You’ll likely catch a lot of short fish, but don’t be discouraged. Unlike some lakes where it’s better to upsize your baits and go strictly for big bass, I believe you are better off at Lake Norman to go for numbers. The bigger fish will be mixed in with the short bass. If I were fishing the tournament, I would probably start out looking for slightly off-color water on riprap banks that drop off into 5 to 10 feet of water. If the sun is shining, the riprap will hold heat, which attracts the bass. Try throwing a crayfish-colored Bandit 200 Series crankbait, Storm Original Wiggle Wart or Rebel Deep Wee-R crankbait. My next option would be fishing docks located over 10 feet of water or more. For the docks, I would try flipping a green pumpkin, 3/8-ounce Berkley Ike’s Finesse Jig because of its small profile and relatively slow sink rate. In the winter I like a trailer with subtle action, so I’ll tip the jig with a green pumpkin, 3-inch Berkley PowerBait Chunky Trailer. Another good bait to use around docks is a deep-running jerkbait like a Smithwick Spoonbill Super Rouge or a Lucky Craft Live Deep Pointer in shad or blueback herring colors. A 1/8-ounce shaky-head jig with a light-wire hook tipped with a 4 3/4-inch green pumpkin Berkley Gulp! Alive! Slim Shaky Worm is another good option. Lastly, be sure to check out the ledges, particularly those with a creek channel turn where the bass can congregate and ambush prey. I’d start out looking at ledges in 20 to 25 feet of water and fishing them with a football-head jig like the 1/2-ounce rusty craw Berkley Hank’s Football Jig tipped with a 3-inch Berkley Chigger Craw or 3-inch Berkley PowerBait Double Tail Grub, something with a little more action than used on the finesse jig. If you find bass feeding on schooling shad or blueback herring over the drops, try throwing a Lucky Craft Slender Pointer or similar shallow-running jerkbait. The brand is not as important as matching the size and color of the baitfish and the depth at which they are schooling. A drop-shot rigged with a 1/4-ounce weight and a 6-inch, holographic shad Berkley PowerBait Finesse Worm Hand Pour can also come in handy if the fish are suspended.

Here are the five rod-and-reel combinations I recommend:

If you have any questions that I have not answered, please e-mail me here. Be sure to put Lake Norman in the subject line.

Good luck!

- Stetson