Go Bass Fishing with Joel Richardson

Call Joel at 336-643-7214 or E-Mail Joel for booking and additional information about your trip to some of the best fishing lakes in the North Carolina and Virginia area. For a neat place to stay on the lake, visit Little Retreat Cottages.

Bugg's Island (Kerr Reservoir) October 27, 2006

Largemouth bass are starting to move shallow now that the water has reached the low 60's. Bass will be found in the major tributaries in the 6 to 12 foot range. Bass have been biting crankbaits and jigs on stumps and rock. Some fish are schooling during the day on shad schools biting a top water and rattle trap. Stripers are really feeding heavy now and are schooling on the surface in some areas of the lake. Lots of fish to be caught in the 3 to 7 pound range. I have had several 30 to 50 fish days recently.

Lake Gaston October 27, 2006

Largemouth bass are biting pretty good. Several patterns have been working. Backs of major creeks have been producing with shallow crankbaits and rattle traps. Some nice bass coming off of grass beds in the morning on buzz baits. Fish are still holding on boat docks in 4 to 8 feet of water biting a flipping jig and Zoom Brush Hog (black/blue and green pumpkin). Some fish are still out on ledges biting deep crankbait and carolina rig.

Joel and Jackie Richardson
www.joelgrichardson.com

December 15th, 2005

Bugg's Island and Lake Gaston patterns are about the same

Fish are in their winter patterns 20 to 35 feet deep. Jiggin Spoons 3/4 ounce are producing best. Strippers are biting 1/2 ounce Bucktail jigs in the morning on Main lake points. Catching a variety of species on the jiggin spoon. White bass, strippers, white perch, and largemouth bass are all together in the main lake areas.

Tip

When fishing a Zoom Fluke sometimes you will have problems with your line twisting. Try a small barrel swivel 8 to 10 inches above the bait.

Joel and Jackie Richardson
www.joelgrichardson.com

March27th, 2005

Bugg's Island

Pre-spawn bass are biting pretty good. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and rattle traps have been producing the best. Fish are moving into the shallows finding the warmest water will help. Crawfish colors are working best on the DJ2 crankbait on 12 lb. test. Spinnerbaits are working best in the afternoon when the water warms up 3/8 to 1/2 oz. Hawg Caller White/Chart. is my choice on 17 to 20 lb. test.

Lake Gaston

Fishing on Gaston has been good. Fish are biting speed shad and shad raps in fire tiger and crawfish colors. Fish are in the shallow coves relating to shad. Main lake areas have been successful. Some fish are also around boat docks. The bit has been better in the afternoon hours.

Lake Jordan

Fish has been extremely good. Large bass are just moving in to feed. Crawfish colored DJ2 and White/Chart. Hawg Caller spinnerbait will do the job. The bass are shallow but close to deep water areas. This lake seems to turn on a little later than others in North Carolina not sure why. I took a party out on the 26th caught 14 bass. The largest was 7 1/2 the smallest was 3 lbs. can't say enough about how good the fishing is on this lake this year.

Joel and Jackie Richardson
www.joelgrichardson.com

Fishing Tip

Cranking in cold water. Crawdad colors are my number one choice always start around rocky areas if you have them in your lake. A slow stop and go retrieve will work best. Lite line will get the most strikes in cold water. Scent is very important in cold water fishing. I use a scent called Mega-Strike. It will stay on a crankbait one hour. It is almost like putting Vaseline jelly on a lure. The colder the water the longer it stays on and it really does help!!!

Joel and Jackie Richardson
www.joelgrichardson.com

Kerr Lake/Bugg's Island (Sept. 7, 2004)

Fishing on Kerr/Bugg's Island is a tough chore during the early fall transition period. Bait fish are on the move and bass are on the move trying to relocate with them. I have been catching fish early on topwater lures. A lot of small fish with some nice keepers. As always this time of the year weights are generally low. A two pound average is great. After the topwater bite is over shallow cranking on the flats can produce. Improvement in the fishing is just around the corner. Lots of rainfall and wind seems to be bringing more fish shallower each day.

Lake Gaston

Fishing on Gaston has been hit or miss. Water generation really gets these fish going. I have had some great days only to go back the next day and really work for a few bites. Shallow crankbaits along grass edges. Texas rig and Carolina rig worms are working in the deeper areas on bright, sunny days. As always there are quality fish on the docks. Flipping an 8 inch Zoom lizard has been productive on the docks 6 to 10 feet deep. Some topwater action on the main lower lake early morning and late evening. Look for the clearest water possible for a good topwater bite.

Tip

Zoom has a hot new topwater soft plastic frog called the Horny Toad. This bait works great around any heavy cover imaginable. Let alone how good it works in open water. Just rig it Texas style on a 5/0 extra wide gap hook. This bait throws like a charm. They come in variety of colors to fit your needs. This bait works fine on a steady retrieve in open water and a more erratic action around cover. I have noticed that I get a larger percentage of fish in the boat on this lure verses other frog imitators. You get better hook penetration because of the belly design.

Please be sure to check out Fuji film's Fish, Photograph & Release (FPR) Photo Essay Contest for children ages 5-16. Details can be found at www.fujifilm.com/fishing. We encourage the practice of the FPR program and I recommend keeping a Fuji film Quick Snap Waterproof one-time-use camera in your boat. It takes excellent pictures.

Fishing Update July 24th, 2004

Bass on Kerr Lake are on a summer pattern. Fish are in depths ranging from 12 to 20 feet. Fish can still be caught on top early morning and late evening. Deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rig, and Texas rig Zoom Ole Monster worm in Green pumpkin and Plum apple will work the best. Fish long tapering points, humps, and channel ledges back in the creeks. Some fish are chasing shad out in open water keep a top water lure handy. One that you can cast a long distance.

Lake Gaston

Fish are also on a summer pattern. Just not quite as deep 9 to 15 feet. Top water action is excellent along grass line edges. This is my favorite time of the year to fish Gaston. You can catch 20 to 30 bass per day if you discover the right pattern. Most fish range from 2 to 3 pounds with an occasional lunker. There has been a lot of current through the lake this year that has really put the bass in key locations.

Tip

Have you ever noticed some days bass will all come on the rear treble of a crankbait. I have a solution for this that has really helped out in the past. First, this tells you your color is not what the fish are wanting the best. Normally, I will change to a totally different color. Sometimes you will notice the bite will stop then go back to a similar color with a smaller adjustment such as the belly color difference or the color of the back. Second, I have seen that placing a red treble hook on the front can make all the difference. You will land more bass if you follow these procedures. The more you experiment with this the faster you will be able to make the right adjustments.

Soft plastics- Believe it or not. Not all colors are created equal. Different brands vary somewhat between colors. Subtleties such as a bait that has been in a box for a while can fade or get a milky look vs. a new one in the pack. So, I will try both. I keep plastics on had that I know are faded and I keep some in the packs. I have seen this work lots of times. It seems like the faded one will work better on bright days and the new one will work better on partly cloudy to cloudy days. Probably the number one color in most lakes is Green Pumpkin. So, next time you pull up on that honey hole try a faded bait. Fish get conditioned to color very quickly.

Please remember to Fish, Photo, and Release (FPR) I always keep a Fuji underwater camera in my boat for those special moments.

Joel and Jackie Richardson
www.joelgrichardson.com

Fishing Tip

When fishing a Zoom Trick worm I like to use fairly light line 12 to 17 lb. test Stren Super Tough. A medium action 6 ft. rod. Low speed reel to keep you from over working the bait. I will work the bait very erratically around cover but when fish are spawning you may want to let the bait settle out of sight once in a while.

Fishing Tip

My favorite technique in bass fishing is cranking shallow or deep. Being from North Carolina the crankbait capital I have fished crankbaits quit a bite and have fished with the best crankbait fisherman in the country. Throughout this time I have learned that you must match your crankbait to the conditions as you would any other technique. First find the proper depth level. Second speed of retrieve and you must also take into consideration was your crankbait glancing off objects or just swimming. This tells me a lot of things reaction strikes usually come from deflection off of objects such as stumps, rock, etc.. If my bait was not in contact with the bottom chances are that a fish chased my bait to get it. That is a feeding response. Third is color I did not think this was to important but I have to admit that there are times when one color will far produce better than another. Experimentation is the only way you can determine what color will be best on a given day or time. I will tell you that the best time to figure out the proper color is when you are getting strikes or losing fish. When selecting crankbaits I like a balsa wood bait. It has always been better for me. I use the best crankbaits that money can buy. Believe me it makes a difference.

Fishing Tip

I have found when bass are spawning in dingy water they can be caught a lot easier than in clear water. What I recommend is fishing protected coves and fishing slow around any cover you find. A jig tipped with a large Zoom chunk. 8 inch Zoom lizard in dark colors with a light bullet weight. I have also had great success with the new Zoom speed worm. The reason for these baits are the jig and lizard has a larger profile than normal and the speed worm has a lot of vibration with the new tail that it features. Please remember you are fishing for bass at their most vulnerable time. So harvesting bass now can hurt you in the future. Please be sure to check out Fujifilm's Fish, Photograph & Release (FPR) Photo Essay Contest for children ages 5-16. Details can be found at www.fujifilm.com/fishing. We encourage the practice of the FPR program and I recommend keeping a Fujifilm QuickSnap Waterproof one-time-use camera in your boat. It takes excellent pictures.

Joel and Jackie Richardson
www.joelgrichardson.com