CONNESTEE FALLS FISHING CLUB
FISH SPECIES FOUND IN OUR LAKES
In
Alphabetical Order
The
following information was derived from sources listed at the end of this
section, edited when necessary to make it more applicable to Connestee Falls.
Baits that are italicized have been
recommended by one or more experienced local anglers.
Bass, Largemouth
(click
for larger picture)
-
Description:
Dark
horizontal band along center of body. Jawbone extends beyond the back of the
eye when mouth is closed. The two dorsal fins are nearly separated or deeply
notched. Up to 20 pounds; 1 to 6 pounds typical.
-
Habitat:
Moderately
clear to turbid, quiet, warm waters around vegetation and near logs, trees,
brush and stumps. Spawning activity begins when water reaches 63-68 degrees.
- Tips: Best fishing early morning or early evening in warm summer months. Will strike artificial baits including crankbaits, spinner baits, jigs, poppers, and plastic worms, lizards or crayfish; also nightcrawlers, and frogs.
-
Size and
Creel Limits (see note at end of Fish Species): To encourage the growth of trophy-size bass,
Connestee Falls enforces the following limits based on recommendations from the
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission:
Under 14 inches: Up to 2 per day; * each angler
is encouraged to harvest this limit.
Over 14 inches: One fish per day.*
*DAILY
TOTAL: No
more than 3 fish, but only one fish over 14 inches.
- Additional Information: The dominant carnivorous fish in our lakes.
Bass, Smallmouth (Rarely
seen)
(click for larger picture)
-
Description: Dark vertical
bars on body. Brown or bronze color on the sides. Jawbone does not extend
behind rear margin of eye. Connected first and second dorsal fin. Up to 10
pounds; 1 to 3 pounds typical.
-
Habitat: Prefers
clear-water lakes, but somewhat warmer water than trout. Spawns in water 60-65
degrees.
in pools with gravel bottoms.
-
Tips: Tends
to avoid bright light and is most active at dawn. Use natural or artificial
crayfish, jigs, or hellgrammites; also small plugs and plastic worms.
-
Size and
Creel Limits (see note at end of Fish Species):
12" minimum; 5 per day.
-
Additional
Information: Very few exist in our lakes.
Sunfish (Frequently called bream "brim" or Bluegill)
(click
for larger picture)
-
Description: Deep-bodied,
slab-sided fish with a small mouth. Breast generally orange or bronze. Black
spot at base of soft (rear) dorsal fin. Flexible, black earflap. Up to 4
pounds; 1 pound and less typical.
-
Habitat:
Congregates
in shallow waters around vegetation, sunken trees, and docks. Spawning occurs
when water reaches 67-70 degrees. in shallow areas over sand and gravel. Nests in
colonies and spawns once every 28 days during spring/summer. Will often school
at surface of deeper water during fly hatching periods.
-
Tips: Worms,
crickets, mealworms, small jigs, spinners, flies, and popping bugs. Use small
(e.g., #8) hook.
-
Size and Creel Limits (see note at end of Fish
Species):
None.
-
Additional Information:
Excellent pan fish. Scale or skin, and fry whole.
Carp, Grass
(click
for larger picture)
-
Description: Slate
gray in color with a dark spot at the base of each scale. A single, stiff spine
in both the dorsal and anal fins. Sucker-like mouth with a barbel on each
corner. Typical weights of 5-25 pounds.
-
Habitat:
Very
tolerant of polluted waters. Prefer warm-standing or slow-moving water. Schools
of up to two dozen large fish have been seen floating, virtually motionless,
just below the surface of warm, shallow water. Normally spawn in very shallow
59 -77 degrees. water, but our specimens are sterile.
-
Tips:
Very
strong fighter. Use dough balls, worms, and corn; but since these are plant
eaters, they cannot be easily caught with rod and reel.
-
Size and
Creel Limits (see note at end of Fish Species):
"Catch & Release" is
recommended (see below).
-
Additional
Information: Lake Atagahi only. Being plant eaters, a small
number of slate-colored carp were introduced into the lake to help control
vegetation in the shallow areas, particularly south of the causeway. They
should be released if caught.
Catfish (Blue Channel)
(click
for larger picture)
-
Description: Easily
identified by lack of scales. Stout, sharp spines in pectoral and dorsal fins
and cat-like barbels on mouth. Weights of 2 to 10 pounds typical. Two foot,
ten-pound catfish are not uncommon in Connestee Falls' lakes. 30 to 40 pounders
are believed to exist here.
-
Habitat:
Shallower,
warmer water. Most active in the early evening. Spawns in cavities in hollow
logs, holes in undercut banks, and beneath rocks when water reaches 70-75
degrees..
-
Tips:
Use hot
dog pieces, worms, cutbait, shrimp, chicken
livers, or blood and stink baits.
Artificial lures are occasionally successful.
-
Size and
Creel Limits (see note at end of Fish Species): None.
-
Additional
Information:
Skinned and filleted, these are excellent food fish, especially smaller specimens.
Larger specimens tend to have a stronger, less desirable flavor which can be
reduced by rinsing fillets in buttermilk before cooking.
Perch, Yellow
(click
for larger picture)
-
Description:
Golden
yellow body, with 6-8 dark vertical bands from back to belly. Two dorsal fins.
Bright orange anal and pectoral fins. Up to 5 pounds, but typically less than 1
pound.
-
Habitat: Prefers
cool water. Moves in schools. Spawns in backwaters near vegetation in spring,
when water reaches 44-54 degrees..
-
Tips:
Eats
small fish, small crayfish, and aquatic insects. Use small jigs, grubs, and
worms. Use light tackle and set hook quickly.
-
Size and
Creel Limits (see note at end of Fish Species):
None.
-
Additional
Information:
Excellent pan fish for eating (some say better than trout). Skin and fry
whole.
Trout, Rainbow
(click
for larger picture)
-
Description:
Colorful pink or red stripe
extending down sides. Numerous black spots on back and dorsal and tailfins.
Tail slightly forked. Up to 5 pounds in our lakes. Average length 12-16 inches,
with a few over 20 inches.
-
Habitat:
Clear, cold water with
plenty of cover. Generally will not tolerate temperatures above 70 degrees.. Spawning
does not occur in lakes, as the process requires moving water and gravel beds
to keep the eggs clean and oxygenated.
-
Tips:
Eats insects,
crustaceans and fish. Bait fishing is popular and many fish are taken on canned
corn, nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, crayfish, cheese balls, and tiny
marshmallows. Artificial baits include spinners, jigs, small spoons, imitation
crawfish, minnow crankbaits and dry flies. Trolling slowly with a small spinner
on a relatively long line is a good technique for our lakes until surface
temperatures exceed 70 degrees..
-
Size and Creel Limits (see note at end of
Fish Species):
No size limit; 2 per day.
-
Additional Information: Trout stocked in our lakes by the Fishing Club are obtained from fish farms,
and are usually 1 1/2 - 2 years old, 12-16 inches long, and female. (Females grow faster,
thus are favored by fish farmers.) They
cannot reproduce in our lakes. However, they apparently do survive the warmer
water temperatures during our summers, by staying deep (but not so deep as to
run out of oxygen), or congregating near sources of cold water (underwater
springs or stream entry points). Maximum life span for trout is 8-15 years.
A few Brown Trout have also been stocked in our lakes.
Sources:
- North
Carolina Sport Fish Identification Pocket Guide (NC Wildlife Resources Commission)
- Some
Common Freshwater Fish Caught in North Carolina (NC Wildlife Resources Commission)
-
Members
of Connestee Falls Fishing Club
NOTE REGARDING FISHING LICENSES: (See: Fishing Licenses)
NOTE REGARDING SIZE & CREEL LIMITS: Connestee
Falls may restrict, but not relax, North Carolina fishing regulations. At the
time of printing, all Connestee Falls regulations are within state limits.
However, should state fishing regulations ever become more restrictive than our
local regulations, the state directives would take precedence.