A Spontaneous Romp in North Carolina

Life sometimes takes funny turns, and such was the was the case when I ended up in North Carolina in the middle of a pandemic. I wasn't there to fish but you can bet I was going to. I'd never fished North Carolina before, and there was ample opportunity for new species. Of course when you aren't focused on fishing new species become hard to get.

The first water I fished in North Carolina was a small, murky creek full of sunfish. My firs ever fish in North Carolina was a green sunfish. This was extraordinarily unsurprising. I'd catch quite a few of that species, and none particularly big or pretty, unfortunately.

Fliers, however, made a very pleasant appearance... I'd not have caught these guys had I stayed at home! After my first taste (not literally) of the species in Virginia, I'd wanted to catch some more. That this one took the Okefenokee Swamp Sally, very much a fly for them, was fitting. 

Another place I fished featured a winding creek with log jams and deep runs, brushed in heavily.

More interesting than the creek itself were the small oxbow ponds in its flood plain. These small, shallow cut-off ponds were actually full of fish, much to my pleasure. This ended up being the a very memorable fishing experience. Walking through thick woods to reach these oxbow ponds full of sunfish and redfin pickerel was awesome. It didn't feel like there should be fish in these places, and yet there were.

The best fish I caught out of any of those oxbows was, in my opinion, the stunning little warmouth pictured below. The colors on it were stunning.

The creek itself produced redbreast sunfish, and I had takes and misses by some small shiners. What those shiners were I do not know, though they were very likely a species I'd never caught before.

I ended up fishing the same waters after dark one night in an attempt to spotlight a new species. I caught no fish at all, though I did see a lot of wildlife. Freshwater shrimp were notable, a species I'd never seen before.

The last fishing I did in North Carolina, on this trip I should say as I will definitely fish there again, was in a huge reservoir. Something I'd always wanted to see was going on there... the shad spawn. Threadfin shad are very common in the southeast and are an important baitfish. With such spawning action happening I hoped I'd find large bass feeding on them.

Instead what I found was the most carp I'd ever seen feeding, rooting around for the shad eggs in the flooded timber. It would have been remarkably easy fishing... were these not carp, and in flooded timber. I hooked and lost fish after fish, all small but big enough to wrap me around one of the many, many branches... I wasn't losing flies much, but time after time after time the hook pulled. I hooked and lost more carp than I can typically expect to in a year. Eventually I got one ugly little fella to hand, and I decided not to photograph it. But I mostly regret not spending more time photographing all the hundreds of tailing fish. I let a fantastic opportunity slide in that regard.

North Carolina was weird in every capacity... how I ended up there, my time there, and what transpired afterward. But if nothing else I learned a few things. Take chances but don't be stupid. I'll be back, almost certainly for the express purpose of fishing next time.
Until next time,

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

And stay safe and healthy.

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