The two largemouth bass that made the Leaderboard were caught on local golf course ponds. Maybe its time to try your luck?.

The following article is excerpted courtesy of the North Carolina Coastal Federation at CoastalReview.org

Golfing for bass — best use of a course is fishing, of course

05/11/2023 by Capt. Gordon Churchill

As Thoreau would have said, “That golf course is best which is golfed least.”

This beautiful largemouth was caught on a fly rod popper. – Photo: Capt. Gordon Churchill

We all like fishing. At least, if you’re reading this, that is my assumption. I’ll fish for anything that swims.

I’ve been happy catching pinfish and croakers and delighted to catch gorgeous, 6-inch-long brook trout. Most of the time these days, you will find me plying the coastal salt waters in pursuit of inshore fish of one kind or another. It takes a bit of planning and often a bit of effort to figure out where we want to go, assess the weather, get boats and gear prepared, and there is no guarantee that fish will actually be in the place we had planned on them being.

Too many variables exist in seasons, wind and waves to make any saltwater fishing excursion a sure thing. However, there is fishing that is available to most people less than 30 minutes away from most anywhere we might be on the coast: golf courses. It is my fervent belief that the best use of a golf course, and the most productive use of the acreage within, is fishing for the bass that live in the so-called “water hazards.”  The ponds aren’t hazards, rather they are treasure chests filled with bassy jewels. They’re always there, don’t have anywhere else to be, are usually hungry, and can get really big. Catching them isn’t especially difficult, but there are things to be considered.

The first consideration is access. The best, of course, would be a golf community where you actually live. If you reside in one of these neighborhoods and have never checked the local bass population, you should probably remedy that sooner rather than later. Also, if you have only ever caught a few small panfish or little bass on worms fished under a bobber, you are missing the very best part.

But first, a little science. Due to the acidity of the soil in most of eastern North Carolina, any ponds or lakes we have in “wild” places will be full of mostly small bass that have difficulty spawning due to the unfavorable pH of the soil and, hence, the water. However, golf courses have fairways and greens that are heavily fertilized, which changes the acid/base ratio to something that’s not always best for the environment but is more beneficial to bass. A bit more alkaline than acidic is best. A pH number between 6.5 and 8.5 is optimum. Under that is going to start trending towards too acid.

Now for the access part. Look for a golf course near you. If you don’t already live on one, try to figure out if somebody you know lives on one.

Another good option is farm ponds and for the same reasons. If there is an out-of-business golf course around you, that might be worth checking into as well. Regardless, if you aren’t sure if you are allowed access, assume you don’t and progress from there.

Now, let’s go with the assumption that you have access to one of these fertile bodies of water. You may want to know what I’m talking about when I say there are better ways to do it. There are plenty of options to fish these ponds but I’m going to pinpoint what I consider to be the best.

If you were to ask me what lure I would use if I had one cast to make into a bass pond, I’d tell you it’s a Senko plastic worm. Furthermore, I’d also say that I would rig it “Wacky Style.” You might be nodding your head now, or you might be wondering what the heck I’m talking about. A Senko is a plastic worm made by the Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits Inc. It looks simple enough. Practically plain and without adornment. But it has a certain density that makes it sink at a certain rate — just slow enough that the fish can see it and get to it from a ways away. This is accompanied by a captivating wiggle that it has as it falls with a side-to-side motion that is not easily produced by imitators.

You can hook them with a standard weedless plastic worm hook in the Texas fashion, and that is good for heavy weed cover. But most of the time I use the Wacky Rig. You can use almost any kind of hook, but I prefer the ones made specifically for this kind of fishing and that you can find at any tackle shop that sells to bass fisherman or in online outlets.

Another bass that ate a Senko fished by Rick Harper of Rock Hill, South Carolina, during a visit to the North Carolina coast.

Simply put the hook in the middle of the worm near the collar. That’s it. It seems too simple, but when you drop it in the water, you’ll see that wiggle. It’s pretty cool. Cast it over toward a log or some floating vegetation. Let it drop. Shake the rod tip a little. Lift and twitch. Let it drop. Lift. Drop. Twitch. Drop. The drop is the key.

You may feel a tick, the line may come tight, it may move to the side, or maybe there will just be a slight weight on the line. Set the hook sharply. You don’t need to haul back freight-train style like the knucklehead TV bass guys. Just snap it back quickly. Be ready for anything. You could be catching a bunch of “nice” fish in the 2- to 3-pound range, and then … a 9-pounder shows up to the party. When she comes clean out of the water and hangs in the air, it’s a vision you won’t soon forget. When she hits the water again, it will sound like a canoe paddle being slapped down.

Plenty of other methods will work. My absolute favorite is a 6-weight fly rod and a small popper that I make out of craft foam. I carve them using scissors until I get the shape. My friends call them “Marshmallow Poppers.” Walk along the shoreline and cast in a 90-degree arc covering the water in front of you and along the shoreline. A simple waltz time makes a good popping time: Pop, 2,3. Pop, 2,3. They’ll hit it usually on 3.

Capt. Gordon catches a nice bass from a small roadside pond.

When I start seeing the first frogs of the season, I like to be on the banks of a pond in the evening.

Finally, try to avoid using plugs with treble hooks. Chances are, you’ll see these fish again if you take care of them. Treble hooks take a bit of doing to get out for a quick release. Oh, and yes, this is going to be 100% catch-and-release fishing. Don’t take Big Momma Bass out of that pond. She’s got too much value to add by making more bass for future excursions. Say “hello.” Admire her. Let her go. It’ll be cool to know she’s still in there when you drive past later.

Last week my 24-year old grandson sent me a picture of a bass that he had just caught near his home in Missouri. The bass was nice but his smile was priceless. In addition, it was especially meaningful to me for two reasons. The first was that it was important to him to share his success with me. He grew up without an interested father and I taught him to fish in a small pond in New Bern over 20 years ago. Fishing is a great sport to share with both kids and friends. Remember that we all started somewhere and no matter our ages we should be willing to help those who are starting out. There is no greater feeling than helping someone develop a skill or knowledge and see them start to “get it. Watching a new angler succeed and feeling their excitement will remind you that it’s not always about the big fish. Do you remember why you even started in the first place?

On the other hand, never think that you know it all. That’s not possible, there’s always something to learn. Most anglers fall somewhere between a beginner and expert, but no one wants to stay there. If you want to land at the top of the leaderboard in the Club fishing tournament, or just start catching fish every single time you hit the water then you need to improve your game. How do you do that?  Here are three suggestions.

1. Talk To People. Instead of being an elitist and ignoring the guy sitting on the sand, bank, boat or dock fishing, take a few minutes and talk to them. Anglers could learn a lot in just a few minutes by asking questions. Just a few minutes of talking with them can give you the insight you need to hook up.
2. Find an Expert Mentor. Spend time on the water with a skilled angler in a purposeful way. Don’t just fish with them, observe what they do and ask questions. Most excellent anglers are more than happy to share their expertise on how they locate and catch fish. Most are happy to share details and have no secrets in that regard. In the next breath, though, they might not be willing to tell you about their secret fishing spots. That tidbit of info may be hard for them to give up. If you are in for a paid lesson, there are several very knowledgeable charter captains in the area. Don’t go out with the mindset of just coming home with some fish for the table – or that once in a life-time trophy catch. Use the experience to learn from the expert! Ask questions, look at the equipment they are using, check out the terminal tackle, etc., etc. Get your money’s worth out of the experience!
3. Join a Club. The Sea Trail Fishing Club offers many ways to improve your fishing knowledge. It is a place to meet others that may have more knowledge and experience or, maybe, just different experiences. Sharing stories and ‘hooking’ up with others of like interests is an enriching experience. The Club holds monthly meetings and invites local charter captains to share a little of the local lore. The Club also holds events and schedules charters for its members. For example, last year the Pier Fishing event allowed some members to learn about a whole different kind of angling experience – and at a discount rate! There re also other clubs in the area and many, like ours have websites that open up a whole new realm of angling opportunities.
4. Be a Mentor. Finally, become the teacher or mentor that you had when you were starting off. Once you have gained all of that hard-earned fishing knowledge, be prepared to pass it forward to others! Sometimes that is one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.

Hey Anglers – With the influx of new members to our Club and the warming climate, there have been a great number of new sign-ups for the tourney. The numbers have increased from 86 to over 112 competitors for the various fish species. More sign-ups mean that more places are awarded in each fish category! Here is a short summary of changes that have occurred on the Leader Board:

Mike Griffin posted a 19.5 inch Spanish Mackerel to a category having no previous entries. In the Flounder category there are 16 competitors, so a second place slot went to Mike Antista for a 14 inch entry. Red Drum contestants increased to 21, so Clint Morschauer jumped in at second place with a nice 26-inch catch. Speckled Trout anglers increased to 23, allowing Alan Trojan’s 22-inch catch to take 3rd place in that category.

A new first place 17-inch Sheepshead entry by Clint Morschauer knocked Larry Hershoff off the board by 3/4 of an inch. Tough luck Larry. Here’s what Clint had to say:

And in the Largemouth Bass category John Crespin took first place by posting a 28.5-inch catch, outdistancing Robert Levine’s 26-inch fish. I really didn’t expect Robert’s fish to be beat! Here’s John’s account of the catch:

.The weather is great now and Spring has arrived! Speckled trout are starting to show up in numbers and although the number of catches may not be as great as in the Fall, there is still plenty of action. The amount of bait that trout feed on is also increasing. Count these as small mullet, mud and glass minnows and, of course, shrimp. Water temperatures are rising too and specks like ranges from 55 to 65 F. Tides also play a part in the temperature ranges. So as the tide falls and the warmer water filters out of the shallow marsh areas. In a Carolina Sportsman article (April 2021), Captain Tripp Hooks recommended fishing along the ledges of the ICW and the Calabash, Shallotte and Lockwood Folly Rivers. He targets 3 to 7 feet of water along grass lines and shell banks. Although he prefers live bait good artificial baits like slow-moving, suspending lures may also be effective. Options include Rapala X-Raps, MirrOlure 17 MRs, and the like.

From time to time we have heard that the best fishing is on the falling or outgoing tide while others have said that the incoming tide is best for one reason or another. But almost all agree that the rising or falling tide is always better than the slack or dead tide. Obviously moving water is best whether it is during the tidal movements or due to water moving out of rivers or creeks. However, there are times that the angler’s choices are limited due when the sun rises or sets, or when the wind and rain are due, or even to one’s personal schedule.

One of the most important things, reports Brian Cope in April’s issue of Carolina Sportsman, is knowing where enough water is present on either tide, and knowing how long you can fish without getting your boat stranded. But Brian also cautions against leaving your honey hole too early on the falling tide. Bait and game fish are both moving out of the shallows and in the frenzy and the predator specie will not pass up an easy meal. It may not be obvious to everyone but creeks and marsh outlets closer to open water will drain last as the tide goes out. The tide lag may be 15, 30 or even 45 minutes, so make a game plan designed to hit your hot spots at the right time and then stick to it.

On the incoming tide, the opposite is true. The closer one is to open water, the sooner hungry fish will arrive to feed on baitfish, fiddler crabs and shrimp. As the fish move into the shallows with the incoming tide it may be difficult to stay in the “zone”, so it is sometimes more successful to move with the tide. Whether the tide is incoming or outgoing, it is best to keep your eye on your depth finder!

P.S. Don’t miss this week’s Sea Trail Fishing Club meeting at the Pink Palace in the Sea Trial Community! Guest Speaker, Donald Coldwell, will give a presentation on boating safety.

You can check out this week’s Agenda on this website.

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Did you all notice Alan’s post on Facebook about the 28” trout reported by Captain Tripp? As water temperatures rise, speckled trout are aggressively hunting down meals as bait begins to hatch in spring. Wyatt Parcel of SaltStrong believes that this is one of the best times of the year to hit the water in search of your Personal Best fish.

Usually, smaller paddletails and lures are the way to go in the spring, however, “Big” is the way to target larger trout on the lookout for high-calorie, easy meals. If you see mullet leaping out of the water and running away from predators, this is an indicator to rig up a larger 5- or 6-inch paddletail and target hungry trout. During this time of year, 1/4 oz. to 3/16 oz. jigheads or weighted hooks are best because the fish are moving toward deeper pockets of water this time of year. Check out the deeper holes just off the flats or on ledges leading into a flat. Trout are ambush predators with an angled jaw designed for coming up from below and striking bait. The larger speckled trout are likely to strike your lure as it drops to the bottom rather than when you jig it to the surface.

Spring is also one of the best times of year to break out the topwater plugs because trout are more than willing to get up and after bait swimming near the surface, especially in the mornings or evenings as they slide up into the shallows to look for larger baitfish. Top water lures that have a rattle better mimic the sound of baitfish. Trout are very sight-focused hunters and will be attracted to something moving quickly that is also creating a disturbance along the surface of the water. Often, trout will continue following a lure until it decides to fully commit and strike the lure. Even if a fish pops the surface behind your topwater it is a good idea to continue working the lure because the trout may not give up easily!