Story by Justin Brouillard
Hosted by Mecklenburg County, NC, next week’s NPFL on Lake Norman marks the first NPFL tournament in the Tar Heel State. The three-day tournament runs April 16–18, with takeoff and weigh-in at Blythe Landing Park.
Known for its deep, clear water and a strong population of both largemouth and spotted bass, Lake Norman offers a different look compared to the season opener. The largest man-made waterbody in North Carolina, Norman features about 520 miles of fishable shoreline—many of them lined with docks that can hold fish all year long.
With spring in full swing, bass should be spawning across much of the lake, and anglers will have to decide how they want to target both species across the 32,000-acre reservoir. With a mix of docks, offshore structure, and creeks in play, the options are wide open. Take a closer look at Lake Norman.
Lake Norman has an average depth of around 33 feet and drops to 110 feet at its deepest point. According to local angler Adam Waters, April in North Carolina means spawning bass, and a healthy population should be visible next week for the field. Norman is known for lots of bass and tight leaderboards. With 14-inch limits at a premium, a few bigger spawning largemouth could be the key to moving up in the standings.
Waters has been fishing Norman since middle school and competed in collegiate fishing at UNC Charlotte with former teammate—and now Elite Series and NPFL angler—Shane LeHew. The Iron Station, NC angler says the spawn kicked off not too long ago and should be an obvious strategy as anglers begin practice and the event starts next Wednesday.
“Lake Norman covers a lot of area, and different parts of the lake start before others,” he said. “The lower lake has the ‘hot hole,’ which warms things up a little faster and gets the fish going sooner. Over this week and next, that bite will start to fizzle out some, but the northern part will also be getting good.”
Waters says there will also be opportunities to target pre-spawn fish, as well as fry guarders, and fish will be caught on a variety of structure—rocky or clay banks, stumps, docks, and more. On the lower lake, dock poles are common in the cleaner water.
“There are plenty of fish, but staying consistent is harder,” he added. “The winner will likely have 20 pounds one day, maybe 15 the next, and a slower day mixed in. The big thing this time of year is the largemouth. There are some big ones in this lake—someone will catch a 6-pounder or better—but they’re not always easy to find.”
Locals who know Norman could have an advantage. Knowing which pockets and small stretches hold the bigger fish, based on history, is a good start, but Waters says it doesn’t mean guaranteed success.
“It can certainly be won on spawners alone, but if the wind blows at all, someone covering water with bigger baits could get on a pattern and do well. There are big fish here and they are shallow. Topwater baits, prop baits or white jigs—everyone knows that—are very hot. Water temps were in the 60s last time I was out, and it should be consistent weather-wise.”
North Carolina has been warm, and despite some cooler temperatures ahead of and during practice, the fish should remain where they are. As things stand a week out, Waters thinks around 16 pounds per day will put you in a good position.
“I expect an average of 15, 16-plus to be in good shape and a little more to win,” he concluded. “Somewhere in that 48 to 54-pound range based on how things set up. We’ve seen some 7-pound largemouth recently, and we don’t have giants here, but those bites go a long way on Norman. It should be a fun event.”
How to Watch
Tune in daily to watch the action from Lake Norman – watch the daily LIVE Leaderboard, LIVE Blog, and on-the-water photo galleries and blogs of the anglers from the North Carolina.
Catch the LIVE Coverage with Luke Dunkin and FatCat at TNPFL.com on days two and three.
Under the Go Live Tab, choose LIVE Broadcast or check out the real-time leaderboard on the Fishing Chaos Catch Track with estimated weights entered by the anglers on the water and join us for the LIVE Weigh-ins, here!
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