North Carolina is vastly different than Arizona, thousands of miles away geographically and in terms of fishing. It's something Josh Bertrand is accustomed to as an angler from the desert that competes in traditional bass fishing hotspots. That's part of why he's excited about the challenge of Lake Norman, a lake he's never competed on.
Thoughts on Norman
Before the off-limits went into effect, Bertrand spent some time on the lake looking at the lake and formulating a game plan. He noted that the lake's reputation for dock fishing is well-deserved.
"The lake isn't huge, but it takes time to cover water here because there are so many docks," he said. "You can't just go quickly down a bank or stretch of docks because there are so many. It takes five times longer to cover a stretch because you need to go in and out of all of the docks and fish them effectively."
Fishing the numerous docks will be his primary plan, but he'll be open to the conditions the lake gives him if something else comes into play.
"They'll be my main focus," Bertrand said of the docks. "But, you have to keep your eyes open in case another pattern develops."
From what he saw during his scouting trip, he believes that jerkbaits, shallow crankbaits, jigs, and shaky heads should be a way to catch the resident Lake Norman bass.
Jerkbaits
A jerkbait is always a factor in big events now with the advent of forward-facing sonar and they are especially deadly in the prespawn. Bertrand believes they will play at REDCREST and he will be ready with a Berkley Stunna.
"A jerkbait will be big here," he said. "The lake is fairly clear and with the bass staging to spawn, it should be really good."
Bertrand likes to fish a Hank Cherry signature series jerkbait rod in the Abu Garcia Pro Series. It is a 7-foot medium rod designed by one of the most well-known jerkbait gurus. For his part, Bertrand helped to develop a drop and worm rod, two of his specialties.
"The Pro Series was developed with seven pro anglers and we all picked out two techniques," he said. "It took a while to get everything right because these are very specific rods and not 'cookie cutters' you'll see from other rod lineups. Everything that is built into the rods has a reason behind it."
One example is the Hank Cherry jerkbait rod, which has more backbone than the rods Bertrand is accustomed to using for the baits.
"It casts a jerkbait very well and you have more control of the bait," he said. "Jerkbaits aren't something you usually talk about needing good accuracy, but it will be crucial for casting and paralleling all of the docks on Norman."
Bertrand prefers the Abu Garcia Zenon X reel in the 8.3:1 gear ratio for his jerkbait fishing and will spool it up with 10-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon.
"That reel is excellent for making long casts with lighter baits," he said. "I use it for all of my jerkbaits and shallow crankbaits."
Shallow Cranking
Bertrand will also be ready with different Berkley Frittside baits in various sizes and both silent and clackin' versions.
"The Carolinas are known for their flat-sided crankbaits and the Frittside is going to catch fish," he said. "I'll have two or three tied up at all times. I'll have the 5 and 7 sizes tied on in the original silent version for clear water and the Clackin' version for stained water."
When fishing the 5 and 7 sizes of the bait, he likes the 7-foot, 6-inch medium heavy Abu Garcia Winch rod.
"It may sound a little heavy for smaller baits like that, but it's a composite and perfect for crankbaits that size," he said. "It has a very parabolic bend and it's a favorite among a lot of us Abu pros for throwing the Frittside crankbaits."
He'll fish it on the same Zenon X reel he uses for jerkbaits but with the slower 6.8:1 gear ratio and 12-pound Trilene 100% fluorocarbon.
Jigs and Shaky Heads
You can't mention a dock lake without jigs and Bertrand will have some rigged up and ready to skip.
"It will be a lot of close-quarters fishing, pitching and skipping the jigs around docks," said Bertrand. "I'll fish the new Berkley Skipping Jigs on the Shane Lehew Pro Series Dock Skipping rod. It's a 7-foot, 1-inch medium-heavy rod with the perfect rod length and the butt section is also the perfect length. It's got enough tip to make a good skip but enough power to pull the fish out."
He'll be fishing the jigs with a Revo STX in the 8.1:1 gear ratio and opting for 15-pound Trilene 100% fluorocarbon.
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