While the bass species seems to command the attention of most anglers from Maine to California it is the largemouth that most spend their time chasing. Many fishing fanatics would never think twice about getting up at the crack of dawn to spend the whole day chunking and winding for the black bass. However on many North Carolina reservoirs, and Jordan Lake in particular, the white bass will often be the fish that keeps a skunk out of your boat and the hybrid striper (or Bodie bass) will be the one that keeps you shaking your head after it busts your line.

White bass and Bodie bass are often thought of in the same context because they can often be caught in relatively the same areas using the same methods. I have often witnessed big hybrids slashing bait on one point then seen whites doing the same thing one point over. However donÕt assume they are the same fish. While they may look similar when they are small, the similarity ends there. The white bass will give a spirited fight on light tackle and are fun to catch. A hybrid of the same size will outpull any white bass and if you happen to hook one of over three pounds then you are in for some real excitement. Hybrids will strip line off your reel and when you get them next to the boat will bust your line and steal your best lure if you are not careful. LetÕs take a look at how and where we can go to catch these scrappy gamefish on North Carolina reservoirs throughout the year. My primary focus is on light tackle and flyfishing in my guide business. So that will be the focus of this article. However the biggest hybrids of the year are caught by trollers using downriggers. If that sounds like fun to you then I encourage you to troll around points and the mouths of coves with bucktail jigs and swimming plugs because that will work. I prefer casting and retrieving flies and lures so letÕs talk about that.

The best time of the year for catching whites and hybrids is in the spring when the Dogwoods blossom. That is an old clichˇ and it works for many different species but never has it held so much weight as it does here. The fish make their spawning runs up the major tributaries of the reservoir. Unlike salmon these fish do not lose their urge to feed on these runs. This puts a lot of eager fish in a confined space and many anglers find joy. A great way to target both whites and hybrids is by taking a boat as far into the mouth of the tributary as you can and casting small (1/16 oz) jigheads with one inch twist tails on light spinning tackle. Or (my favorite) white Woolly Buggers on a sinktip line using a five or six weight flyrod. If you hook a white bass it will strike with a slight thump on your line and give a head shaking struggle. A hybrid striper will hit on the run and keep on going. Especially if a nice current is running. ThatÕs excitement! ItÕs fun not knowing what will hit next.

If the river is shallow enough and is not surrounded by rip-rap, you can also wade fish. This is extremely pleasant. Most Piedmont streams are surrounded by woods and the water is a perfect temperature at this time of year. It is a great way to spend an evening. Look at the stream the same way a smallmouth bass or trout fisherman would. Look for breaks in the current caused by rocks under the surface. These streams can be broken into the classic riffle/ run/ pool segments. A riffle is where the surface appears broken but the current still flows fairly rapidly. There are rocks under the surface and most of the available food in the flow will run by any fish stationed in these areas. A run is a glassy appearing section with deep, fast flowing water beneath it. Give these areas a good shot especially if there are visible rocks above the surface. A pool is just what it sounds like. The water is deeper and slower. Check the top and bottom of the pools. The fish will tend to move through the middle sections quickly. If you are fishing a spinning rod you canÕt go wrong with a jig of some kind and a spinner is probably the best lure that has ever been invented for fishing in streams and rivers. Be prepared to get hung up often. If you have waders on you can retrieve your snagged lures but this may spook any fish in the area. Flyfishermen will want to use the old reliable Woolly Bugger. You can just use a standard floating line. Cover the water just as if you were fishing for trout in a stream. Cast to broken water, rocks both submerged and visible in deep water and deep undercut banks. These kinds of spots always hold a fish or two. When you hook a hybrid you need to be immediately aware of any obstructions that the fish can wrap your line around and snap you off. Be prepared to move downstream of the fish if it takes a lot of line. On a really big one you would like to be downstream of it if at all possible. This lets you pressure the fish and not allow it to simply hang in the current and rest. I normally use a tippet of ten pound test when I am flyfishing for hybrids to allow me to get my flies back when they get hung up and also to enable me to really lean on any smaller fish so they will be more apt to survive when I release them.

As the season progresses the fish will move back out into the main lake. You can often see the whites feeding on the surface at first light in the early summer. However when it gets really hot in July is when the fun begins. At this time of the year the hybrids are down in the 10 to 15 foot depths most of the time. This is when the trollers with their downriggers do the most damage. But if you are on the water before the light comes up and you know where to look you will see something that only saltwater anglers get to experience; a true feeding frenzy. Hybrids feeding on the surface are as aggressive and out of control as any saltwater fish of the same size. I have seen them knock shad out of the water and send them flipping through the air and then catch them when they hit the water again. At this time you will find yourself truly excited. It is best to remain calm and focus on the task at hand. If you are using spinning or casting tackle a soft plastic jerk bait will make you very happy. For flyfishermen a Deceiver tied about three inches long with a blue back is perfect. The strike will be sudden and fierce as the fish grabs its meal and takes off before some other fish takes it away. Bigger ones will then dive straight for the bottom and away from the boat. I have seen fish over 5 pounds pull all the flyline and about 50 yards of backing before they stopped. Keep your rodtip low and to the side when the fish takes off to exert maximum pressure without having to increase drag pressure. In fact if you are a bass angler who is used to fishing around heavy cover and keeping his drag locked up, you should check this feature of your reel to make sure it is functioning properly. If not you will get busted off for sure.

I am sure that if you spend a little bit of time on any local reservoir that you know has hybrids and white bass, it will not take you very long to figure out where to find them. They are eager feeders and strike most any lure put in front of them. The spring run is a great way to get kids into fishing and the summer sunrise blitzes are enough to get even the most jaded of old anglers excited.