Badin Lake (Photo: )
Badin Lake is a 5,350-acre reservoir in central North Carolina. Created in 1917 by the Aluminum Company of America for hydroelectric power generation, Badin Lake now serves as a recreation hotspot for locals and visitors. The lake is especially popular with anglers who comes to catch the striped bass, largemouth bass, white bass, catfish, crappie and sunfish. Knowing which baits work best will help you make the most of a fishing trip to Badin Lake.
Live Baits
Live baits, such as night crawlers, minnows, grasshoppers, bream and shad, are common choices for fishing in Badin Lake. These baits are readily available at numerous convenience stores and bait and tackle stops in the area. Bream, a small freshwater fish, is a particularly effective bait for catching flathead catfish, while redbreast sunfish prefer night crawlers, according to Fishing North Carolina by Mike Marsh. Crappie can be lured from their underwater brush piles with fat, juicy minnows. Striper fish, which are active in Badin Lake all year long, enjoy small shad, also known as river herring.
Cut Baits
Cut baits are bait fishes, such as shad or bream, that have been chopped into 1- to 2-inch pieces. Fish pieces are suitable for catching most, if not all, species of fish in Badin Lake. Blue catfish and other catfish are particularly susceptible to the allure of fresh cut bait, as are striper fish. Catch and chop your own cut bait or purchase it at one of the bait and tackle shops in the area.
Prepared Baits
Prepared baits are everyday foods that anglers can use to attract freshwater fish. Examples include cheese cubes, hotdog pieces, corn fritters, fried chicken livers, hamburger bits, marshmallows and chunks of stale bread. Prepared baits are especially effective when fishing for bottom-feeding fish like catfish. If you're fishing on Badin Lake and the fish just aren't biting, try tossing them a bit of your lunch and see if your luck improves.
Manmade Baits
Manmade baits, such as spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwater lures, are colorful wood or plastic baits that are designed to trick fish into thinking they're food. In many cases, they're just as effective as the real deal. Man-made baits work well when you're fishing for the various species of bass found in Badin Lake. In addition to live bait, redbreast sunfish are also suckers for spinnerbaits that are made to look like beetle grubs.
References
- "Fishing North Carolina"; Mike Marsh
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Badin Lake Recreation Area
- North Carolina Wildlife Resources: Fishing Areas and Species
Resources
Writer Bio
Megan Mattingly-Arthur has been writing professionally since 1998. She has contributed to various publications, including "Teen Voices" and "Positive Teens" magazines, as well as a book, "The Young Writer's Guide to Getting Published." Mattingly-Arthur is studying travel and tourism through Penn Foster Career School.