MAY
Largemouths: Greensboro City Lakes
Across North Carolina, many anglers don't know the names Lake Higgins, Lake Brandt and Lake Townsend. Around Greensboro, on the other hand, serious bass fishermen do know these names; however, they'd prefer not to hear those names mentioned very often or very loudly. All these lakes, which cover between 280 and 1,500 acres and serve as water-supply reservoirs for Greensboro, offer outstanding bass fishing to those anglers who do take them on.

Bass grow big in all three lakes, which are operated by the city of Greensboro, but co-managed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The lakes get regular stockings of threadfin shad to keep the bass well fed. Lake Townsend, the largest of the three lakes, also supports a large gizzard shad population. Each lake is closed to fishing one day per week and at night, but is open one night per week during the summer.

During May, bass fishermen find success using a broad range of approaches. Topwater lures, soft-plastic lures on Texas rigs, spinnerbaits and crankbaits draw fish from shoreline cover, while Carolina rigs and deep-diving crankbaits work well around offshore structure.

JUNE
Smallmouths: New River
Once summer sets in, there are few finer places to be than knee deep in a cool-water stream in the mountainous western part of North Carolina. Add abundant smallmouth bass, which hit with gusto and jump repeatedly once hooked, and it just doesn't get much better. Those ingredients come together perfectly along the New River, including its South Fork, which heads up near Boone and flows north toward the Virginia border.

Smallmouth anglers can wade shoals from rights of way or from the various tracts of New River State Park or they can float canoes from one access point to another. Arguably, the best plan is to combine the two approaches, floating from point to point to reach key shoals and then wading to fish those waters thoroughly.

Smallmouths often will hammer small topwater plugs cast into eddies behind rocks and into cuts in the bank. If fish won't come up, veteran smallmouth anglers send baits down after them, using grubs on 1/8-ounce leadheads and Rebel Wee-Crawfish, which imitate the smallies' favorite snacks. Flyfishermen can have a load of fun with deer hair popping bugs and black or brown Woolly Buggers.

JULY
Dolphin: Offshore
As the dog days crank up, offshore fishing turns hotter and hotter off the North Carolina coast. A variety of fish can come into trolling spreads during July, but few serve up more consistently exciting action than dolphin with their hard, fast runs, brilliant colors and tendency to show up in numbers.

Schools of dolphin typically contain small to medium-sized fish. Bulls often swim alone or in pairs. Diving birds provide good clues that dolphin may be nearby. Most anglers troll for dolphin unless they come upon a school of fish that are within casting distance. Trolling baits are kept near the top, as dolphin are surface fish. Standard rigs include bait/lure combinations with bright-colored skirts.

Dolphin will readily take cut bait if anglers can get the fish close enough to find the bait, which is usually accomplished through chumming. Once the fish get close, anglers simply drop fishy offerings to them. Veteran anglers always try to keep a dolphin on the line, as the excitement of the fish racing around typically will keep the rest of the school close and active.

AUGUST
Largemouths: Falls Lake
Scorching August days beckon anglers to do their fishing at night, as do fish that prowl and feed readily after hours. For fishermen who want to target hefty largemouths under the stars, Falls Lake offers outstanding prospects. Year after year, Falls sustains a great population of high-quality largemouths, including some real giants.

On very calm, moonlit nights, anglers can wobble big surface plugs slowly across the surface. These anglers fish all night for one or two strikes, but the fish that hit their big plugs tend to be hawgs. Most night-fishing is subsurface with jigs, soft-plastic lures or spinnerbaits. Most anglers like large red, purple or black worms or creature baits on Texas rigs or Carolina rigs for fishing around cover. Spinnerbait anglers use large baits, usually rigged with a single oversized Colorado blade.

Anglers who are unfamiliar with Falls should focus on points that stretch into deep water in the lower half of the lake. The bass hold in the channels during the day and follow points into shallower water to feed at night. Remnants from timber stands left intact when the lake was flooded also offer good prospects; however, the tangles of trees are difficult to fish at night, and if a fish buries itself in the trees, then that bass is likely gone for good. Banks that have cut-and-cabled trees along them also offer good prospects for night-fishermen.