April
Largemouth Bass
Jordan Lake
Jordan established itself years ago as one of North Carolina’s great bass fisheries, and April is a top month both for numbers of fish and for the giants found in its shallows.

The key is the water level; if it’s at full pool or above, look to flooded shoreline bushes back in the creeks. If it’s below full, stick to rocky banks.

Phil Cable of Holly Springs set the lake record about 15 years ago when he caught a 14-pound, 6-ounce bruiser in a weekend tournament. He retired from competitive fishing a few years later and started guiding.

“You’re looking for fish that are getting ready to spawn,” Cable said (919/762-9697). “The fish will be moving back in the creeks, and they’ll get on shallow laydowns or in the bushes if there’s any water in them. You can have a real good spinnerbait bite or a flipping bite with a jig or a Senko.

“I like to fish riprap or rocky banks before the sun comes up, then move back in the creeks later.”

Jordan is managed by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission with a 16-inch size minimum — a regulation that definitely helped the lake develop as a trophy fishery in the early 1990s.

May
Dolphin
Cape Lookout Offshore
The first really good run of offshore fish in the waters off Cape Lookout takes place in late April and through May as hordes of big dolphin show, along with yellowfin tuna and an occasional blue marlin.

Fishing really starts at the WR-14 buoy in about 20 fathoms of water, and big, gaffer-sized dolphin are commonly caught from there all the way to the “Big Rock” offshore. Grasslines formed by current are knockout spots to find dolphin. Most fishermen troll ballyhoo and chartreuse/green trolling feathers. Go with blue/crystal or blue/pink when farther offshore where the possibility of taking tuna is better

As the summer progresses, the big dolphin give way to the smaller, school-sized fish; May is definitely the month for those 20-pound and above specimens.

Dozens of charter boats run out of the Morehead City and Harkers Island areas. One accomplished captain is Glenn Loftin (252/247-7733), who captains the Frequent Flier.

June
Largemouth bass
High Rock Lake
From Mother’s Day through the end of June, there may not be a better bass fishery in North Carolina than 15,900-acre High Rock Lake.

Most fish spawn on High Rock in early May, and their post-spawn blues are over in about two weeks. That sets up an absolutely phenomenal exodus from the shallows, with fish ganging up in huge schools on secondary points and “corners” as they leave spawning pockets.

Bass will usually start feeding again in 6 to 8 feet of water on those kinds of spots, and they’re suckers for both medium-running crankbaits and Carolina-rigged lizards. It’s not unusual to catch a half-dozen fish on a single spot once you find them, and those fish will range anywhere from 2 1/2 to 6 pounds.

The feeding frenzy will typically last until late June, when fish slowly back out of creeks toward the main body of the lake, easing down into deeper water as they go. But it will be July 4 before they’re really broken up from their large schools.

Guide Maynard Edwards of Lexington (336/249-6782) has fished and guided on the lake for decades and loves to key on bass during June.