Mike Marsh.

With so many different types of water from mountain streams to Piedmont reservoirs to the Atlantic Ocean, it’s hard to make a decision on where to go and what to try to catch in North Carolina. To help make up your mind, here’s a list of some of the state’s top fishing opportunities.

JANUARY
Oregon Inlet
Striped Bass
The striped bass run at Oregon Inlet is legendary. It has become so popular that a line of traffic miles long can form as anglers launch their boats at Oregon Inlet Fishing Center.

Anglers fishing from the beach jockey for position while listening over their radios for others who have made contact with the fish. The fish are easy to spot, forming huge schools just offshore of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, where many dune crossovers allow access to the beach and to the fish.

Big surf rods are needed to cast heavy spoons and jigs or cut baits to the fish in windy conditions present on the Outer Banks.

Anglers with boats head out the inlet or fish right under the Oregon Inlet Bridge. They find the fish the same way, by watching for birds or for other anglers who are catching striped bass.

Ocean-run stripers can top 30 pounds and many can be caught in a single day. It’s important to dress warmly and pay attention to the wind direction and sea conditions. West winds are best because the beach blocks the wind. Northeasters can be brutal for striped bass fishermen who make the trip in vain if they only plan on fishing for one day from a small center-console boat.

Trolling or jigging with heavy metal spoons works well. Jigs, cut baits, topwater poppers and crankbaits will all work well.

Call Oregon Inlet Fishing Center at (252) 441-6301.

FEBRUARY
Cape Fear River
Catfish
The Cape Fear River near Fayetteville holds some of the biggest catfish in the state. Several line-class state records have come from that stretch of the Cape Fear and commercial anglers have caught bigger catfish on trotlines and set lines.

The colder the weather, the better opportunities there are for catching the really big fish. Smaller catfish and other potential competitors cool off, while the bigger catfish stay active.

Best baits for blue catfish are cut baits like shad, eel, mullet and shrimp. Best baits for flatheads are live offerings, with shiners, shad and eels excellent choices.

For the best luck, fish the upstream side of deep holes at bends in the river. Catfish move out of the deep holes at dusk, drawn to the baits by their scent trail. Plenty of blue catfish also lurk around the old pilings in Wilmington.

Contact Riverside Sports Center at (910) 483-1649.

MARCH
Largemouth Bass
Sutton Lake
Sutton Lake stays warm all winter because it serves a steam-electric plant. Special regulations have been implemented to maintain the lake’s trophy largemouth bass population, including a prohibition against keeping fish through the colder months, when anglers catch many huge largemouth bass with live baits. Anglers must be careful to adhere to the prohibition against keeping fish because the regulation is incorrectly listed for other water bodies in the 2007-08 Commission Inland Fishing Regulations. The regulation is posted at the Sutton Lake boating access area.

The hot-water discharge canal into Pond 1 is a great place to start. Working around the dikes until you find the right temperature is a great way to scout out the largemouth population. The best action will be found back to Pond No. 3 or Pond No. 4.

Soft-plastic lures, medium-depth crankbaits, spinnerbaits and tube jigs are good choices for Sutton bass. While it’s not the best month for topwater lures for most lakes in the state, anglers using walk-the-dog and propeller lures have excellent luck in Sutton’s warmer waters, especially later in the month. Anglers fishing the fish attractors, which are marked with buoys, have excellent luck. But there is plenty of woody structure throughout the lake, as well as deep channels beside all of the dikes