Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

Largemouth bass are perhaps the most popular species of fish on the planet and their anglers are certainly among the most addicted. Fancy boats, high-tech electronics, scores of rods and reels, and a ton of terminal tackle are their stock in trade.

They’ll travel countless miles and endure darn near any hardship to catch a heavy bag of bass. However, the good news is that traveling great distances isn’t necessary in North Carolina. Our state is blessed with a wide variety of bass-producing waters.

There are rivers on the coast and excellent manmade impoundments in the mountains. Add to that the major reservoirs of the Piedmont and the many small municipal bodies of water throughout the state and you get the picture. North Carolina has great bassin’ for everyone.

Each of the state’s three regions offers at least one body of water that’ll produce plenty of smaller bass and another that’ll produce true trophy-sized lunkers. It’s a matter of picking and choosing something that suits your needs.

This forecast will profile some of the best. But before we do, we need to consider Mother Nature and the drought she’s laid on us.

THE DROUGHT
With the country in the throes of a record-setting drought, it should come as no surprise that fisheries biologists in North Carolina, and elsewhere around the country, are hesitant when asked to predict the future of bass fishing.

“Drought conditions override all other conditions,” said Mallory Martin, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) regional fisheries supervisor for North Carolina’s Mountain Region. “We’re setting records and it isn’t getting any better. The immediate effects of this are difficult to predict. The long-term effects are even more difficult to predict.”

Among the immediate effects to which he refers are low water levels in both natural lakes and manmade reservoirs. “We really don’t know what effect that will have next year. The fish tend to move toward whatever deep water they can find. That concentrates them. In some cases, there’s no long-term impact on survival, but in others it can be devastating. We don’t know and won’t know for a couple of years.”

Along with the drought and its effects was the sweltering heat of 2007. Records have been set in nearly every community. Water temperatures rose to near unbelievable highs.

Therefore, a word of warning is in order: This forecast is being written in the mist of one of the driest droughts, and hottest heat waves, in history. If we get some rain over the 2007-2008 winter, things will likely turn around and life for bass and bassers will return to normal. On the other hand, if this weather pattern continues, all bets are off.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at bass fishing in the Tar Heel State for 2008.

THE PIEDMONT REGION
The best public big-bass lake in the Piedmont Region is Shearon Harris in the center of the state. By impoundment standards, it’s not very big, only a little over 4,000 acres, but they’re some of the best bass-producing acres in the state.

“Our sampling studies show an amazing largemouth fishery,” said Brian McRae, Piedmont fisheries research coordinator. “Fifty percent of the fish we sampled were 16 inches or longer and the biggest in our study was over 8 pounds. That’s an extraordinary finding. With careful management, we believe Harris could become the premier trophy largemouth bass lake in the state.”

The lake is blessed with an abundant forage base, a diversity of habitat and excellent vegetation. All this combines to make it one of the most popular bass-fishing destinations in the state. And therein lies the problem -- pressure. Nearly every bass in the lake will be familiar with your lure.