Any recommendations for Wake County?

Would like to go paddling and catch some bass. I have a number of places I currently go but would like to hear some recommendations from you guys. I will likely be using a fly rod this trip.

6/9/2009 9:12:11 AM

lake raleigh is perfect for it

enough nice-sized bass. there's also a lot of crappie out there. paddles only, so no wakes to worry about. never too crowded. that's where i go on my canoe. there's not a lot of overhanging trees, so you should be good with a fly rod.

both of these are from lake raleigh:

6/9/2009 10:11:23 AM

^^Do you have a kayak already? I'm thinking of getting one of the really small ones to do this, small enough to throw on the roof of my car.

Does anyone in Raleigh fly fish for carp? I never thought I would, but it's fun as hell and carp are abundant everywhere. I have a guy that makes cottonseed flies, macaroni flies, and breadball flies.

6/9/2009 10:20:25 AM

^^ AHH, I have NOT been to Lake Raleigh on Centennial Campus.

In those pics, that looks like a perfect place for what I want to do. Where do you put in and how far did you have to paddle? Any suggestions on a location? My brother is an avid fisherman flying in from Nantucket. He is in desperate need of freshwater/bass.

^ I do. I usually will stick a 4 or 6 weight on the side of the kayak and then a 2/3 piece rod between my legs just in case I want to switch it up (usually do not). Landing bass on a small fly and having them move you around in the water is pretty awesome.

old pic, but here is the kayak:


My brother and a buddy who went to Alaska with us can make some amazing flies... much respect for those people, I could never do it.

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 12:00 PM. Reason : p]

6/9/2009 11:58:57 AM

anyone have a preference of:

Lake Raleigh
Lake Crabtree
Harris Lake

- criteria just being kayak and bass. Crabtree is very close to home, but it's so shallow... wondering how that will affect things. I've never been to Harris or Raleigh and know nothing about depth/locations to fish.

6/9/2009 12:48:26 PM

i've paddled one finger of harris, but not for fishing. it seemed like it would be fine. only thing is dealing w/ wake from bass boats and skiers.

for lake raleigh, the ramp and tiny parking lot is right on main campus dr. near campus shore dr. you can't miss it. there's a wildlife resources commission sign right out there. just turn at the sign and go down the hill to the ramp. parking spaces are limited at the ramp and i got a $50 parking ticket for parking on the side after 5 pm, so if you go and all the spots are full, you'll have to drive back up the hill and park in an employee spot. visitor's parking pass is $2, but you only need it M-F until 5 pm i think. just look at the signs. all the info you need is here:

http://centennial.ncsu.edu/amenities/lake.html
http://centennial.ncsu.edu/contact/zoommap2.pdf

as far as how far you have to paddle, you can paddle from the dam at one end to the opposite end in about 15 mins max i would believe. i'm not sure why they named it a "lake" and not a "pond"

let me know if you have any more questions.



[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 1:24 PM. Reason : ]

6/9/2009 1:22:19 PM

any idea on depth of the lake or at what depth you were catching? We'll be going afternoon Thursday. I'll check it out on your recommendation... looks like a much more relaxed effort than Harris, and I've done Crabtree enough.

6/9/2009 1:42:07 PM

I've done some pier fishing on Lake Raleigh, with not much luck. I think they only stocked it a few years ago.

Don't really have a boat to take out, I've got a pretty small car so maybe get an inflatable raft or something, like ^ any good places for catching them there? Also any advice on depth/lure?

6/9/2009 2:35:19 PM

where can i go fishing for kayaks?

6/9/2009 2:44:42 PM

what kind are you looking for? We have about 5 of them.... most are similar to the one I posted earlier.

actually, I'll just say Craigslist

lets keep talking about fishing around wake.

6/9/2009 2:47:45 PM

the docks and dam get fished too much. you need to go to the back where folks don't fish from the bank.

i've caught all of my bass there by throwing various texas rigged plastic worms up near the grass.

if y'all are interested, i'm always looking someone to go with me. my 14' canoe is too hard to handle solo. PM me if you wanna go with me one day.

6/9/2009 2:51:45 PM

:")

6/9/2009 3:01:05 PM

ARE YOU THERE JAH IT'S ME RAS TRENT

6/9/2009 3:04:30 PM

Heading out there in a few hours... I may or may not take a camera. Hopefully I can post some pics up later.

I plan to take my 5 weight and throw out some bead head wooly boogers and maybe some poppers. I will also take a microlight rod/reel if I get lazy and want to throw out some spinners or lizards.

n/m, website answered my q.

[Edited on June 11, 2009 at 10:06 AM. Reason : aerg]

6/11/2009 10:05:14 AM

remember to get a $2 parking pass at the visitor's booth

6/11/2009 10:14:24 AM

I used to do some kayak fishing at Bond Lake in Cary. Good times.

They let you fish from the paddleboats there too, or at least they used to.

[Edited on June 11, 2009 at 11:43 AM. Reason : a]

6/11/2009 11:42:44 AM

^^^I was out there a little earlier, just FYI they had some Wildlife Resources people out there with a bunch of little kids teaching them to fish, probably around 10. The lady said they'd be out there tomorrow around then too.

6/11/2009 11:50:36 AM

^ were they all just on the dock?

Have any luck while you were out there?

[Edited on June 11, 2009 at 12:18 PM. Reason : 6]

6/11/2009 12:13:17 PM

yeah on the piers

I caught a leaf and lost a lure to a tree or something out in front of the dock near the dam, you might want to use a bobber fishing around the docks

6/11/2009 12:39:19 PM

fish weedless rigged soft plastics and you won't get hung up so much

and even if you do, they're relatively cheap

[Edited on June 11, 2009 at 1:32 PM. Reason : if ncwrc guys are there make sure you have a fishing license and a pfd]

6/11/2009 1:32:16 PM

so how'd you do?

6/11/2009 10:52:05 PM

Lake Raleigh is a BEAUTIFUL place.... it was nice just to get out and kayak back there some.

Fishing was not the best... water was very dirty I guess due to the rain. Not the best formula.

Ended up catching just 3 LM... none were very big, or even big for that matter. It was just awesome to be out there.... I'll go back but its going to not be after a big rain storm.

6/12/2009 9:16:55 AM

were the ones you caught the size of the ones in my pics?

if you're fly fishing, you're gonna catch smaller fish on those smaller baits

6/12/2009 10:14:19 AM

i'd say they were maybe just shy of that size. I went out with a smaller set-up so I could throw some smaller flies... trying to increase my count. Only problem is I did not expect the water to be so dirty.... really limits the effectiveness of what I was trying. Next time I'll be a bit better prepared.

6/12/2009 11:23:32 AM

the soil over on centennial is all clay. don't expect it to clear up much. it's usually always murky when i go.

and a bass just shy of what i caught is still pretty damn good for a canoe/kayak. you ain't gonna go bassmasters anywhere if you're paddling

hell, the one where i'm in the blue sweatshirt weighed 3 lbs on my buddy's sping scale

6/12/2009 11:32:11 AM

Quote :

"and a bass just shy of what i caught is still pretty damn good for a canoe/kayak"

that's what I was thinking....and 1-2 pound largemouths are alot of fun to catch on an ultralight rod/reel.

6/12/2009 12:01:52 PM

yeah, that 3 pounder was pulling the boat all around the anchor

i'm not fishing ultralight though. too many stumps and grass beds for that.

my worm rod is a 6'6" medium heavy w/ a 4000 size shimano and 65# test braid

[Edited on June 12, 2009 at 12:10 PM. Reason : i would fish lighter if i weren't on the canoe, but i can only take 2 rods/person so it's versatile]

6/12/2009 12:09:44 PM

dude, 65 lb test?? Holy shit.... that is 10x more than mine. I thought about going with 4 lb but chose 6 to be cautious, lol.

6/12/2009 3:55:35 PM

65# sufix performance braid

diameter is equivalent to 17# mono

[Edited on June 12, 2009 at 3:58 PM. Reason : you don't pick your line weight to match the fish you plan to catch lol]

6/12/2009 3:58:04 PM

I prefer the smaller because I can cast the shit out of it.... and I can't recall the last time my line snapped.

6/12/2009 4:21:34 PM

get you some braid

6/14/2009 9:08:47 PM

It is braid

6/15/2009 11:19:16 AM

bump

Got me a hobie late last year and took it out fishing a few times. I went to Buckhorn about 3 times, didn't catch anything. In late dec during the warm spell went up to Wake Forest Resvoir and put in there. Caught one and had a few good bites.

i plan on going to beaver dam area that is no motor boats allowed, kayak only. Any other places I should check out?

2/8/2016 6:38:19 PM

I have a hobie revo that I took out to Harris a lot last year and got a few good sized bass, crappie, perch

2/22/2016 7:07:23 PM

how do you like the revo?

2/22/2016 8:03:19 PM

It's fast, tracks well and surprisingly stable but I won't stand in it. I got the 13' so there is plenty of room for gear and a cooler. I've taken if offshore a few times and it handles the surf pretty well and I've fought some good size fish with it.

3/5/2016 9:07:33 PM