Volume 14 Number 4 - April 2007

FEATURES:

	Crappies on the Trashy Side April is prime time to find big crappies at Kerr Lake and one expert fills his boat with slabs by fishing sunken limbs and refuse. Once upon a time, it was a pile of limbs and vines that a guy had cut around the bank of his lakeside lot in Bluestone Creek, one of the many major tributary creeks that feed John H. Kerr (aka Buggs Island) Reservoir. ... Dan Kibler

	Don’t Knock the Rock Anglers can find trophy Spanish mackerels at Sheepshead Rock for a short time this month. Fisher Culbreth found Sheepshead Rock the hard way one May morning two years ago. He knew big chunk Spanish mackerel were nearing the end of their short spring run off the Pleasure Island coast and had encircled the Rock like Indians ... Craig Holt

	Go Short for Groupers Once anglers get hooked on bottom fishing, they may be tempted to leave king mackerel gear ashore. The day dawned warm and calm, perfect conditions for an offshore fishing trip in springtime. Captains Ray Massengill and Greg Voliva of Down East Guide Service were taking a day off from their regular guide fishing schedules for a ... Mike Marsh

	Howl Coyotes have spread across North Carolina and that means trouble for family perts, some wild game, and year-round varmint-hunting opportunities. There’s an old saying you should be careful what you wish for because you might get it. ... Craig Holt

	Mixed-up Gobblers The rolling hills of N.C.’s piedmont offer some tactical advantages to wild turkeys, but also to those who hunt them. Forty-five minutes before sunrise last April, 54-year-old Fred Cox of Reidsville paused in the ebony darkness of a Tar Heel morning. ... Bruce Ingram

	Need for Speed Fast trolling is a technique that works well for many types of saltwater gamefish. The howl of the clicker on a large Penn International reel is a sound that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. ... Jerry Dilsaver

	Trout in the Clouds The crystal clear waters of Santeetlah Creek produce colorful, scrappy brook trout. The Friday before Easter last year was an incredible day for outdoor activities, especially trout fishing at the creeks draining the high mountains of extreme western North Carolina. ... Don Rouanzion

	Tucked Away Bass A Yadkin River lake that’s overshadowed by more well-known impoundments is a favorite April spot for two pro anglers. When Todd Fulk started bass-fishing at Tuckertown Lake regularly a handful of years ago, he didn’t find what he expected. ... Dan Kibler

	Yellow Fever The No. 1 offshore sportfish for N.C. anglers are yellowfin tunas and they provide fun from Oregon Inlet to Frying Pan. Yellowfin tunas (Thunnus albacares) are abundant year round in Gulf Stream waters off North Carolina’s Atlantic coast. Despite ads and banners hyping billfishing, the main spring charterboat catches off North Carolina are yellowfin ... Bob Goldstein