North Carolina
Striper Fishing
Mountain Striper Fishing In NC
Join us for a morning of striper fishing during the peak season of November-May on Lake Rhodhiss in Western North Carolina. When local guides aren't guiding, they're chasing striped bass—one of the hardest-fighting game fish in freshwater. We've dialed in on these fish as they move through the season, combining expert local knowledge with top-tier tactics to put you on a fight to remember.
Rates
Main Season
Nov-March
Trophy Season
April-May
Striped Bass
Our stripers follow giant schools of threadfin and gizzard shad through the reservoirs. We're using a mix of tackle and tactics paired with top-tier electronics to locate schools and hit em hard throughout the season. These are big eats and big fights.
Largemouth
While these are primarily striped bass trips, there are plenty of largemouth to be caught. If you and your group want to hedge a bet on the biggest bag, we keep a pro scale in the boat for fun. We can easily mix up your trip to target both species.
Smallmouth
Depending on the time of year, we can mix these trips up with some smallmouth fishing to add some extra hard fights and different tactics in the mix. We're fishing a mix of cover and structure at different depths depending on the season.
Yellow Perch
A common bycatch and great-eating fish, Yellow Perch are plentiful in our lakes and still make for a fun tug. If we get into a school, and you want to get some meat for the freezer, we can try to limit out on perch, and we'll fillet them for you.
About Our Striped Bass Trips
Depending on the conditions and your preferred style of angling, we’ll utilize a range of tactical approaches. We'll use heavy 2oz downline sinkers with 5-foot leaders to get live bait directly on deep-lying schools, or we’ll hand you 7'2" 13 Fishing bass rods to target them using artificial soft plastics on jig heads. We've spent years getting our electronics dialed, pairing traditional 2D sonar to locate the schools with Garmin LiveScope to track individual fish in real-time and keep your bait exactly in the strike zone.
Trip Durations
We run our striped bass trips around the early morning bite, typically running from 5:00 AM to 11:00 AM. As soon as the morning sun hits the water, these fish will head straight to the bottom and lock down. We offer 4-hour and 6-hour durations to get you on the best fishing possible. We can also add some time if the fishing is good or target other bass species if the conditions are right—mixing things up for fun.
What's Included
These are fully guided striper fishing experiences, uniquely tailored to each one of our clients. Every trip starts with a conversation to learn more about you, your group, and what would make your perfect striper fishing trip in Western NC. We create a game plan based on the weather, season, and your angling skills.
Gear We Use
Our boat is fully rigged and ready to tackle every type of bass fishing on our lakes. We're using Garmin front and rear electronics paired with our LVS 34 LiveScope to locate fish. If you're wanting to learn how to locate fish in our lakes with electronics, this is the trip for you.
We take guiding seriously. The gear and tackle you use can make or break a trip, and that's why we use the best. From rods and reels to nets and packs, we take pride in our equipment. All that being said, we know a lot of anglers like to bring their own gear. Check out our packing lists for more information on recommended tackle and gear.
What To Bring
Come prepared for the weather during your season. We will be in touch with you leading up to your trip to ensure you're fully prepared for the season and the weather. We have a thorough fishing packing list with more information, and do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
FAQ's
Where We Fish
We fish some of Western North Carolina's best lakes for striped bass, conveniently located to Asheville, Charlotte, and other metro areas.
Lake Rhodhiss
Part of the Catawba River, Lake Rhodhiss offers amazing river-style bass fishing similar to the Tennessee River system. What makes Rhodhiss a great spot for big stripers is its massive forage base of oily threadfin and gizzard shad. Striper will sit right on top of these baitfish, feeding throughout the morning. Rhodhiss is a diverse, nutrient-rich lake, with similarly fantastic largemouth fishing—boasting heavy Florida-strain bass, meaning a trophy largemouth is always a possibility while we're hunting stripers.
- Close To Charlotte, Hickory, and Morganton
- Healthy Mix Of Structure And Habitat
- Beautiful Mountain Views
Seasons
The lakes of Western North Carolina offer incredible year-round bass fishing. Our experience guiding these waters, paired with our equipment and electronics, helps get you on fish and have a memorable time.
Clean & Comfortable
A Midwest-Inspired Bass Boat
Our Tuffy 19' is the perfect tool for navigating our lakes and hitting striped bass hard. She's a deep-v tri-hull that takes chop well—riding high and dry in rough conditions. It's stable and comfortable with ample room for up to three anglers to have a great day fishing. There is a pedestal seat on the bow for added comfort, and the Yeti Cooler is loaded with ice and water.
