Fishing Report For Lake Gaston, NC

By Rick Seaman

March 4, 2025

Popular Fish Species Reports
Lake Gaston Fishing Video
Available Fish Species
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Fishing Report Lake Gaston, NC

Fishing Reports

Popular Fish Species Lake Gaston, NC

Blue Catfish

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Very Good To Excellent

If you like going for big fish, the blue catfish in Lake Gaston are right up your alley. These top predators are abundant in the lake and are eager to to bite. Locals report catching blues in the 40 to 50-pound range frequently, with an occasional fish over 60 pounds showing up. Trolling is the preferred method, using live shad or cut bait. Blues follow shad, so finding schools of shad helps determine the area to fish. Fishing for blue catfish is productive around most any kind of structure, especially when water is flowing - which is does here. River channel edges are roadways that the blue catfish use to migrate around the lake. Road beds, creek channels and rocky points are also places to look. Use a slip sinker or Carolina rig setup.

Largemouth Bass

Current Report: Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

Lake Gaston is loaded with stump fields, which the bass use as ambush points. Docks are another place where locals report catching bass consistently. Lots of 3 and 4 pound bass are being caught here, using a wide variety of lures. A recent Carolina Anglers Team Trail bass tournament results report the top three teams averaged over 4 pounds per fish, for five fish. The next five teams average 3 pounds or better per bass. Jerkbaits and crankbaits are catching nice largemouth bass here, many tournament anglers are throwing vibrating jigs around the stump fields, and during slow times, stick worm, rigged wacky style, are catching bass around docks and cover.

Striped Bass

Current Report: Fair To Good
Outlook: Very Good To Excellent

Thanks to an on-going stocking program over several decades, the striper population in Lake Gaston is healthy, and plentiful. Anglers report good striper fishing here year round. Here, water temperature and baitfish are the main factors for striper comfort, but feeding always take precedence. In Summer, the eastern half of the lake is where the bulk of the schools of stripers, and baitfish, are being located. In Spring striped bass migrate upriver to spawn, so the western half of the lake comes into play - all the way to John H Kerr Dam tailwaters. Trolling is popular here using live shad, cut bait, swimbaits and jerkbaits. Spoons can be cast or trolled, both catching stripers. Having success when fishing for stripers is dependent on locating schools of bait, and wolf packs of stripers are likely to be nearby. Fish finders are a big help in locating these roaming schools.

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, black crappie, white crappie, walleye, bluegill, white bass, striped bass and chain pickerel at Lake Gaston in North Carolina.

Lake Gaston is a 20,000-acre reservoir with over 350 miles of shoreline has great fishing for monster blue catfish. In addition to catfish, the lake offers bass, crappie, walleye, stripers, white bass and chain pickerel fishing. It is home to the state record chain pickerel. There is plenty of room for fishing from shore. Boat docks, creek channels and aquatic vegetation are the primary cover for fish.

Primary fish species to catch

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Today's Weather & Forecast

Fishing Boat Rentals

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Marinas

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Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings

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Fishing License

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Lake Gaston, NC Map - Fishing & Access

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".