[piano intro] (man #1) Man, what a hit that was!

He buried that rod; takin' the drag.

(man #2) Let me get you to back up a little so I can get the net.

[straining] Yuh!

I don't think that's a spotted bass.

There we go; listen to him sing.

(man #2) That's probably Mr. Striper right there.

(man #1) We went over him on that graph, and, man, five seconds after you were tellin' me about that--whack.

- [male announcer]: The production of Carolina Outdoor Journal is made possible in part by: - [female announcer]: The North Carolina Wildlife Rescources Commission.

A fishing license goes a long way towards wildlife conservation in North Carolina.

Over 38,000 miles of managed streams and rivers, and 250,000 acres of lakes and reservoirs.

- [male announcer]: And by EZ Bait and Tackle, family owned and operated.

We fish from fresh to saltwater.

We provide fishing supplies and ad vice to every type of angler.

For all your fishing needs, EZ Bait and Tackle.

And by contributions from PBS NC vi ewers like you.

[light instrumental music] ♪ Hello, welcome to the Carolina Outdoor Journal .

Well, today's program-- if you like fishing at Lake Norman, you are in for a treat because we're goin' there for hybrid stripers today.

That's right.

We have a really fun show for you today.

We're fishing a morning on Lake Norman for a growing population, uh, of hybrid striped bass, uh-- growing in size to the point where-- workin' with a guide that-- who specializes-- fishes for a number of different species of fish on the lake, but he really has grown to like the hybrid population because they are getting sized where they really are fun to catch.

They're good to eat, and he stays on 'em pretty much year-round.

But this is in November.

It's turning a little cool on the lake.

Temperatures startin' to drop, and we caught a lotta fish.

Now talk about "Geartime" today.

Something special there, I'm sure.

(Joe) They're gonna talk about how they rigged up the rod-and-reel combination that he likes to use.

We're slow-trolling live bait today and how to rig up for 'em, and they'll go over that.

And crab dip in the kitchen with Donna.

Really tasty hot crab dip recipe from her today.

All right, we got a lot to do, so let's go to work on the Carolina Outdoor Journal .

Well, Craig, we just endured a very chilly boat ride.

Week before Thanksgiving-- cold November morning, uh, we're out on Lake Norman.

We're gonna try some live-bait fishin' with some shad and some herring.

I know you've been out a few times recently.

Tell me what's goin' on; what can we expect.

Well, the bait is moving up into the creeks just like it should as the water temperatures, uh, fall here in the fall, and, uh, we've had some really good, uh, hybrids, uh.

Our new hybrids are getting up to the catchable range-- 16, 20 inches.

So they're doin' really well, and, uh, we've had a big surprise that the remaining stripers are very healthy.

And for Lake Norman, we're catchin' some, you know, upper- percentile fish, uh, in the 8- to 12-pound range.

So those are good, healthy fish for Lake Norman.

So we're back in this creek.

You wanna put a spread toward the back?

You wanna give that a try?

Yeah, we're gonna get live baits out at different depths.

There's a couple of points out here, a creek channel.

We're just gonna circle around.

We've got some fog comin' off the water, so we're just gonna have to kinda look here.

We've had some really cold weather this week, and that always changes things a little bit, so we'll try to figure out the combination for today.

OK, let's see what we can do.

All righty, we'll do it.

(Paul) So, Craig, how are we gonna set out this spread?

(Craig) OK. We're gonna use a combination of sher-- herring and shad that we netted a little earlier this morning, uh.

We fish circle hook rigs, uh, mainly because we release a lot more fish than we keep, and they've proven to be very effective at catching the stripers and the hybrids primarily because they eat their baits headfirst.

So usually, it's a good, hard strike.

You get a good mouth hookup.

We can get 'em to the boat and release 'em alive if we want to.

(Paul) Then we're gonna do the heavier weights, the 1-ounce, up front?

(Craig) That's right; you gotta have a system when you're fishin' multiple rods and especially when you're fishin' for fish like stripers and hybrids 'cause it's not unusual to get more than one strike at a time, and if you don't have a way of keeping everything from gettin' all tangled, and sometimes it does anyway, uh, you end up--heh-- spendin' a lot more time dealing with tangles than you do fightin' fish.

So we fish our heaviest weights forward-- heavy and deep, and then lighter and shallower as we go back.

So we'll use 1-ounce weights, half-ounce weights, and then we'll have free lines out the very back.

And you never know; we may end up runnin' planer boards ou t to the side of the boat.

Now, we count 2 feet from the reel to the rod guide on anything that we're fishing today.

Get the weight in the water.

And I just count, two, four, six, eight... 20... 30...

So, this weight over here-- this bait over here is gonna be about 35 feet deep.

And to try to help things even further, I fish multiples of five over here, multiples of ten over there.

(Paul) OK. (Craig) That way we-- basically, what we wanna do, startin' out, is cover the water column from bottom-- up near the top until we kinda figure out what's going on.

(Paul) Craig, here we are, 33 feet of water, 55 degrees.

Tell me what we're seein' on the graph.

(Craig) Well, more 'n likely, those are hybrids and/or stripers.

We're gettin' a bite right here-- just nice and easy till they pull it down.

So typically, when you run over 'em like that, you can expect some sort of action.

(Craig) We ll, normally, yo u can, if-- we just saw some guys ca tch one on an Alabama rig.

If they don't-- if they don't bite little minnows, usually we're in trouble... ...cause we're-- we're fishin' with what they eat, day in and day out, so we'll see, yep.

Come on.

woop Playin' with it.

And there's spotted ba ss and perch-- There you go, Craig.

(Craig) Here, he's yours.

Go get 'im.

Yep, might get a double here.

Oh, yeah!

Fish on, oh yeah, takin' the drag!

(Craig) All right, let me-- Go to the back of the boat if you need to.

We got enough rod and reels.

(Paul) Man, what a hit that was!

He buried that rod; takin' the drag.

(Craig) Let me get you to back up a little so I can get the net.

[straining] Yuh!

I don't think that's a spotted bass.

There we go; listen to him sing.

(Craig) That's probably Mr. Striper right there.

(Paul) We went over him on that graph, and, man, five seconds after you were tellin' me about that--whack.

(Craig) Stop.

Nice and-- everything real smooth with that light tackle here.

(Paul) That's what makes it so much more fun.

(Craig) Come to the back of the boat.

Don't let him in the motor or the swim platform.

(Paul) I know.

(Craig) All right, reel down on him.

All right, stop; lift gently.

All right, reel down on him.

Lift gently.

Here he comes.

Reel down on him.

Yep.

Reel all the way down on him!

Stop; get his head up here now.

Let's get him in the net.

Reel down.

(Paul) That's one way to warm up on a cold, frosty morning.

(Craig) I'm gonna let you grab him, thumb him.

Let me have the rod.

There you go, nice Lake Norman striper.

(Paul) That certainly warmed me up.

(Craig) All right, that's one in a row.

Let's get some more.

(Paul) Lotta teamwork with that one.

Feels a little better.

(Craig) Come on, we need some stripes on.

(Paul) There's some drag.

(Craig) Need some stripes.

(Paul) I think I see some stripes... pullin' drag.

[reel whirring] [straining] Ugh!

(Craig) Keep him out of this line up here if you can.

(Paul) Haven't got a look at him yet.

He's still, uh-- Yeah, it looks like a good one.

It might be our hybrid we were lookin' for.

(Craig) Crank down on him.

Get his head up.

There you go.

Up, up-- yep, that's Mr.

Hybrid.

(Paul) All right, that's what we were lookin' for.

That's my first Lake Norman-- (Craig) Reel down, reel down.

Watch your string.

Make sure you're gettin' some line-- all right, good job.

(Paul) That's my first Lake Norman hybrid.

(Craig) There you go!

(Paul) Well done, Craig.

(Paul) This is-- he's been in here how many years now?

(Craig) Probably two years old, uh-- the wildlife biologists say that they're-- they're growin' in the upper percentiles, uh, for fish in other lakes.

(Paul) Solid, beefy.

(Craig) Very nice.

Probably 18 inches-- We're catching 'em up to 20, 21 inches.

I've heard of 24s and 25s.

(Paul) Well, there's no doubt.

He wasn't a spot, the way he was fightin'.

(Craig) Yeah, they're good fighters.

(Paul) Good fighters is right.

(Craig) We're gonna be good when we get a bunch of 5- to 10-pounders here.

(Paul) Did you see that one?

(Craig) Nice strike, that's what we wanted.

(Paul) Nice strike is right.

That rod about hit the water.

You can usually tell it's not a spot.

(Craig) Well, just when we were about to pull 'em up and leave-- (Craig) Just don't let him get up there near the trolling motor.

Show him who's boss!

(Paul) That's right, you called it.

(Craig) That's a nice, nice fish.

(Paul) Stripes?

Yeah, there he is.

(Craig) That's a big hybrid.

That's a big one.

(Paul) Whoo!

That's another good one.

What a rod bend.

You wanna put him in the tank and take a picture?

(Craig) Sure.

He'll be fine in there for a bit in these water temperatures.

Man, look at the sparkles on him.

He just lights up.

[mellow acoustic guitar leads soft rock arrangement] ♪ ♪ (Paul) There's one, Craig.

Wound down on him.

Feels good.

(Craig) We'll see if we can get another one.

Yeah, yeah-- oh, come on.

Don't go under there.

(Craig) Walk back with him.

Yep, let him go on out back if you have to.

There you go.

(Paul) Looks like he's got stripes.

Oh, yeah.

That's a good- lookin' hybrid.

(Craig) All right, crank down on him.

Get his head up.

Near me, near me!

Yeahh, there we go.

(Paul) Ahh!

Woo-hoo!

Ha, ha!

Another fine hybrid.

Man, they are fat.

Look at that belly on him.

Well, Craig, we've had a great morning of fishing.

When would you say the best time to fish for these hybrids and stripers is?

Well, it's really a fall, winter, and spring fishery, uh, starting, uh-- kinda start gettin' together late September.

We've always considered, uh, Thanksgiving, uh, as prime time, all the way through Christmas.

It can get a little tough in the dead of winter, but then spring is great when they go through the false spawn, so, really, fall, winter, and spring.

(Paul, straining) Oh!

Yet another one.

(Craig) That's the hot rod.

Hot rod--look at the birds all over the place too.

He's bouncin' it.

(Craig) Ooh!

That's a nice one.

That is a nice one.

(Craig) That's a really nice one.

That might be the biggest one yet.

All right, come over on this side of me.

There you go.

Yeah, we got a stack of fish right here.

(Paul) Easy hookup.

(Craig) Oh, nice.

That circle hook does the trick for releasing.

(Craig) Yeah, I thought he might be a little bigger than that.

They always look bigger in the water, but that's a nice, healthy, fat fish.

Yeah, these hybrids are a little bit more football-shaped than the classic striper.

A little bit broken on the stripes.

(Craig) And that wide body makes 'em better fighters.

[chuckling] Yeah, you saw him.

He turned sideways.

About ripped the rod out of my hand.

(Craig) That's right.

Let's get another one.

Yeah, baby.

(Craig) Well, he--I'm just-- (Paul) Get him, Craig!

(Craig) This might be a spot.

Nope, uhhh-- (Paul) Whatcha got?

(Craig) I believe he's a little linesider.

(Paul) Right.

(Craig) I don't catch 'em a big as Paul, but-- (Paul) That's what fishin' buddies are for.

(Craig) He counts, I reckon.

(Paul) This was a dead bait?

Yep, yep.

That's probably-- Oop!

Another fish on right here, Paul.

(Paul) Get him, Craig; get him.

(Craig) There we go.

I'll let you be the captain, and I'll catch 'em.

This is a better fish.

This is a better fish.

(Paul) What's the key to that fighting technique, Craig?

Well, we're fishin' really light tackle.

You never know when we're gonna hook into a big striper or a big catfish, so you wanna lift up gently, keep that rod bent, reel down.

But the main key is, keep the rod bent.

It's just like a big spring full of energy, and as long as it's bent like that, it's pullin' tight on that fish's mouth, and they have a very hard time gettin' rid of the hook.

Soon as you give 'em any slack, they're gonna flip and twist and turn and do everything they can to throw it.

Ah!

Believe I might have got him this time.

(Paul) You did.

Aw, yeah.

Well done; well done.

(Craig) All right.

Well, at least, now, I won't be totally embarrassed.

I think you might still have shaved me just a little bit.

(Paul) Just a smidge, but-- At least he's a good healthy fish.

They're beautiful.

Good, hard fighters.

Go grow up.

Tell your momma we're here.

Lake Norman--beautiful day on the water.

We had a pretty day.

It started real cold; it was in November, but it was one of those frosty November mornings, and, um-- I want to thank Captain Price for goin' out early in the mornin'.

Him and Paul both got up before the chickens and caught the bait, so we had really good fresh bait, which makes a difference.

He sure knows how to catch 'em.

He did a good job.

Let's find out more in "Geartime."

[mellow acoustic guitar leads soft rock arrangement] ♪ Well, Craig, the morning of fishing here on Lake Norman was just absolutely perfect today.

We targeted the hybrids, a species that's really coming on strong here the last few seasons, and it looks like it's gonna get better and better.

We caught a variety of different species, but the rig and the setup we used today was pretty straightforward, and it worked for everything.

Tell me more about those.

Yeah, this is a widely used setup, the Ugly Stik striper rods, uh, by Shakespeare.

We have the Ambassadeur 5600 C4 reels, and, uh, they're very affordable, very durable, and, um, a lotta people use 'em both for striper fishing and catfishing, uh.

I--I fish, uh, typically 12-pound mono on my reel, 15-pound fluorocarbon leader on a Carolina rig-- and the Carolina rig just denotes the-- the barrel swivel, the leader.

We've got one-aught circle hooks, which do a great job of good, clean mouth hookups so we can release the hybrids and the stripers that we catch and even the bass and other species.

So that all worked out real well today, um.

We--we fish different weights, uh.

This is a 1-ounce weight.

We've got a half-ounce weight on that rig, and we even fish 'em with, uh, no weight or maybe a split shot.

So we can cover different zones in the water column, uh, until we figure out what's goin' on and present the baits where the fish want 'em.

And as far as baits go, we really used two primary forage fish, uh.

Both worked equally as well, and honestly, they worked on all five, six species that we caught today.

Yeah, and-- you know, we like to have the natural forage in the lake, which is primarily shad and herring, uh.

This is actually a little alewife, uh.

The fish are keying on small, uh, to medium-size bait.

So you certainly get these baits much bigger, but this is perfect.

I mean, I think we caught five or six species today, and we saw some huge schools of bait out there.

But for-- every, you know-- the weekend fisherman, uh, this is a store-bought shiner, and, uh, we caught fish on them today too, every species.

So when they're feeding good, the bait's not quite as important, but some days, when they're a little finicky, it pays to have fresh shad or herring.

Like I said, it was a great day; thanks a lot.

We'll get out and get a few more.

Hope you'll come back.

Thanks for that great information.

If you wanna go to Lake Norman, give Captain Price a call.

His number's on your screen; I'm sure he'll take you.

I almost promise you a good day of fishin'.

Speaking of good, Donna's in the kitchen.

She's got a recipe right now for some great hot crab dip.

♪ ♪ ♪ Hi, today in the kitchen, we're making a great hot crab dip, a great recipe you can make ahead of time.

If you're gonna have a party or friends over, make up your mixture, and then cook it right before your friends come over so it's nice and piping hot; this is great.

We're gonna start out with 8 ounces of cream cheese, some mayonnaise, and some sour cream.

So I already have that in my bowl.

Then--and make sure that your cream cheese is soft, and that way, it'll, um, mix nicer.

And we're just going to mix that together with our hand mixer... [clacking] until it's creamy.

We're going to then add a little, um, flour-- woop-- lemme put that over there-- some crab... some green onion... some Worcestershire, a little garlic powder, or you can use fresh garlic if you like, and some apple juice.

And then a little One sauce, which'll add a little heat to it, which is nice too.

And then we're just gonna give that a-- combine that with our hand mixer.

And like I said, at this point, you can then put this-- once this is all combined, put this in a container and put it in your refrigerator for a day, and you're ready to go, then, when you have your guests come over.

So we're gonna put this in our baking dish, and, you can use little, um, crocks if you like, which would be really great too-- give it a little, um, decorative look, or you can just bake it in a regular baking dish.

So what I like to do is put it in my baking dish, spread it out, and then I like to top it with some bread crumbs.

Bake this at 350 for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Depending on if it's been in the fridge, I would let it warm up a little bit before I put it in the oven.

And then what I do is then spray a little nonstick spray on it and put it under the broiler for about five minutes to brown the top and get it nice and crunchy so you have a nice, pretty look to it.

This is what it looks like.

I like to use the little crock.

So then I like to serve mine with either some crackers.

I like to add some fresh vegetables if people want to use it as a dip or a spread, and some pretzel rods are great as well.

So you can just do a little array of vegetables that you like and crackers and pretzels.

So I hope that you enjoy the hot crab dip, and I look forward to seeing you here next time on "Simple Cooking."

Donna, thanks for that recipe.

There's more of those in our cookbook, mine and Joe's favorites, and you can find that at carolinaoutdoorjournal.com.

Joe, back down to Lake Norman-- good day of fishin'.

We really did.

It started pretty cold, but it warmed up during the morning, and we started, you know, finding the fish.

One thing to mention about the hybrid population on the lake: that is a stock population.

They they do not naturally reproduce in the wild.

They are actually a cross between a white bass and a striped bass.

So actually it's a stocking program to put these fish in the lake, and Captain Price has been, uh-- been following the growth of these fish, and he was tellin' me that day that he was really pleased at how they're starting to really add some size to 'em, but he stays on 'em pretty much year-round, and those fish move around.

That's a big lake.

Anybody that knows, uh, Lake Norman-- it's our largest man-made lake, and, uh, those fish do move around.

You have to stay on top of 'em.

He does a good job of that.

Like I said, if you've never caught 'em before, give him a call.

Like I said, on any tackle, they'll let you know they're on the other end.

And if you get a 2 1/2 pounder, you'll know it.

For Joe Albea, I'm John Moore.

Thanks for joining us today on the Carolina Outdoor Journal .

- [male announcer]: And make sure to visit our website for more information.

- [male announcer]: The production of Carolina Outdoor Journal is made possible in part by: - [female announcer]: The North Carolina Wildlife Rescources Commission.

A fishing license goes a long way towards wildlife conservation in North Carolina.

Over 38,000 miles of managed streams and rivers, and 250,000 acres of lakes and reservoirs.

- [male announcer]: And by EZ Bait and Tackle, family owned and operated.

We fish from fresh to saltwater.

We provide fishing supplies and ad vice to every type of angler.

For all your fishing needs, EZ Bait and Tackle.

And by contributions from PBS NC vi ewers like you.

[light instrumental music] ♪