Californian turned Idahoan pro Cody Meyer will fish REDCREST in North Carolina on the famed Lake Norman that begins on March 8th. The lake is full of spotted bass and he’s widely known as a guru with that bass species, so many expect him to do well. It should play into his strengths as a finesse angler and although his experience on the fishery is limited, he’s excited about the tournament and the venue.
One prior Norman Trip
In 2010, Meyer began his professional career on the FLW Tour and Lake Norman was on the schedule that season. He had a great showing in that late-March tournament, finishing 15th.
“That was my only trip there and it’s been so long ago that Brandon Palaniuk won that event as a Co-Angler,” Meyer said with a laugh. “That’s how long ago it was; little did we know what he’d become. So, things have changed a lot since then and I haven’t been there since. One thing about that lake, though, is that it’s full of docks.”
The lake is known for the docks, and there’s no getting around fishing them.
“That lake is why Bryan Thrift and Andy Montgomery are so good at skipping docks; they’re everywhere on Lake Norman,” he said. Thrift won that 2010 event and Meyer thinks a lot of eyes will be on Thrift again this year, but he says that the lake fits his own style pretty nicely.
Largemouth or spots?
As one of the best there is with a spinning rod chasing spotted bass, you would assume that’d be an automatic approach for Meyer. He’ll include that in his plan but thinks a more well-rounded approach is his best chance at the win.
“The switch from every-fish-counts to a five-fish limit was huge for this event,” he said. “If we kept it at every fish, there would be no reason to fish for anything other than spots because there are so many in there. There are no points, so I’ll mix it up and try for a mixed bag because I believe that is what it will take to win.”
To catch both species, Meyer believes several tactics will be in play. “You are going to see fish caught with jerkbaits and looking at forward-facing sonar, for sure,” he said. “I also believe squarebills, ChatterBaits and skipping jigs will be good for shallow largemouth. There will also be a lot of finesse fishing with drop-shots, shaky heads, and stuff like that for the spotted bass.”
Meyer plans to mix it up, chasing both species each tournament day. “The spots will be consistent, but it might be hard to find bigger ones, in my opinion,” he said. “They will be great to get an early limit and then you can spend the rest of the day chasing for those 4-pound and better largemouths. I think you will need one or two of those a day to have a chance.”
Hoping for a shallow push
March in the Carolinas can be dicey with the weather and can either be frigid or very nice, but there’s a good chance the fish will be moving toward the banks and that’s what Meyer is hoping for.
“It might not be a full-blown sight fishing event, but there should be some shallow fish,” he said. “Before they spawn, they’ll get up there and start sunning themselves and there could be some sight casting to them. I’ll wear my Bajio rose mirror lenses because they are incredible at seeing fish underwater. Even at our first event this year in Florida, I was blown away at how clear and bright the fish looked in that tannic-colored water in the bright sunshine.”
While the rose mirror lens color has been his favorite so far this year, he expects other lens colors to be more critical if overcast conditions come into play.
“The silver mirror has a copper base and is really good for fishing in low light conditions,” said Meyer. “I’ve been trying a lot of the different frames and the Vega, Nato and Roca have been three of my favorites. But, all of their sunglasses are great because they are so clear and very lightweight and comfortable.”
Lake Norman sets up very well for Meyer, with relatively clear water and abundant spotted bass. His experience chasing spots in these pre-spawn and early spring conditions should go a long way for him and he should be one to watch when the event begins. Even though many peg him as a spotted bass angler, he believes that it will likely require a mix of the two species to hoist the trophy at the end of the event and that’s what he’s preparing for.
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