Local Expert Offers Lake Norman Fishing and Sightseeing Tips
Capt. Gus Gustafson has been fishing Lake Norman ever since 1963 – the same year that the man-made lake was completed and opened to the public. “I was fishing those waters and catching small catfish in the early ’60s when it was just the Catawba River, not a big man-made lake,” Gustafson says. “But look at it now.”
Today, the lake that is 34 miles long and features 520 miles of shoreline serves as a magnificent waterway for residents in the Piedmont area. It is the largest freshwater man-made lake in the state of North Carolina and is only 15 miles from the bustling metropolis of Charlotte.
“A lot of US Airways, Bank of America, Wachovia and Lowe’s executives live on the lake, and so do plenty of NASCAR drivers,” Gustafson says. “There are homes priced from $500,000 to $25 million. It’s quite a place to live and play.”
Recreation activities on Lake Norman include boating, swimming, tubing and water skiing, and Gustafson is a go-to expert on fishing.
“I run a Fishing With Gus guide service and have probably fished every nook and cranny of this 34-mile-long lake,” he says. “It’s a great bass fishery; there are state-record catfish pulled out of here, and the pan fishing is excellent. Plus the lake has hundreds of miles of rock to combat erosion, so the fish population is always healthy.”
Gustafson advises that the best area to fish in the summertime is down by the dam, while the quick channels are the hot spots in the spring and early winter.
“I enjoy taking groups out on my boat and showing them, for example, NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace’s house or Jeff Gordon’s house or the president of Lowe’s house, then combine that with a great morning or afternoon of fishing,” he says. “It’s always a fun time whenever you’re on Lake Norman.”
