Fishing Lake Mattamuskeet With F. Eugene Hester

There's a lot to discuss today.  First, I'll begin with a history of Lake Mattamuskeet.  Then I'll give you a comprehensive guide to fishing the waters in and around the lake.  I'll finish with a fishing report that covers what were a few blustery late-spring days on the largest natural lake in North Carolina.  Tight lines, and here we go.

History
"Hyde County is one of the few places in the country where the population 100 years ago was bigger than the population is today." - F. Eugene Hester




Early North Carolinians didn't prize this water body for its fishing or hunting potential.  They saw it as fertile soil just waiting to be freed from the bondage of a watershed that kept it submerged.  In the early decades of the 20th century, a few wealthy entrepreneurs concocted a scheme to use the world's largest pumps and a series of canals to empty the lake of its contents.  Mattamuskeet isn't your typical lake or reservoir.  The overall average depth of the lake itself is 3 feet.  This would have made it a perfect platform for high-yielding cotton, tobacco, and corn crops, as well as residential development for farmers and their families.  Unfortunately for these financiers, the watershed is a bit more resilient than they expected, and after about 20 years trying to keep the spot dry, they abandoned their pumps and let the lake fill back up.  

In the middle part of the 20th century, Mattamuskeet became a goose hunter's Mecca.  Hundreds of thousands of Canada Geese would migrate down from their summer grounds in the provinces of Canada, in advance of the onset of winter, to feed in the shallow water the lake provided.  Aquatic vegetation, in addition to regularly flooded corn fields in low-lying agricultural plots, meant that these geese had ample food and relatively tolerable winter temperatures to help them survive the year's coldest months.  In the 1950s and 60s, droves of goose hunters visited Mattamuskeet from all over the world in hopes of procuring a few of these majestic birds for their Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner tables.  This regular migration of not only geese but also goose hunters provided a regular income stream for the restaurants, motels, and outfitters in Hyde County.  However, increasingly milder winters in the 70s and 80s, in addition to a newly booming Chesapeake Bay agriculture industry meant that the geese just didn't have to fly as far south as they used to, so many gaggles stopped visiting Mattamuskeet.  With the industry, so declined the County itself.  Waterfowl hunting is still second-to-none in the few impoundments around the lake, but there just aren't enough dollars flowing into the county to keep small business owners in the black.  With each departure of a motel or restaurant, so too have hunters stopped returning, with each trip more remote and difficult to execute.  Agriculture remains the number one industry in Hyde County, with only a few farmers and their families still populating the schools and stores located there.

The Lake Itself

In this regard, fishing on the lake has always been an afterthought.  Most bass fishermen will be disappointed at the consistent lack of deep holes and bottom topography that typically attracts large fish.  But then again, most bass fishermen wouldn't bring their souped-up bass boats to this lake.  It's too shallow for the very powerful motors favored by bass fishermen who prefer moving from fishing hole to fishing hole almost instantly, and it's so flat that local knowledge is a must.  Most locals fish the culverts that connect the east and west sections of the lake, which the Mattamuskeet causeway bisects.  These culverts flush water from one side to the other, depending on wind patterns, and current confluences attract all manner of bait and fish.

Because the lake is so broad, so shallow, and so flat, most fishermen take to the canals that surround it.  These canals were built to help channel water into Pamlico Sound, but when the drainage project was abandoned, they filled and are regularly dredged to make room for boat traffic into and out of the lake and sound.  These canals are deeper and also more sheltered.  Fallen trees provide occasional structure, and both currents and wind are milder than they can be in the open water of the lake.  So, while you may fancy yourself zipping across the vast expanses of the lake from fishing hole to fishing hole, most of the fishing that takes place here is in very small boats, up and down narrow canals that resemble long, straight creeks.  That being said, the fact that these canals connect so many water bodies and cover so much territory in the coastal zone means that the species you're targeting can change dramatically from canal to canal, and that the fishing opportunities are probably much more dynamic than the amateur angler might expect.

The Fish

Though much effort has been dedicated to eliminating saltwater influx through the number of canals that connect the lake to Pamlico Sound, some saltwater intrusion is inevitable.  The canals that connect more directly on the south side are more brackish than are the ones that meander east, west, and around the lake shore.  If you stick to the very fresh areas, you can expect to have a shot at Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Panfish, Catfish, Bowfin, Chain Pickerel, Gar, Yellow Perch, White Perch, and Warmouth.  If you wander down the canals and creeks that connect to the sound, you can venture a chance at a Puppy Drum, Weakfish, Speckled Trout, Croaker, Spot, or Striped Bass.  While I have no doubt that most fishermen suffer from the same "Bring-too-much-stuff-itis" that plagues me every year, this is the one case where it pays to bring everything you own, just in case.  Unless you go down with one kind of fish in mind, hell-bent on bending them to your will, you should probably be prepared to adapt to the habits of whatever is biting.  If you're not, then should your target species choose not to cooperate, you would be very much out of luck.

The Hardware

Because the lake is so shallow, and because most boat launching points are small and can be suspect, depending on the time of year, your best bet is a small, aluminum jon boat.  Deep-draft, v-hull bass boats will likely drag the bottom and large motors will inevitably catch in weeds or mud.  More flexible fishermen can get by with a flat-backed canoe or some kind of warmwater paddle-craft.  Fly fishermen will need something broad so that standing up and sitting down doesn't constantly involve fear of death, but most everyone will require a motor.  The distances to be covered here are unparalleled.  Some of these canals can be close to 10 miles long, and paddles will not only keep you from exploring potentially fishy spots, they will wear you out.

While we went on this trip without one, I would recommend a decent trolling motor to anyone who wants to fish this lake.  It is silent and quick, and it will allow you more comfort when the wind (which can pick up at times along the vast, treeless plains of Hyde County...it was blowing 23mph the day we arrived) is constantly blowing you into the bank.  We used a couple of paddles, but it's a pain, especially for a fly fisherman, when you have to pull your fly all the way in just to dip a paddle in the water, right your boat, and then stand back up and start casting again.

Tackle will depend on your target species, but for the fly fishermen among us, the most important flies I brought were a handful of deer hair bass bugs, which will attract Bass, Bowfin, Gar, and Chain Pickerel.  I also brought a few Clouser minnows, which can be used to target Panfish, Crappie, Warmouth, and Perch.  In the saltier areas, these Clousers are useful for Grey Trout, Speckled Trout, and Striped Bass.  A spin-caster can get by with about 3 or 4 sizes of beetlespins and spinnerbaits.  These will catch anything and everything, and can be fished deep or shallow, depending on your location.

Finally, because this is a Federal Wildlife Reserve, you absolutely MUST do the following:
1. Register ALL motorized boats, which includes boats with only a trolling motor.
2. Bring life jackets for ALL passengers.
3. Always carry your North Carolina fishing license.*
*Bring a recreational saltwater license if you plan to try your luck in saltwater creeks south of the lake.

Stories abound of individuals being ticketed and/or fined for violations of any of these 3 rules.  Wildlife officers regularly check on this lake, so always come prepared.

The Catch

Now for the bad-ish news.  Due to a number of factors, the fishing in Lake Mattamuskeet has gotten progressively worse over the last 10 years or so.  I've heard a number of explanations, some of which involve the depletion of herring populations, phosphorous loading due to reduced flushing on the west half of the lake, saltwater intrusion, decreased fish stocking, and the focusing of federal funds on waterfowl habitat, which results in variable drainage rates and puts long-lived aquatic species at risk.

Over 3 days, we put 10-12 anglers in the water.  After fishing Friday afternoon, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning, I had caught 2 bass.  My dad caught 1 striper.  Two of our crew caught about a dozen bowfin.  One hooked a chain pickerel.  One caught a crappie.  The rest were skunked.  This is a paltry showing, compared to the number of lures and flies we cast and the amount of territory we covered over the 3 days.  I've heard from everyone, as I'm sure many fisherman have before, that it varies from day to day and spot to spot.  Fishing can turn off and on from minute to minute, and variable population patterns mean that the same hole that produced a windfall one year could be a barren wasteland the next.  One day, your favorite fishing hole could shower you with bass.  The next, your best chance at a fish would be in the back of the grocery store.  

We didn't have many catches to counterbalance the fish-less hours, so I was fairly disappointed this go around.  That said, I'm reminded of the old addage, "The worst day fishing is better than the best day at work."  We still had a blast exploring the beautiful countryside that is Hyde County.  The canals are peaceful, the crops plentiful, and the lake a first-rate resource that, if managed appropriately, could still bring significant recreation potential to the residents of North Carolina.  If nothing else, lets hope the government starts supporting holistic ecosystem approaches that bolster all the wildlife in Hyde County.  Once upon a time people flocked to this part of the country to chase gaggles of geese.  Maybe tomorrow we can figure out a way to get people to flock to this part of the country to chase a lake full of Largemouth Bass.  Either way, we need to get more people to visit what I think is one of the most beautiful bits of countryside in the Old North State.  In the end, Hyde County deserves it.

The Group

Species Targeted