Lake James Smallmouth Fishing

On this episode Bob goes smallmouth fishing in North Carolina with Captain Craig Price with Fish On Guide Services. They will be fishing Lake James which is located near Nebo, North Carolina. And on this weeks Sportsman’s Table recipe we feature a true Italian duck and pasta recipe for you duck hunters.

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Transcript:

Narrator: On this week’s Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine, Bob heads to North Carolina to smallmouth bass fish on Lake James. Joining Bob will be as go-to guide in the state of North Carolina, Captain Craig Price, with Fish On! Guide Service.

Narrator: On this week’s Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine, Bob heads to North Carolina to smallmouth bass fish on Lake James. Joining Bob will be as go-to guide in the state of North Carolina, Captain Craig Price, with Fish On! Guide Service.

Narrator: Also on this week’s Sportsman’s Table, we feature a great South Carolina certified duck and pasta recipe for you duck hunters or those who are looking for a unique duck recipe. If you love smallmouth bass fishing and you have been looking for a new place to go, then this is the show for you this week, and it begins right now.

Bob: Fish on! Craig.

Craig: All right, get him.

Bob: Hard though. We got him. We got it. I say we got him. 

Craig: You got us. 

Bob: Folks, welcome to our show today. We’re back fishing with my good friend and longtime guide up in North Carolina, Craig Price with Fish On! Guide Service. Craig, I tell you what, man, we are at a special place today. Lake James up here near Nebo, North Carolina. 

Bob: Tell everybody, first of all about Fish On! Guide Service, and this beautiful fishery up here. 

Craig: Well, I am based on Lake Norman, North Carolina. But this is the first lake in a chain of lakes that runs all the way down to South Carolina and dumps into the Santee Cooper system.

Bob: Right.

Craig: But Lake James is made up of one side of the Catawba River, another side the Linville River. We’re actually in the canal that connects the two, just as the sun is coming up looking for smallmouth, white bass. 

Bob: Well, I think that we got the further white bass right here. 

Craig: All right. Let us see if we can just- 

Bob: He is kind of- Kept me here, big boy.

Craig: Nice fish. 

Bob: Yes, sir. That is not a bad day. Now, white bass, tell everybody out there what these are in here for. 

Craig: Well, the white bass are part of the striper family. As you’ll notice, it has got really faint lines on it.

Bob: Yeah.

Craig: We have been on Lake Norman a couple times, kept catching the hybrid stripers. And that is the other part of the hybrid. 

Bob: Okay.

Craig: In a hybrid striper. They are bred in captivity, stripers and white bass. They are native to these rivers and impoundments, and they handle our hot water conditions in the summer much better than true stripers do.

Bob: Well now, to be honest with you. Those things get pretty big.

Craig: The hybrids?

Bob: Uh-hmm

Craig: Yeah, they can get big. I think the state record North Carolina is 17 pounds.

Bob: Good.

Craig: Which would be really sporty fish. They are really good swimmers, little more football-shaped than a true striper.

Bob: Right? 

Craig: And when they get going sideways, you know it. All right. Just feed him out about 50-60 feet behind the boat. 

Bob: All right, man. 

Craig: We just got to set up with a couple of free lines out the back. Very light weights. Couple of down rods in the forward position, and we are just working around a little point here close to the boat ramp. See if we can put a few fish in the boat before we venture out into the main lake.

Bob: Well, folks, I am fishing with Abu Garcia spinning gear. This is the MGX, and of course the Veracity light line rod here, with actually 8 pounds test riling. So I kind of went light today. Number two fusion circle hook. Basically, the rod and reel outfit is really, really light so you do not really have to have some way of rope in order to catch these fish up here. Craig has got everything pretty much set. The weather is great. Less 1 mile [inaudible] sun is coming up. Hey, more fish to come.

Craig: Fish On! 

Bob: Get him, Craig. I am trying to get some of this chop little tap water boat. Oh, man. Could be the smallmouth we are looking for? Is it?

Craig: I think so. Big bend to the rod. 

Bob: They sure are starting to bust a little bit on top. I am trying to catch him here asleep. Come on, Chapo. Do your trick. You need help? You good? 

Craig: I think I’m good. 

Bob: All right.

Craig: He is still swimming.

Bob: I am good.  I am just waiting for him to come up again. 

Craig: Take it easy on her.

Bob: Come on, hit it. What you got?

Craig: Little smallmouth.

Bob: Do you, really? Awesome.

Craig: Yes, sir.

Bob: The net.

Craig: Hit that little-

Bob: Okay. Smallmouth Lake James. The record that is what was bust in tap water?

Craig: Yes, sir. Exactly what they are. 

Bob: Okay.

Craig: Come down here, Junior.

Bob: You got the first smallmouth of the morning. Okay, that is all right. That is all right. 

Craig: He ate that bait, but good.

Bob: Come on.

Craig: Lake James smallmouth. Pretty.

Bob: I tell you what. Folks travel all over the country for smallmouth bass. To include Bob Redford, you know, from Lake Erie all the way up into Lake Ontario, but you do not have to go very far. You just go to North Carolina. Yeah, you can go north, but North Carolina Lake James Fish On! Guides Service.

Bob: Oh, great. Fish On! brother.

Craig: Come on, man. 

Bob: Right, right, right Fish On! Come on, smalley. Be a small. 

Craig: Oh, yeah. 

Bob: That is a nice smallmouth.

Craig: Very nice. Yes, sir. 

Bob: I will even let folks look at him in the water. Look at that. Oh, wow. Come on. Come on up here. Oh, yeah. Oh, wow, Lake James. Man, who would have thought? And I will stop playing around. I know you are being nice. Bob get him over to the dead. 

Craig: That is a little more indicative of what we are looking for. 

Bob: Wow, man. Nice. Come here. Come here. I am just going to take your picture. We are just going to take your picture. 

Crig: That is what we are looking for.

Bob: Oh, yeah. Yes, sir. And circle hook did its job. Come on, now. In fact, amaze. Did it just a little bit too good. Oh, wow.

Craig: That is pretty. 

Bob:Pretty little smallmouth right there. [inaudible]

Craig: [inaudible] real deformity there.

Bob: That is kind of, do not he? Got a little [inaudible]

Craig: Ugly-looking

Bob: Okay. Well, that is all right. Well, we let him go. But anyway…

Craig: Good job. That is what we need.

Bob: Here we go. Catch him again. Folks, stay tune. When we come back, more Smallmouth fishing from Lake James, North Carolina. Alright 16 pool.

Narrator: Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine is being brought to you today by these following sponsors. Chevrolet, the official vehicle of Bob Redfern’s Outdoor magazine by the South Carolina Agriculture Department. It’s A Matter of Taste by the old 96 District of South Carolina. Come discover the unexpected wonders by South Carolina Embroidery & Screen Printing, your source for all your promotional product needs. And by the City of Florence, South Carolina. Florence is full life, full forward.

Bob: Oh, yeah. Well folks I tell you what, I am reeling up this one. It looks like this is another smallmouth. I got to tell you this Ugly Stik carbon, these are brand new out-of-the-box from Pure Fishing and Ugly Stik. These are just a great tool to have on the water, and I have got it married up with an Abu Garcia MGX 30. All right. Come on, smalley.

Bob: This combination right here is just a wonderful combination to have and I have got Triline, and I downsized my line. I’m fishing Berkley Triline 8 pound test just to lighten it up a little bit. Again, this is the MGX 30 by Abu Garcia and the Ugly Stik carbon right here. Great handling. It just feels good in your hand. You got a great flexible tip out here for this lake. So just like all the great products from Ugly Stik, and Abu Garcia, and Berkley. These are the ticket. Okay, Craig.We got to get him reloaded. 

Craig: Get them back out there. [inaudible]

Bob: Yeah, I think I do.

Craig: That is a nice one.

Bob: Really nice smallmouth. Look at them red eyes. Oh Gosh.

Craig: Pretty. 

Bob: Yes, sir. [inaudible] Here we go. Fish On! Craig.

Craig: Fish On! [inaudible]

Bo: Hit me. It is a good thing you you put that free lines back there. Make America fish again. Fish On! Guide Services, Denver, North Carolina. Here it comes. Look at that. I will even dip him for you.

Craig: Serving him. There they are busting out there in front of us. 

Bob: Nice it is. I know you are trying to fish, trying to guide. We let him go. Come on.

Craig: Pretty fish. 

Bob: Okay now. Let’s tell all the folks out there about Fish On! Guide Services. I know you have been on the show before. We love showcasing but we have never been to Lake James. One of the things I want to really focus on is all the places in North Carolina. You take your clients? It is not just Lake Norman, okay. 

Criag: No, it is not. We are lucky the Catawba River, this is the first Lake on the chain starting up in the mountains of Western North Carolina. It goes all the way down the lake before below this. Lake Rodhiss, then Lake Hickory, Lookout Shoals, Lake Norman, where I live, Mountain Island Lake, Lake Wylie, Lake Wateree on down and South Carolina. So, we have got 9 or 10 lakes just on this river. They are all a little different but diverse fisheries.

Bob: But you have fish them all?

Craig: I have fish them all and do some ensure saltwater fishing North and South Carolina and even go to summer to South Carolina lake for striper fishing. 

Bob: Well, let me tell you something. I have got to thank you Fish On! Guide Services. Folks, listen, log on to Bob stop sixteen, you’ll find Craig and his guide service right there. You never know where we are going to end up. We are going to fish, hopefully, all of the chains that this guy fishes. Stay tuned, will not you? We got to get more fish, okay? I love these small mouth, man.

Bob: Folks, listen, you saw me use the Ugly Stik carbon in the spinning, but I also wanted to show you that I have got the Ugly Stik carbon in a baitcaster 7 foot medium light action, and I have got a mount with an Abu EXD baitcaster reel with Berkley Triline sensation and 12 pound test, and I have been throwing the Berkeley Chapo. Although have not it thrown it that much because we have not had that many smallmouth busting tap water, but I will throw it and I will keep throwing it until I do get one of that hit. But I just wanted to show you that there are two options. You got the bait caster Ugly Stik carbon and then you have got the spinning version. I tell you what, log on to uglystik.com and you can find a very good rod and reel outfit for your very own. Folks, stay tune. When we come back we are heading over to the Sportsman’s Table for another great recipe this week. All right, Craig. You said 14?

Craig: 14, boy.

Narrator: The Sportsman’s Table is brought to you by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Whether you live in South Carolina or out-of-state, be sure to buy South Carolina grown meats, vegetables, and fruits. Make sure your food is South Carolina certified. It’s a matter of taste.

Bob: Joining me this morning is my guest chef, Alessandro Salaris, from [inaudible] Did I say that right?

Chef: Right.

Bob: Awesome. I’m not even Italian. But we are at the City Center Market here in beautiful downtown Florence, South Carolina with a recipe. I know all you outdoors man out there are going to love. Pasta, a duck?

Chef: Yes. It is a very old Italian dish and I thought about coming in in town and said why don’t you put the thing together, you know, we have a lot of ducks around here and we actually make our own pasta in the house. Fresh everyday. And I say, “Okay, let us do it duck.”

Bob: I can not wait. This is going to be first.

Chef: So what it is going to be, it is very simple. So we are going to have herb.

Bob: Like most Italian dishes.

Chef: Onion, carrots celery and garlic. Then we are going to use fresh herbs like rosemary and bay leaf. So how this is going to work is we are going to take our duck and put it on a pan. 

Bob: [inaudible] So we are cooking the whole duck?

Chef: Yes. Then what we do is very simple. We throw all the vegetables all inside.

Bob: You’re right. It can not get any simpler than that. I could even do that. 

Chef: everybody can do that. it is a very easy recipe as just time on it, but it is very easy. Everybody can do that. Then, garlic. Then, we put in salt and pepper there. You can always adjust on salt and pepper.

Bob: Folks, if you want a copy of Alessandro’s recipe just log on to bobredfern.com. [inaudible] that is a wonderful Italian restaurant. Look at this. Oh, wow. 

Chef: Drop the olive oil extra virgin from Italy. That is ready to go in the oven. Could you please?

Bob: I’ll be glad to. 

Chef: I will open the door for you.

Bob: So it is going in the oven for what temperature and how long?

Chef: It is going for 400 degrees for half an hour. After half an hour, you just put your white wine and the vegetable broth, and then you close it. You cover the duck for another hour and a half and wait there.

Chef: Now, this is the finished product. This is the sauce. After we cook in the oven we, separate all the meat and we put the vegetables together like you see with food processor. We create the sauce, we adjust the salt and pepper, and then we cook the pasta, and then you put her in and saute with the sauce. 

Bob: Oh, wow. This is really a unique recipe.

Chef: Thank you. It is very delicious. After you saute-

Bob: Do you mix dark and white meat from the duck?

Chef: I use all the duck, everything. You see, you just plate it. 

Bob: Smells delicious. I know, folks, you can not smell it on TV, but I can. Contrary, a lot of folks do not really know just how good duck is. I mean it really is. Especially fresh pasta. 

Chef: Italian fresh pasta.

Bob: No less. 

Chef: Exactly. 

Bob: Right here in downtown Florence, South Carolina.

Chef: Then, we decorate it with some tomato. Piece of garnish, couple bay leaves Then we got or plate and some parsley. They would never miss on an Italian dish. Some extra virgin olive oil. Finish. Here we got our plate.

Bob: That is a dish. Thank you so much. We wish you the best of luck. I tell you what, folks, come on down to downtown Florence when you are visiting state of South Carolina. You want more great recipes like you saw today? Stop on by, I tell you what. Or log on to certifiedscgrown.com and see what is fresh on the menu. We will be right back here again next week with another great recipe on the Sportsman’s Table.

Narrator: To find out more information on food that is fresher and tastier, go online at certifiedscgrown.com by certified South Carolina grown products. It is a matter of taste.

Narrator: Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine is being brought to you today by these following sponsors: the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Life is just better Outdoors. Abu Garcia, Abu Garcia fish to win by Southern Woods Plantation, offering the best in Southern Comfort in quail hunting. And by Santee Cooper Country discover the natural wonders of South Carolina’s great lakes.

Bob: Yes, sir. Look what I am talking. I am sorry you missed that. That thing was skyrocket. 

Craig: He aired it out. 

Bob: Yeah, he did. 

Craig: That was excellent.

Bob: Gosh. I love catching small mouth. Look at that.

Craig: That is a pretty one. 

Bob: My Ugly Stik carbon. Look at here. When was the last time you caught a smallmouth bass like that? Especially down south right here. Lake James in Nebo, North Carolina. My good friend, my guide, and the guy that we always go to when we go to North Carolina, Captain Craig Price with Fish On! Guide Service. Check him out. Bob stop 16, and I tell you what, you will not regret that trip. All right, Craig.

Bob: Well, folks, listen, I tell you what- you see that smallmouth come out of there. Well, folks, I tell you what that hass been a wrap for our show today here up on Lake James, up near Nebo North Carolina with my good friend, Craig Price, Fish On! Guide Service. Wow, man. 

Craig: Nice one. That is the best one today.

Bob: You know, I tell you what, you never know where we are going to end up. Fishing is awesome up here. Okay, I know I say awesome a lot. But that is because I mean it. And that is the fish. 

Craig: He has got that hook right look bottom line.

Bob: He is one for the books today. Smallmouth. North Carolina. Who would have thought right here on Bob Redford’s Outdoor Magazine. It is always I like to say each and every week, the outdoor is my passion. I want it to be yours too.

Craig: Bob, thank you for a great trip.

Bob: Make America fish again. There we go. Smallmouth, yeah.