Freshwater Fishing in North Carolina

Discover North Carolina’s top three big bass freshwater fishing lakes — Falls Lake, Jordan Lake, and Shearon Harris Lake with Outdoor Expeditions USA guided bass fishing trips. Anglers of all experience levels will enjoy time on the waters near Raleigh, NC.

Falls Lake

Falls Lake was built by the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers and completed in 1983. Falls is fed by major tributaries that include Little, Eno and Flat rivers, as well as New Light, Ledge and Lick creeks. Normal pool is 251.5 ft. above sea level. Hundreds of laydowns and patches of standing timber are found throughout the lake. Submerged roadbeds, islands and creek channel drops are key structural features. Falls offers great fishing year round with February, March and April being the best months of the year to catch a true trophy largemouth. Falls lake covers 12,400 acres and has 230 miles of undeveloped shoreline.

Jordan Lake

Jordan Lake was also built by the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers and was completed in 1981. Major tributaries are Haw and New Hope Rivers, as well as Beaver, Little Beaver, Morgan and White Oak creeks. Normal pool is 216 ft. above sea level. Jordan covers 13,900 acres and offers great fishing year round. February, March and April offer the best opportunity for double digit largemouth. Creek channel drops, roadbeds, standing timber and laydowns all hold nice largemouth. The crappie fishing is also excellent on Jordan Lake.It is considered North Carolina’s #1 trophy bass fishery.

Shearon Harris Lake

Shearon Harris Lake is owned by Duke/Progress Energy and is 4100 acres in size. Though it’s considerably smaller than it’s neighboring lakes, Harris has good population of largemouth bass, crappie and white perch. Bass can be caught a variety of ways on Harris. Key structural features are roadbeds, creek channel drops, and points. The crappie fishing here is some of the best in the state.

Excellent
Based on 207 reviews
Sam
Sam
2023-09-04
Joel is an amazing fishing guide! He is kind, patient, and present and makes sure that you're getting the most of your experience. He is extremely knowledgeable and willing to answer any of your questions in detail. As someone starting to get into fishing this was very important for me and I was able to learn so much from him. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced angler, you will come away with an awesome experience and become a better fisherman! Update: I came back with some friends to fish with Joel and it was another incredible experience! This time we did the family fishing trip to get on some crappie and perch. Joel once again showed why he's such a great guide because he researched beforehand where the fish would be biting and put us on those high percentage spots. We caught soooo many fish and enjoyed a delicious fish fry that night. If you're looking for a fun time with your friends and family then definitely book a trip with Joel!
Cory Harpin
Cory Harpin
2023-09-02
We had a fantastic time with Joel! He took my son and two of his friends out for my son’s birthday and everyone had a great time. He put us on the fish and made sure that everyone had a great experience. He’s a prompt communicator and makes working with him very easy. I would absolutely recommend Outdoor Expeditions USA and will certainly use them again in the future.
Donnie White
Donnie White
2023-08-25
Had a great trip. A lot of fun and Joel had us on the fish!
Max Fader
Max Fader
2023-08-18
We had an amazing family fishing trip today with Joel! It exceeded our expectations in every way! We did a four hour fishing trip on the smooth and comfortable pontoon boat, from 6-10am. We had a family member in town celebrating a birthday, and this was a gift for them. There were three of us in total. Joel was ready to go as we arrived. We set out and got to watch a beautiful sunrise as we cruised into our first fishing spot. Joel said that he wanted to set the goal of catching twenty fish for the day. I think we blew through that in the first hour! Our final count ended up being 74 or so! We caught Crappie (aka Speck), Perch, Bluegill, one catfish and one Smallmouth Bass! We had such a great time! Joel was great company and made the trip a blast. He handles all the baiting, as well as the releasing. We never even got our hands dirty. He also has great tips for restaurants to try. After our trip and heading home, we grabbed some recommended BLTs at Merritt’s Grill. It was the perfect cap to a perfect fishing trip! Thank you, Joel!
David Parker
David Parker
2023-08-03
Outdoor Expeditions is my go to fishing guide service. Whether you’re looking for a fishing guide or using the fishing hotline, you’ll catch fish! I was blown away by Joel’s knowledge he has accumulated over several decades of fishing the local lakes. I’m convinced that no one knows these lakes better. I continue to use the fishing hotline for any upcoming trips when weather conditions change or seasons change. Definitely the best fishing resource for all of your fishing needs. 8/2/23 - We out on a Lowrance training session with Joel. Super successful trip on how to setup my electronics, dial in my active target, find fish on downscan, line up the boat and hold position with my Ghost trolling motor. It made so much sense after we went through it a couple of time. Super valuable information to make me a better angler! Thanks Joel!
Ashley Argueta
Ashley Argueta
2023-07-28
Great time on the lake today with Joel. Patience in teaching me everything I needed to know in order to have a successful trip. Caught the most fish I’ve ever caught and probably my pr for a crappie. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good time. Very relaxing trip, worth every penny!!!
samuel fuller
samuel fuller
2023-07-22
Joel was extremely knowledgeable and very friendly! Made our whole family feel like we had known him for years. Great experience and will be booking again!
Elaine McVey
Elaine McVey
2023-07-20
My teenage son has been trying to fish unsuccessfully so we booked this outing to get expert guidance. We learned a ton about how to fish our local lakes and had a great time (and caught fish!). We should have done this long ago. Highly recommend!
Dave Newhouse
Dave Newhouse
2023-07-18
Joel runs the absolute BEST guided tour fishing trips I’ve ever experienced! Very knowledgeable with all aspects of fishing and marine adventures! Highly recommend his services!!