Belews Lake Fishing Guide, Stokes County, North Carolina

• Overview

  Belews Lake is one of the Stokes County listings for North Carolina. Around the bank it is dry hill. Around 5.7 sq miles of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. The bank runs about 37 miles in total, split between open shore and sheltered corners. Among the waters listed for Stokes County, none is wider. Start from Stokesdale, 5.4 miles down the road. The big place round here is Winston-Salem, 18 miles distant. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Belews Lake

  Recorded depth comes to 130 ft. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Open biodiversity records for Stokes County list fantail darter, margined madtom, Roanoke darter, redbreast sunfish and riverweed darter. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Belews Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 38°F in January up to 77°F in July. It fishes twelve months of the year. October and November give a second good stretch as it cools. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. The season on Belews Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  It sits on public ground, so no permission beyond a licence is normally needed. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bluegill and other panfish take small jigs or worms under a float near any cover. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Boy Scout Pond at 4.2 miles is the sensible second choice. What applies at Belews Lake may have changed since it was mapped.