W Kerr Scott Reservoir in Wilkes County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Wilkes County, North Carolina, you have W Kerr Scott Reservoir. The ground round it is oak and grass. At some 1,280 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. Of the waters listed here in Wilkes County, this is the largest. Some 4.9 miles away sits Moravian Falls, the nearest settlement. It is 57 miles to Winston-Salem, the nearest city. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on W Kerr Scott Reservoir

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Open biodiversity records for Wilkes County list Carolina fantail darter, striped jumprock and piedmont darter. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On W Kerr Scott Reservoir the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 36°F and July at about 75°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter here means light layers, not lost months. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. W Kerr Scott Reservoir fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Part of this sits inside or beside Smitheys Creek Public Use Area, so read the notices. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Wilkes Lake, 12 miles away. Rules at W Kerr Scott Reservoir are worth checking on the day.