Mudcats #2

This pond is on the south side of the Carolina Mudcats stadium, we call it Mudcats #2. It is accessible from the hwy 39 entrance to the parking lot. This is usually clear dark water...we've caught a few bluegills and such in there, but there are some BIG carp living there.

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Mudcats #1

There are a couple of ponds around the Carolina Mudcats Stadium in Zebulon. One on the east side of the property, one on the south side. This is the pond we call Mudcats #1, on the east side of the parking lot. You can access this from alternate 264. Here's a few photos...

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Clifton Pond

Clifton Pond is located in Franklin county, on Clifton Pond Road. There's the large main pond on the west side of Clifton Road, and the dam is right along the road. Downstream, there's another large body of water, and yet another dam. Here's a few pics from when we were fishing the lower body of water, and the upper larger body from the edge of the roadway...

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Franklinton Reservoir

***NOTE***  UPDATE 10/26/19: Franklinton has now posted NO FISHING signs and locked the incoming gates to this reservoir. I don't know what caused this, it's been open for fishing for decades...but no longer.


The Franklinton Reservoir is located in Franklinton NC, just east of US1, on the south side of Hwy 56 (West Green St). It's a neat little reservoir, with a good bit of bank fishing space. Here's a few photos from a trip Debbie and I made there to check it out...

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Duke's Lake

Duke's Lake is an old mill pond about 8 miles north of Zebulon at the intersection of Fowler rd and Duke's Lake rd. We've never caught anything big there, but we've heard stories from the locals about big fish that have been caught in years past. We've caught lots of Bluegill, a few Crappie, and some small Large Mouth bass in there. Here's a few pics from when we were fishing in there...

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Boat Safety Strap

We learned this, the hard way...by almost loosing the boat in the highway while in route to a fishin' hole! We have a couple of ratchet straps that hold the boat to the trailer...one in the front, and one in the back. I had no idea that the ratchet could pop open and loosen the boat. The rear strap popped open, the boat is tapered in the front, so it started sliding back. Debbie just happened to look in the side mirror and said "Dave, the boat is coming off the trailer!!!". Sure enough, she was right. The boat was almost 50% off the back of the trailer, held only by the front night fishing light being tangled up in the front strap. Wow, that was a close one. Now, we use an additional strap that keeps the boat pulled uptight against the spare tire. 

Jon Boat Battery Containment

Here's a pic of what we did to contain the battery in our Jon Boat. Early on, we found the best place for the battery (for best weight distribution in this small boat) was in the middle of the boat...immediately behind Debbie's seat. We use several different sizes of battery, depending on where we're going. We use a Series-27 Sealed Deep Cycle battery (60 lbs!!) when we know we're gonna be running it hard in big water, all day. We have a series-U1 (sealed lawn tractor battery) for moderate size lakes. Lastly, we use a small jump box for use in ponds and such. After loading in an out of some rough places with STEEP ramps this year, we found the battery needed to be secured. I picked up a plastic battery box from Walmart for $8, drilled a few holes in the lower seat frame, and attached it there. I don't use the top, that way I can just set the battery in and out easily. Problem solved!

 

Floor Lighting

This was an easy way to add lighting to the floor of the Jon Boat when night fishing. These require no wiring, powered by 3 "AAA" batteries, and have a built-in switch. I attached them with one screw and a piece of double sided foam tape. They've been in the boat over 6 months, and are still working perfectly. VERY bright COB light design, and since you only flip them on when baiting a hook or some such, I suspect the batteries will last a long, long time. These are under $6 each from Walmart, and are their LED Switch Light. Mfg Promier, # PSWITCH-12/48

Mitchell Creek

Mitchell Creek is a small creek, formed by the runoff from Mitchell Pond (a very private pond...). It's about 1/2 mile from Hwy 98 (8 miles north of Zebulon) on Halifax road. There's usually a number of bluegill varieties, small bass, catfish, etc that make their way through there. Mitchell Creek meanders around through private property, and finally makes it's way into Little River. We fish there around the area where it passes under the road, and the owner is OK with that, as long as you don't wander onto his property or leave trash. 

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Barham Creek

Barham Creek is a small creek just off of Hwy 96 (9 miles north of Zebulon), on Barham Siding Road. It varies in depth and speed a lot, depending on rainfall. It ultimately passes into Mitchell Pond, then Mitchell Creek, and finally Little River. We've had mixed results in there, but it's always fun to pull off the road, flip a bait in, and catch a fish or two. 

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