Search

Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service 

5.0
(12 reviews)
Recent reports
 7321 Terana Lane, Denver, NC 28037, United States–
+24
+21
Angler's Choice

Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service 

Denver, NC, United States
–
22 ft
3
5.0
(12 reviews)
Trips & prices
Targeted species
Boat info
What's biting
What's included
Contact captain
Trips & prices
What's included
Targeted species
Boat info
Reviews
Contact captain

Excited to catch some fish in the Denver, NC area? Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service has you covered!

Join an experienced local guide and explore the productive waters of Lake Norman and nearby Mountain Island Lake. These lakes are known for hard-fighting Catfish and Hybrid Striped Bass, offering action throughout the year. Catfish are available year-round, with peak fishing typically from mid-March through May and again from early July through mid-October. When the water cools from November through February, the focus shifts to aggressive Hybrid Stripers that provide exciting cold-weather action.

Whether you're an experienced angler or brand new to fishing, this trip is designed to be fun, relaxed, and productive. Families are more than welcome, kids are encouraged to join! Just be sure to let the captain know their life jacket size ahead of time.

You’ll be fishing aboard a comfortable 22’ dual console boat, ideal for up to 3 guests (4 in a pinch). With a bimini top for shade and plenty of seating, you’ll stay comfortable while focusing on the fishing.

All bait and tackle are included, so all you need to bring is appropriate clothing, a valid fishing license (required for ages 16+), and any snacks, drinks, or lunch you’d like for the trip. Most trips are catch, photo, and release, but if you’d like to keep some fish for the table, just let the captain know ahead of time and a plan can be made.

Alcohol is allowed in moderation, but it’s best to check with the captain in advance if you plan to bring anything beyond water or soft drinks.

From steady catfish action to hard-hitting stripers, this trip is all about great fishing, good company, and time well spent on the water.

Book your trip today with Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service and make it happen!

If you are interested in a 24 hour or less advanced booking window, please send the captain a message to make sure the weather and fishing conditions are suitable.

Excited to catch some fish in the Denver, NC area? Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service has you covered!

Join an experienced local guide and explore the productive waters of Lake Norman and nearby Mountain Island Lake. These lakes are known for hard-fighting Catfish and Hybrid Striped Bass, offering action throughout the year. Catfish are available year-round, with peak fishing typically from mid-March through May and again from early July through mid-October. When the water cools from November through February, the focus shifts to aggressive Hybrid Stripers that provide exciting cold-weather action.

Whether you're an experienced angler or brand new to fishing, this trip is designed to be fun, relaxed, and productive. Families are more than welcome, kids are encouraged to join! Just be sure to let the captain know their life jacket size ahead of time.

You’ll be fishing aboard a comfortable 22’ dual console boat, ideal for up to 3 guests (4 in a pinch). With a bimini top for shade and plenty of seating, you’ll stay comfortable while focusing on the fishing.

All bait and tackle are included, so all you need to bring is appropriate clothing, a valid fishing license (required for ages 16+), and any snacks, drinks, or lunch you’d like for the trip. Most trips are catch, photo, and release, but if you’d like to keep some fish for the table, just let the captain know ahead of time and a plan can be made.

Alcohol is allowed in moderation, but it’s best to check with the captain in advance if you plan to bring anything beyond water or soft drinks.

From steady catfish action to hard-hitting stripers, this trip is all about great fishing, good company, and time well spent on the water.

Book your trip today with Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service and make it happen!

If you are interested in a 24 hour or less advanced booking window, please send the captain a message to make sure the weather and fishing conditions are suitable.

Bill Ward
Captain
Bill Ward
ID & credentials verified
responds within an hour
Popular features
Live bait
Pickup included
You keep catch
Catch cleaning & filleting
Child friendly
Popular features
Live bait
Pickup included
You keep catch
Catch cleaning & filleting
Child friendly

Select date to see availability

Trip date:
Group Size:
November 2026
SuMoTuWeThFrSa
Loading...
Group Size
2 adults • 0 children
Change
Almost there...
Full Day Trip
In high demand Last booked: 5 days ago
FREE Cancellation 3 days notice
6 hour trip starts at 6:00 AM
Catfish
Hybrid Striped Bass
US $350
Entire boat: 2 people

Customer reviews

Loading...

Rating

5.0
12 reviews
5.0
Boat & equipment
5.0
Captain & crew
5.0
Fishing Experience

Anglers' gallery (37)

All reviews (12)

Showing 1 – 5 of 12 reviews
Austin Burnier
Austin Burnier
us
California, US
Member since 2026
5.0
Verified
Must Do Fishing Trip On Norman
Full Day Trip on July 11, 2026 • 2 adults

Captain Bill is a wealth of knowledge. He didn't just put us on the fish, he actually took the time to teach us about the lake, the patterns, and the techniques he uses. He’s incredibly fun to talk to, and has great stories. Most importantly we caught some big fish! If you’re looking for a top tier guide who is knowledgeable, professional, and great company, Captain Bill is your guy. We will absolutely be booking with him again.

Reported catch:
Catfish
Phillip Maner
Phillip Maner
us
North Carolina, US
Member since 2026
5.0
Verified
New
Making memories with the kids
Full Day Trip on October 31, 2026 • 2 adults • 1 child

Fishing was a little slow but we cannot control the weather which was the contributing factor. Bill was an awesome Captain, a wealth of knowledge, and I look forward to our next trip with him.

Reported catch:
Catfish
Bill Ward
Response from Captain

It was heart breaking how slow it was. We covered miles of the lake and found plenty of fish, but they just were not feeding like they could have been. I'm glad we kept after them until you had enough for a fish fry. Next time, we'll fill the cooler all the way!

Travis Smith
Travis Smith
Repeat angler
us
Tennessee, US
Member since 2025
4 trips
5.0
Verified
New
fun informative and a beautiful day on the lake
Full Day Trip on October 6, 2026 • 2 adults

always learn a lot about the lake when out with this gentleman. caught hybrid, crappie, a channel, and white perch.

Reported catch:
Catfish
Hybrid Striped Bass
Bill Ward
Response from Captain

Thanks for hanging in there Travis! It is no fun fishing in 15+ mph winds, but we made it work. That 13.5 inch crappie is probably the boat record!

Rafael Osuna
Rafael Osuna
us
North Carolina, US
Member since 2026
5.0
Verified
Awesome Birthday Fishing Trip!
Full Day Trip on August 22, 2026 • 1 adult • 1 child

My 9-year-old son wanted to catch a bass for his birthday, and we ended up catching about 30 or 40 of them! Bill was great and knows every single corner of Lake Norman. I highly recommend booking with Bill!

Reported catch:
Catfish
Hybrid Striped Bass
Bill Ward
Response from Captain

He caught on to everything really quickly. He can come be my shiner scooper anytime. Great having you two on board. That was a really fun day!

Brandi Decker
Brandi Decker
us
New York, US
Member since 2026
5.0
Verified
Great time
Full Day Trip on May 21, 2026 • 2 adults

If you want some good laughs and lots of interesting information, Captain Bill is your guy! He was very friendly and we learned a lot from him! Highly recommend for anyone wanting to get in a boat and catch some fish!

Reported catch:
Catfish
Bill Ward
Response from Captain

Thanks, Brandi! When the bite started, we got so distracted we forgot to take some pictures of the fish! Great having you two on the boat today.

FAQs about Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service

Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service offers the following trip to customers:
  • US $350 per group, additional US $50 per person after 2 guests - Full Day Trip (6 hours)
When you book a trip with Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service, you can expect the following amenities onboard:
  • GPS
  • Fishfinder
  • Live bait well
  • Wireless trolling motor
Trips booked with Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service include:
  • Rods, reels & tackle
  • Live bait
  • Lures
  • Catch cleaning & filleting
Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service offers the following type of fishing:
  • Lake fishing
Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service offers the following fishing techniques:
  • Light tackle
  • Trolling
  • Spinning
  • Jigging
  • Drift fishing
Top targeted fish species with Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service include:
  • Catfish
  • Hybrid Striped Bass

Your captain

Bill Ward
Bill Ward
Denver, North Carolina, United States
9 Fishing Reports
ID & license verified
12 Customer reviews
Typical response within an hour
Member since April 2026
Angler's Choice
The Angler's Choice Award is given to listings that consistently deliver a high-quality service and earn great reviews from customers.
Operating a 22' Sea Hunt Dual console, Capt. Bill ensures a comfortable fishing experience in the waters of Denver, North Carolina. The crew has you covered if you wish to try spinning, trolling, drifting, jigging, or other techniques. The only way to learn is to join them on the water.
Bill Ward
Bill Ward
Fully verified
Angler's Choice
9
reports
12
reviews
2026
member since
~1h
response
Operating a 22' Sea Hunt Dual console, Capt. Bill ensures a comfortable fishing experience in the waters of Denver, North Carolina. The crew has you covered if you wish to try spinning, trolling, drifting, jigging, or other techniques. The only way to learn is to join them on the water.

The fish you can target

Catfish
Catfish
Hybrid Striped Bass
Hybrid Striped Bass
Catfish
Catfish
Hybrid Striped Bass
Hybrid Striped Bass

Real catches by this captain

  • Teen angler holding a large catfish aboard a small fishing boat.
    Fish 1
    Spotted Bass
    Phillip M.
    Phillip M.
    Fishing was a little slow but we cannot control the weather which was the contributing factor. Bill was an awesome Captain, a wealth of knowledge, and I look forward to our next trip with him.
  • Angler holding a large catfish on the deck of a fishing boat, with calm water and shoreline visible in the background.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    Hybrid Striped Bass
    It's been a strange fall. The water temps are 10 degrees higher than they should be this time of year. The light is suggesting it's time to for the fish move up into the creeks to begin feeding up for the winter slowdown. The water is telling them a different story. It's an odd time to be a fish and also to find a fish. Scattered is the name of the game right now for most of the lake. Which is why persistence and patient are in order. This weekend we had the Maner and the Susko families out looking for cats, hybrids and spotted bass to eat. In almost every location we caught fish, just not very many. We could spot the fish, but we could not make them bite like they should have. But in the end, you keep moving with a fish here, a fish there and eventually you end up with filets in a bag, just not as many as we might have hoped. This should give us some confidence that when the water temps finally drop into the mid and low 60s, the feeding frenzy will begin!
  • Adult angler holding a large mottled nearshore fish over calm coastal water, with the catch prominently filling the foreground.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    Crappie
    Travis S.
    Travis S.
    always learn a lot about the lake when out with this gentleman. caught hybrid, crappie, a channel, and white perch.
  • Angler proudly displaying a large striped bass while fishing on a sunny day.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    Hybrid Striped Bass
    Had Toni on the boat Friday with his parents Hans and Marlies who were visiting from Germany, along with Toni's FiL Jaime. Huge cold front on Wednesday and Thursday made me worry we might not catch a fish, but it turned into a fine day on the water. Hans and Marlies like to hold a rod when they fish, so instead of trolling, we spotlocked on a couple points known for producing eater fish and downlined baits all morning. Caught a mess of eater channel cats and 10-15 hybrids, a lot of fun on ultra-light tackle. Mom and Dad are a little short on conversational English, but they certainly knew how to point to a rod going down and yell "FISH!" Quite surprised to see how adept Marlies was at untangling lines. When hybrids are zooming all around the boat on the way to the net, they can create a Gordian Knot in no time. She always jumped right in and started work at pulling the knots apart. I may have to hire her as first mate next time they visit. I gave them a couple of suggestions on preparing the fish for dinner that night, and word is they really enjoyed the Lake Norman bounty! Hans also boated one of the biggest bull stickfish ever to come in the boat after a long battle. We did not keep it for dinner. ;)
  • Angler proudly displaying a large striped bass while fishing on a boat.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    Striped Bass
    Toni M.
    Toni M.
    We caught around 20 fish. white perch, hybrid and catfish. Bill was great and i would highly recommend this trip to anybody. great communication. TOP !!!
  • Adult angler holding a striped bass on a boat, with calm water and shoreline in the background.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    Hybrid Striped Bass
    Travis S.
    Travis S.
    caught hybrid stripe bass. catfish were not eating at all today but captain put us in position to catch fish and we did!
  • Adult angler proudly holding two striped bass over calm coastal waters.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    +1
    White Bass
    I had Joshua and Natalie out hybrid hunting today on Mighty LKN. We started at first light to try and get a jump on the Labor Day boat traffic. Bite started off slowly, but at our second location, I pitched a spoon towards a rocky point and had an immediate hook up on a decent fish. Handed the rod the to Natalie, and that's when I learned-- Natalie is terrified of fish. No particular trauma--she was never chased down the street as a child by a blue marlin, or anything...but the idea of reeling in the fish and being in the boat with it flopping around kind of freaked her out. Which was kind of funny, given that we were on a "fishing" trip, but that made the day a more interesting challenge. That first fish ended up being a 7 pound blue cat, which was a big wiggly fish start to her day. The next few were all hybrid stripers, and as the day wore on, Natalie began to rally. I told her it was like allergy shots. Each fish made the next one a little easier. By the end of the day we had 25-30 hybrids in the boat and Natalie was beginning to not only reel in her own fish, she was going to the rod holder, picking up the rod and giving the fish as good a battle as it was giving her. I couldn't have been happier for her sticking with it and getting just a little braver with each fish. We still couldn't get her to hold up her fish for the photo,and sticking her thumb in its mouth and lipping it was right out! Baby steps. Next time, we'll work on using the fish grip pliers, and then unhooking the fish herself. Well...maybe not, but you gotta have a dream, right?
  • Excited angler proudly displaying a large Catfish while fishing on a scenic lake.
    Fish 1
    Hybrid Striped Bass
    Joshua S.
    Joshua S.
    had an awesome time today. Caught tons of bass and some catfish.
  • A young angler proudly displaying a large striped bass while fishing from a boat.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    +1
    Striped Bass
    Saturday we had Sebastian and his dad Rafael on the boat. Sebastian just turned 9, and for his birthday, he wanted to catch a bass. So we went fishing. And he caught a spotted bass. And then a hybrid striped bass. And then another and another. We put 30 or more fish in the boat before the weekend boat traffic got too crazy. For someone with limited fishing experience, Sebastian was a fish catching machine. He got the rods out of the holders with fish pulling drag, reeled in the fish even while they were dragging him all over the boat, scooped bait out of the tank, and even netted a fish he let his dad catch. There is nothing like watching a youngster have that much fun catching fish. But best of all, first thing he said as he stepped off the boat: "When can we go again?"
  • Young angler holding a large striped bass aboard a boat on a calm residential lake.
    Fish 1
    Striped Bass
    Rafael O.
    Rafael O.
    My 9-year-old son wanted to catch a bass for his birthday, and we ended up catching about 30 or 40 of them! Bill was great and knows every single corner of Lake Norman. I highly recommend booking with Bill!

What is the boat like?

Boat image
Boat category
Speed boats
Capacity
3 persons
Boat length
22 ft
Year built
2007
Boat manufacturer
Sea Hunt
Boat type
Dual console
Engine model
Yamaha
Powered by
1 x 200HP
Max cruising speed
28 knots

What kind of fishing will you do?

Lake Fishing

Which fishing techniques you can try

Light Tackle
Trolling
Spinning
Jigging
Drift Fishing

Which amenities are available onboard

GPS
Fishfinder
Live bait well
Wireless trolling motor
What's included in the trip price
Rods, reels & tackle
Live bait
Lures
Catch cleaning & filleting

How cancellations work

Free cancellation up to 3 days prior to trip
You can cancel or modify your booking up to 3 days before the trip date, free of charge. If you cancel or modify your booking later, or fail to show up, you'll forfeit 100% of what you've paid.
More details

What the listing policies are

Pickup included in price
Transfer from hotels or jetties in Denver to departure site is available and included in trip rates.
Child friendly
You keep catch
Catch and release allowed

How you can pay

Pay online in full
Pay online in full through FishingBooker and save on credit card fees at the dock.
No additional fees.
Book with 10% deposit, pay rest to captain
When the captain confirms your trip, FishingBooker charges your credit card a 10% deposit to guarantee your reservation.
The remaining balance is to be paid directly to the charter operator on or prior to your trip date in one of the following payment methods:
 Cash
 PayPal

Compare similar fishing charters

Current
Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service
Lake Norman Catfish Guide Service
5.0
(12)
22 ft
Group size 1 - 3
1 - 3
Fish 1
Fish 2
6 hour trip • 3 persons
US $350

Recent fishing reports

Persistence is a Virtue
Persistence is a Virtue
October 31, 2026
It's been a strange fall. The water temps are 10 degrees higher than they should be this time of year. The light is suggesting it's time to for the fish move up into the creeks to begin feeding up for the winter slowdown. The water is telling them a different story. It's an odd time to be a fish and also to find a fish. Scattered is the name of the game right now for most of the lake. Which is why persistence and patient are in order. This weekend we had the Maner and the Susko families out looking for cats, hybrids and spotted bass to eat. In almost every location we caught fish, just not very many. We could spot the fish, but we could not make them bite like they should have. But in the end, you keep moving with a fish here, a fish there and eventually you end up with filets in a bag, just not as many as we might have hoped. This should give us some confidence that when the water temps finally drop into the mid and low 60s, the feeding frenzy will begin!
Continue reading
Persistence is a Virtue
Persistence is a Virtue
October 31, 2026
It's been a strange fall. The water temps are 10 degrees higher than they should be this time of year. The light is suggesting it's time to for the fish move up into the creeks to begin feeding up for the winter slowdown. The water is telling them a different story. It's an odd time to be a fish and also to find a fish. Scattered is the name of the game right now for most of the lake. Which is why persistence and patient are in order. This weekend we had the Maner and the Susko families out looking for cats, hybrids and spotted bass to eat. In almost every location we caught fish, just not very many. We could spot the fish, but we could not make them bite like they should have. But in the end, you keep moving with a fish here, a fish there and eventually you end up with filets in a bag, just not as many as we might have hoped. This should give us some confidence that when the water temps finally drop into the mid and low 60s, the feeding frenzy will begin!
Continue reading