I go almost every sat. mostly the bigger lakes nc has great bass fishing,plus lots of big bass.

Lake mayo is a lowland reservoir . I've only been maybe 3 times but caught bass every time .you really need to know offshore structure fishing to find and catch good bass here. theres lots of bars here but not all will produce fish. best I remember there is some grass way up in the headwaters of the lake. most likely your best bet would be for you to fish it in the spring when the bass are up roaming. other times of the year concentrate on the roads crossing the lake and rip rap at the dam.

trees, rocks, docks, laydowns, grass, these things are not structure! only a type of cover. Structure is the bottom of the lake that is different from the surrounding area. Points, humps, under water roadbeds,these things are structure . there is about 17 different types of structure.

anytime time you get to go!

when hire a guide or head boat and catch a fish you have done nothing.

Spoonplugs are about as failsafe as you can get.When properly used by an experienced spoonplugger, they will catch anything that swims. but like buck perry states you can't catch'em if your fishing where they ain't.

the black max is a great reel for the money. you won't be disappointed. the biggest thing to know about using a baitcaster .
1- match the rod for the lure you cannot throw a light lure on a heavy action rod.
2- know how to properly set the reel for the lure.
3- spool it with good quality line also not to heavy for the lure.
4- when you 1st start out use a practice plug and don't attempt to cast a 100 yrds .
5- start easy and add more power to your cast as you get better.