[Slickcraft]

Here is a response from my wife's cousin sitting on the dock at Lake Norman last evening:

Hello from Lake Norman, NC,

I am sitting on our dock on Lake Norman and have been to Lake Winnipesauke many times as I have cousins in Alton. I hope to offer so useful information. First, I am not a year round resident of Mooresville, NC but our family has property "on" the lake and has for several decades. We've seen it develop and change. I don't know what your specific interests or concerns are but I'll try to hit what I think might be the greatest contrasts.

We don't have any "Ice Out" pool. In fact, if we ever have ice, you'll be more concerned with larger issues than that! Lake Norman does get snow. By comparison, it is laughably little. But an occasional (read once every couple of years) 6" - 10" does happen with lighter coatings maybe 2 or 3 times a year. Boating and enjoying the lake is a year round opportunity depending on your boat and your interest. The lake is in some respects like Winni as it is long. But the water is largely quite deep averaging approximately 50 feet. The shores are largely natural and not rocky. There are very few islands by comparison. The lake is man-made developed by Duke Energy back in the 1960's and is part of the Catawba River chain of man made reservoirs originally built for hydro electric power generation. Today it is mainly for water cooled nuclear plants. There is one on Lake Norman and the fishing is good year round there. Fishing sports are good generally all over the lake with Large Mouth Bass, Stripers, and Cat Fish as the primary targets. Water levels do fluctuate a fair amount as they lower the lake level in the winter and raise it summers for boating, etc. It does not generally change more than a couple of feet during the summer season. Real Estate is like any lake. You can find any number of million dollar homes and up for sale these days. The shore is substantially developed with either inaccessible or undesirable areas left untouched. If you're into Sailing you must be aware of you water depth at the dock. Check out the restrictions on docks and covered boat slips. The key there is the square footage of "covered" water. Naturally sandy beaches are somewhat scarce. Many you see are man made. Structure like "sea walls" or "breakers" are not allowed. But likewise they are not required as a practical matter. And last but not least, the water WILL warm up in the summer!

Hope this helps.