Pamlico – September 11, 2014
Jack Jackson, of Havelock, NC, with a citation-class red drum he caught and released after it struck a D.O.A. Deadly Combo rig while he was kayak-fishing the lower Neuse River.
Mitch, of FishIBX.com, reports that anglers are still seeing action with some 40”+ citation-class red drum in the Pamlico Sound and eastern NC’s lower rivers, but the bite has been puzzling at times. Smaller pockets of fish seem to be staying on the move, so paying attention to factors like water clarity, salinity, oxygen, and fishing pressure will help anglers key in on the best action. The bite seems to have been a bit better over the past week than earlier in the season, and anglers are releasing decent numbers of the big reds while working artificial lures and soaking live and cut baits.
Anglers targeting smaller game are finding action with puppy drum, flounder, and speckled trout while working soft plastics and other artificials and soaking live baits.
Bottom rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms are producing action with black drum, spot, and croaker.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that anglers are seeing some slightly improved action with the large “old” red drum in the area, likely due to the approach to the full moon last week. The best action has still been out in the sound instead of the Neuse River. Both baited bottom rigs and large D.O.A. soft plastics fished beneath popping corks are fooling the big reds.
Anglers are seeing some speckled trout action in several of the creeks off the lower Neuse River, and they’re fooling the fish with suspending hard lures and D.O.A. CAL soft baits pinned to jigheads and weedless hooks.
Scott Vasser, of Leesville, VA, with a citation red drum that inhaled a D.O.A. Airhead soft plastic beneath a popping cork in the Pamlico Sound while he was fishing with Capt. Dave Stewart of Knee Deep Custom Charters.
Anglers are seeing some solid topwater striped bass action further up the Neuse around New Bern, and the action should only get better as the fall keeper season approaches.
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that anglers are still seeing some solid action with citation-class red drum in the lower Neuse River and western Pamlico Sound. Anglers are picking up a few while soaking large cut baits on the bottom, but working D.O.A. Airhead soft plastics under popping corks has been even more effective and allows anglers to target the fish with somewhat lighter tackle and actively hunt for the giant fish instead of waiting for them to come to the baits.
Richard, of Tar-Pam Guide Service, reports that anglers are seeing some excellent action with giant red drum in the lower Pamlico River right now. Soaking large cut baits around drop-offs and shoals is producing many of the fish, but anglers are also hooking some while working large soft plastic baits under popping corks.
Isaiah, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers continue to see some solid flounder fishing in the area (and fish pushing 5 lbs.), with the best bite recently around Swan Quarter and other downriver spots. Most are hooking up while working Gulp and Z-Man soft plastics, but live baits are also effective.
Rob Istone, of Hertz Rental Equipment Wilmington, with a citation red drum that struck a chunk of mullet while he was fishing the Pamlico Sound just off Cedar Island.
Good numbers of speckled trout are feeding in the same areas and also taking an interest in the soft plastics.
There’s still some solid action with giant red drum for anglers soaking cut baits in the lower Pamlico River, and the crowds seem to have thinned out some since Labor Day.
Striped bass are on the feed upriver around Washington, and anglers have been hooking solid numbers on topwater plugs. The fish have also been hungry and biting topwaters down around Belhaven.
