Pamlico – July 21, 2016
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that the speckled trout and puppy drum fishing remains good in the lower Neuse River. The DOA Deadly combo of a 3” shrimp and popping cork is the ideal bait for targeting both species. Soft plastics on a lead head are also producing bites from both trout and drum, as well as striped bass and flounder.
Striped bass are still feeding upriver closer to New Bern where they are mixed with speckled trout, reds, and flounder. The stripers, specks, and reds are falling for topwater baits as well as popping corks, soft plastics, and live bait.
There have been reports of old drum and tarpon caught in the lower Neuse, and that bite will only improve as the season wears on.
Lynne Dolan, of Raleigh, with a 19 flounder she caught on a chartreuse Gulp swimming mullet. She was fishing in the Pungo River near Belhaven.
Richard, of Tar-Pam Guide Service, reports anglers are connecting with lots of fish but most everything is a little small. Many undersized flounder and trout are being hooked, with a few keeper trout mixed in. Small puppy drum will be in the mix, too, but striper fishing hasd produced a good class of fish.
The top choice of bait for the fish is Z-Man MinnowZ in white or chartreuse on a 3/16 oz. Trout EyeZ jighead or custom 1/4 oz. jigheads.
Lisa Adams, with Timothy (age 5), of Oak City, with a red drum they caught in the Pamlico Sound. Timothy was granted a fishing adventure wish by the organization Angels N Camo.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that with the hot weather and low water on the Neuse, most anglers are heading towards the Pamlico Sound. Small trout are in the area, with the occasional legal-sized fish mixed in.
Small to upper-slot red drum and small flounder are also tucked in around creeks, bays, and marshy shorelines. Moving around is the key to locating these fish, and they will fall for DOA C.A.L. soft plastics and a variety of live baits on a Carolina rig.
Old drum are moving into the area, so anglers should be prepared if a situation presents itself.
Mitchell, of FishIBX, reports that the flounder fishing in the Pamlico River has been excellent recently, with plenty of large fish for anglers to take home to the dinner table. Most of these fish are falling for soft plastics fished on a weedless weighted hook or live finger mullet on a Carolina rig fished in 1-3’ of water. Areas with a hard sandy bottom are holding a majority of the flatfish, and they can also be found around structure like docks, bridges, and oyster beds.
Large speckled trout are being caught in the Pamlico River as well. The best way to find these large summer trout is to look for deeper water holding large concentrations of bait. Trout can often be found busting through these large schools of finger mullet and peanut pogies, so the best lures to use are those that mimic the bait that they are actively feeding on. Live baits on Carolina rigs and soft plastics are fooling the trout and the occasional red drum.
Slot-sized reds are being found hanging around structure looking for an easy meal. Anglers are catching them near docks and bridges on soft plastics fished under a popping cork. Reds can also be found patrolling grass banks and oyster beds where they can be caught using soft plastics, live baits, or topwater plugs.
Richie, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are catching good numbers of flounder from Rose Bay out to Swanquarter. Most seem to be undersized throwbacks with the occasional keeper mixed in, though. Live mud minnows on Carolina rigs fished near hard bottom areas and near grass banks are fooling a majority of the flatfish.
Mixed in with the flounder are plenty of small trout that are feeding on the same live baits as the flounder, and they are also hitting well on soft plastics.
Old drum are becoming more prevalent from the mouth of the Pungo River out to Pamlico Point. Large live and cut bait including mullet, spot, croaker, and mullet fished on heavy Carolina rigs with large circle hooks is the preferred method to catch these big red drum. Most anglers are reporting the best success at night. This allows both the fish and the angler to avoid the heat of the day.
Anglers have connected with a handful of tarpon in the mouth of the Neuse River. With large numbers of them being caught off the beaches to the south, it should only be a matter of time before they make their way inshore.
