Pamlico – October 12, 2017
Richie, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that striper fishing has kicked off with the opening of the season. Anglers fishing up the Pamlico River have found plenty of action, with fish up to the 30” range being landed.
Speckled trout fishing has been hit or miss, as the fish have been moving around a bit. Anglers targeting creek mouths off the main river channel have done best. MirrOlure MR17s and Gulp soft plastics have gotten the job done on the trout.
The big red drum bite has slowed down, but a few fish are still being landed in the river. Cut mullet has worked best. A few slot drum have also been landed while fishing with cut mullet.
Jacob Parente, of Benson, NC, with a 25”, 5 lb. speckled trout. He was using a chartreuse Super Spook Jr. topwater while targeting trout off the Neuse River.
Todd, of Neuse River Bait and Tackle, reports that the old drum bite in the Neuse River has finally started to slow down. A few fish are still being caught, and most have fallen for fresh cut mullet.
Good numbers of speckled trout have been landed, but most fish have been on the smaller side. Anglers covering lots of water have been able to scratch out limits of fish. MirrOlure MR17s and Yo-Zuri 3D minnows have been the ticket. Popping corks with soft spastics fished around creek mouths have also worked well.
A mix of keeper and short flounder have been caught in the river. Live mullet and mud minnows have been the best bet to hook up with keeper flatfish.
With the opening of striper season, anglers have found plenty of fish. Targeting bait pods with topwater plugs and soft plastics has worked well. Most fish have been upper and over-slot.
Quite a few spanish and bluefish have been holding in the river. Trolling Clarkspoons, as well as tossing Kastmasters, has gotten the job done.
Mitchell, of FishIBX, reports that striper action has been hot with the opening of the season. They’ve been willing to hit a variety of baits, like topwaters, crank baits, and soft plastics.
Flounder and red drum have also been feeding well in the Neuse River.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that a few old drum are still hanging around. Anglers have had luck catching them on popping cork rigs from the mouth of the Neuse River all the way up to New Bern. D.O.A. soft plastics have been the lures of choice to hang under the float.
The speckled trout bite has started to pick up and should continue to improve with falling temperatures. A mix of hard and soft plastics have worked well, but the D.O.A. Deadly Combo has worked best.
With the opening of striper season, the fishing has been up and down. Anglers covering good amounts of water have been rewarded with some upper and over-slot fish.
Tim allen, of Roanoke Rapids, NC, with a Neuse River striper. The fish fell for a Z-Man artifical paired with a Z-Man Trout Eyes jig head. He was fishing with Capt. James Holloway of Neuse River Adventures.
Grey, of Hyde Guides, reports that the old drum season is winding down, but a few fish are still around. Those looking for one last chance to hook one have done best with fresh cut mullet.
Speckled trout fishing has heated up, and several fish close to the 5 lb. range have been landed. MirrOlure MR17s, as well as soft plastics and topwaters, have all worked well. Targeting grass banks has been the key to finding good numbers of fish.
Those looking for slot red drum have found plenty of action along the marsh banks, and topwater plugs have worked best.
Flounder fishing has been hit or miss. When it’s on, anglers are catching double digit numbers, but when it’s off, the fish are nowhere to be found. Live baits have worked best, and most fish have been in the 17-18” range.
Striper fishing has heated up, with fish holding around the Pungo River and Belhaven areas. Topwater plugs have worked well in the morning, and soft plastics have done best in the middle of the day. Targeting stumps and docks has been the key to finding good numbers of fish.
