Pamlico/Neuse – April 2022
Donald, of Custom Marine Fabrication, reports that speckled trout are moving out of the creeks with water temperatures rising in the area. These trout are staging up on riverbanks heading towards the sound in anticipation of the bait moving into the area.
Anglers are enjoying scattered puppy drum action, with a good number of these fish being those reds that seemingly stuck around all winter.
The topwater action on striped bass is just now starting to heat up. These fish are fired up as they move back downriver post-spawn and are aggressively feeding near structure along the shoreline.
Adrian Holler hooked this 21″ speckled trout on a Billy Bay shrimp in Adams Creek. He was fishing with Capt. Daniel Griffee of On Deck Fishing Charters.
Brad, of Gunny B Outdoors, reports that speckled trout are now moving out of their winter holes in the backs of creeks and are headed toward the river. Anglers will have the most success while focusing on structure around the creek mouths. Topwater plugs have been producing some nice-sized fish and exciting blow-ups. If the fish keep missing, follow up by casting in the area with a soft plastic.
There are some striped bass holding in these same areas, and they’re actively striking at the topwater offerings as well.
Red drum have started to show up in the sounds and push into the lower stretches of the river. Over the next few weeks, this pattern continues as water temperatures rise and more bait moves into the area.
Dana, of Reel2Reel Fishing, reports that red drum action has been picking up with some lower-slot fish moving in around shoreline structure in the lower Neuse.
Speckled trout have started to transition to the creek mouth areas. Anglers are finding both great sizes and numbers of fish while casting topwater plugs, suspending hard lures, or soft plastics under popping corks. This time of year, anglers are looking to pick the right banks that are holding a group of fish based on the current tide or wind pattern. It bears true that generally the areas holding bait, either mullet or pogies, are holding the trout.
Shad fishing remains strong upriver for anglers fishing shad darts.
Striped bass have been moving back down the river post shad-spawn and are striking topwater plugs.
Springtime is great for anglers looking to get in on high energy topwater bites. The action can last all day regardless of sun or weather patterns this time of year. Late afternoons are many times an overlooked time to fish plugs after water temperatures rising through the day has fish fired up. Target flats around creek mouths, especially those with mullet present.
Brent, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that speckled trout action has been great to start off spring fishing in the area. Anglers are finding these schools starting to move out of their wintering creeks and stage up on the banks around creek mouths and bays. It has been a great quality of fish as well, with a bunch of citations in the mix. Over the next weeks, anglers will be targeting these trout moving over grass beds in these areas as they head to spawn.
A few slot-sized red drum are also sprinkled in the action throughout these same creek mouths and bays. Going further into April, this red drum action gets even better, with more fish moving into the area from the sounds.
Striped bass fishing has been steady, with anglers having success fishing live baits and white-colored paddle tail soft plastics.
Thomas Rodriguez, of Camp Lejeune, caught this redfish on a MirrOlure MR-17 in the Swansboro area. He was fishing with Capt. Brad Smith of Gunny B Outdoors.
Mitchell, of FishIBX, reports that anglers are finishing up some high-catch days of the shad run as the action starts to taper off over the next few weeks.
Looking for the next target species in spring, anglers have found the speckled trout action to be exceeding most past seasons at this same time. The size and quantity of trout this early in the year has been great. It seems these schools held over well in their winter holes and pockets back in the creeks, and now as they emerge, the bite is on. Just about all these creeks in the lower- to mid-Pamlico are holding fish, with action well upriver as well (as a result of the generally dry weather patterns we’ve seen in the area).
Down on the Neuse River, anglers have been finding some good striped bass action as these fish move back down river post shad-spawn.
Fishing on the Roanoke River is good and only getting better as this action will continue over the next month or two. The striped bass have already moved into the tributaries and are working their way upriver. If the area can avoid a bunch of rain over the next weeks, don’t be surprised to find action all the way up past Williamston into the Hamilton area.
Hugh, of Pungo Charters, reports that speckled trout fishing has been great all winter around the Pamlico, and with weather patterns now switching, these schools are on the move. Anglers are still finding some trout in their back creek pockets, but many are now staged up at the heads of creeks as more bait filters into the area. Suspending lures such as MirrOlure MR-17s and Rapala Twitchin’ Raps are great for this early spring bite. Soft plastics will just about always produce, and recently the larger 5” Zoom jerk shad have worked great.
Out in the river, anglers are finding more slot-sized red drum showing up alongside scattered striped bass. Over the next few weeks, these species will all be feeding alongside each other, taking advantage of the bait around until water temperatures closer to 70 degrees break the fishing open.
