Pamlico/Neuse River – April 2024
Donald, of Custom Marine Fabrication, reports that red drum continue to move into the lower river in better numbers as these rising water temperatures bring in fish from the ocean.
Speckled trout have mostly moved into the main river or at least into creek mouths. Anglers fishing the lower Neuse have done better than upriver, even with good salinity right up into New Bern.
Striped bass are mixed in the fishing efforts around structure upriver and in the creeks.
Good-sized bluefish (to 20”+) are starting to show up in the river, a sign that the bait is also showing up.
Brad, of Gunny B Outdoors, reports that speckled trout have really started to spread out and are now mostly moved into creek mouths and main river channels. The majority of smaller trout (to 17”) are feeding on the 3” soft plastics and MirrOlures. Larger trout are mixed in, and they have definitely been focused on larger baits (to 7”) and bigger topwater plugs.
These bigger baits for targeting trout are also attracting the attention of large bluefish moving into the area. These 2-5+ lb. blues are providing some great action on the top, mostly closer to the sound.
Red drum continue to push into the river. Most of the reds are currently below the ferry lines, with action more scattered upriver.
Striped bass fishing has been good up around the New Bern high-rise bridges and other nearby hard structure.
Dave, of Pamlico Pirate Charters, reports the speckled trout action has turned into a story of quality over quantity. Anglers have had to move a bunch to locate the strikes, but with fish to 23”+ around, the payoff has been worth the effort. The best target areas have been creek mouths and wind-blown points right off the main river. Focusing on the grassy areas that the trout are using for cover has been key.
A 3” D.O.A. soft plastic with a 1/8 oz. jig head in purple/chartreuse or white/chartreuse color patterns have been the top lures. Topwater plugs are getting action, though the grassy areas are providing unwanted hang-ups.
Slot-sized red drum are mixed in the action around the same creek mouths that anglers are targeting trout in, and the same exact trout tactics are producing reds.
A fun addition to the action has been a class of 3-5+ lb. bluefish that have moved into the river.
Dominick Giorgianni, III, of New Bern, caught this 30″ striper in his local waters using a diving twitch bait.
Tyler, of Drumroll Charters, reports that more red drum are moving into the area. The action has included both puppy and over-slot fish. Artificial lures are having success, but really natural bait fishing (cut shad or bluefish) sees the most production.
Speckled trout are getting more active, and they’re striking at popping cork setups rigged with Vudu shrimp. The soft body style suspending twitch baits are another great choice for scouting the creek mouths in locating active trout.
Some smaller flounder are also starting to show up in the mix, and they’re mostly being caught by anglers throwing soft plastics.
Some nice bluefish (to 5+ lbs.) are moving into the river system.
Kent, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that speckled trout have continued their migration out of the creeks and are mostly staged up around the creek mouths and on points along the main river shoreline. With the water temperatures up, a wider variety of tactics are having success, including popping corks, topwater plugs, and soft plastics on lighter jig heads.
Slot-sized red drum are moving in from the sound, and they’re staged up in basically the same places you can find trout. The same trout lures are also enticing strikes from the reds.
Anglers can expect to see more bluefish continue to move into the river systems.
Hugh, of Pungo Charters, reports that anglers have been on a really good topwater bite for speckled trout. The numbers might not always be best, as these fish are really on the move with recent weather changes, but the quality is there with 20-26” fish not being uncommon.
Once the water temperatures in the creeks get, and sustain through the night, over 70 degrees, it will be a good time to focus efforts out in the river. The favorite lure has been a Mansfield Knocker plug.
Slot-sized red drum (to 26”) have started to show as they move in from the sounds.
Matt Smith, of Williamsburg, VA, hauled this red drum out of the surf near Harkers Island using a Slayer STB.
Grey, of Hyde Guides, reports that a bunch of bluefish have been showing up, and they’re often mixed in regardless of what species you’re targeting.
Speckled trout are still mostly in creeks as water temperatures hold in the 60s.
Striped bass fishing has been awesome. These fish are staged up around structured areas such as bridge pilings. Swimbaits, curly tail soft plastics, and Rat-L-Traps can all have success. Most of these rockfish are schoolie-sized fish, but a few 5+ lb. fish are in the mix.
Zach, of UFO Fishing Charters, reports that speckled trout fishing remains good through this spring migration. Their movement has been to stage up more at the creek mouths and push out along the main river shorelines. Anglers should start efforts in the same types of areas they target trout during the fall run.
For the bigger trout, look for some of these grassy areas in creek mouths where the specks hold for cover. With water temperatures moving up, anglers will do well fishing baits that cover ground quicker. Popping cork setups and topwater plugs will likely have a lot of success in the coming weeks.
Some red drum are starting to show up around the main river points and up on the shoals.
A few flounder are also being active.
Striped bass are around, though catch numbers are down.
