Pamlico/Neuse River – June 2024
Donald, of Custom Marine Fabrication, reports that the Neuse River is full of bluefish in the 4-5 lb. range.
Speckled trout action is settling in along the shorelines closer to the sound. Anglers are still having plenty of success with their favorite MirrOlure or Rapala hard baits.
Some puppy drum are mixed in the action, with better numbers in the lower part of the river.
Anglers fishing structures up towards New Bern that are holding bait are catching striped bass on topwater plugs early and late in the day.
Brad, of Gunny B Outdoors, reports that a bunch of bluefish (3-8 lbs.) are around from the sound all the way to New Bern.
Red drum action has been picking up as these fish continue to push in from the sound. Slot-sized fish are all the way upriver, with some larger (30”+) reds mostly closer to the sound. A variety of baits are working, from topwater plugs and gold spoons to soft plastics under a popping cork. Anglers targeting the drum should begin by scouting the shoreline and looking for areas of nervous bait before starting efforts.
Speckled trout are being caught closer to the sound. These fish have been up on the shallower shorelines (2’+) in the early mornings.
Dave, of Pamlico Pirate Charters, reports that the area saw a big push of menhaden, and this influx of bait got the red drum fired up. The majority of the reds are upper-slot fish and can be found along the marsh lines and around stumps. A Lupton rig with a live menhaden has been a great bait choice, with D.O.A. soft plastics in butter or purple color patterns also enticing strikes.
Bluefish are everywhere, and most are in the 3-6 lb. range.
Large trout are mixed in, and they’re hitting the same baits intended for red drum (and around the same points).
Big striped bass are still up in the Neuse and down to the Dawson Creek area. Target the areas holding menhaden with D.O.A. soft plastics with some gold in the color pattern.
Downriver, it’s early, but some old drum are showing up with the bait.
Dr. Ahmed Said, of Cary, found this 31″, 9.5 lb. striper in the Neuse River around New Bern using a Zara Spook topwater plug. He was fishing with Capt. D. Ashley King of Keep Castin’ Charters.
Kent, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are finding scattered groups of speckled trout working their way down shorelines towards the sound. The sizes have varied from spikes up to 20”+ fish.
Red drum are in an opposite movement, as they are moving upriver. The reds are mostly puppy drum, though the random over-slots are around.
For both the trout and red drum, the bait options have been the same. Topwater plugs are having success in the lowlight hours, with soft plastics on light jig heads or under popping corks doing well otherwise.
Lower river anglers are starting to see some schools of spanish mackerel around.
Mitchell, of FishIBX, reports that the river is seeing bluefish in the 3-8 lb. range all over the place.
Slot-sized red drum are working their way up into the river with the arrival of bait. A few big drum have already been caught, though most anglers look to late summer to really focus on that fishery.
Flounder are also around, and they’re hitting any baits fished on the bottom and along the shorelines.
Hugh, of Pungo Charters, reports that moving closer to summer, all the speckled trout action has migrated out into the sound and lower Pungo River area. Fishing topwater plugs early has been the main tactic, with anglers keeping on the action by switching over to soft plastics once the sun is up. Using 1/16 oz. jig heads and 5” Zoom jerk shads are a productive combo, with or without a popping cork.
Good-sized bluefish (3-5 lbs.) are literally everywhere.
Some slot-sized red drum are moving into the river, and they are mostly being found while throwing topwaters for trout. With both the reds and trout, finding bait is key, and the target areas could be anywhere from the bank out 25’ from the shoreline.
Zach, of UFO Fishing Charters, reports that slot red drum are being found from the mouth of the Pamlico River into the sound, but a good SW wind could push them up into the river.
Speckled trout have been stacked up against wind-blown banks and shoreline grass points. The larger trout have been in areas that have a bunch of bigger baits (such as popeye mullet).
For both species, topwater plugs, jerk baits, and popping corks are all having success, and this will be the pattern until water temperatures get well up into the 80s.
A bunch of flounder are around, too, and they’re feeding along the shorelines in about 2’ of water.
EJ Wilkinson, of Clayton, NC, found this 4.65 lb. speckled trout while fishing in Hancock Creek using a curly tail. The fish was weighed in at Neuse River Sport Shop.
Grey, of Hyde Guides, reports that speckled trout fishing has been phenomenal. Anglers are seeing a ton of success targeting grass points and wind-blown banks with topwater plugs. This is usually known as an early morning and late evening type of fishing, though the trout are so active that they are hitting topwaters right on through the day. The quality of these fish is strong, with it not being uncommon at all to see at least one if not a couple trout in the 5-8 lb. class on each trip.
Slot-sized red drum are mixed in on the topwater bite, and the reds can mostly be found in the same areas as the trout.
Bluefish are still in the area, but they are finally starting to thin out with the water temperatures warming up.
The flatfish are all over the place and will hit any bait that gets fished near the bottom.
Offshore, structures in the sound are holding black drum, gray trout, and sheepshead. The fish are there, but anglers aren’t really leaving the great trout bite to target anything else.
