Pamlico – April 13, 2017
Richie, of Eastside Bait and Tackle, reports that the trout fishing has been pretty good in the creeks. Anglers are using MirrOlure MR17s for the most part, but they’ve started to switch over to Gulp baits in pearl white and chartreuse.
Striper fishing is steady upriver, and jigging soft plastics in bright colors like pearl and chartreuse is proving successful.
Victor Pugh, of Kill Devil Hills, with a 26” speckled trout that bit a live mud minnow in a creek off the Bay River.
Todd, of Neuse River Bait and Tackle, reports that temperatures are holding warmer than last month and the fishing has picked up. The speckled trout are moving, coming out of the creeks and tributaries to go into deeper water to spawn. Topwater lures, soft plastics, MirrOlure MR17s, and mud minnows are producing results, including several citation-sized fish.
The striper bite is solid, with aggressive fish being caught on topwaters. The Yee Ha swim baits are working well, and the fish can be found in creeks with structure. Look around older docks (long docks with cleaning tables can hold nice fish), stumps, pilings, and mud flats with lots of bait around.
Anglers are also reporting large fish upriver, and the creeks around there tend to produce good topwater bites.
Alston Watkins, of Warrenton, VA, with a striper caught on a chartreuse grub in the Tar River. He was fishing with Capt. Richard Andrews of Tar-Pam Guide Service.
Mitchell, of FishIBX, reports that the shad bite in the Roanoke River is still happening, and anglers have about two weeks left to enjoy the action. Darts and spoons are working on the fish, but they are also an excellent fish for pulling out the fly rod.
The striper bite in the Pamlico River on topwater is great for a few hours each morning and evening. Fish in the Roanoke River are responding well to the water rise, and fresh bait on the bottom is the way to go. Casting artificials works on the fish as well.
Curtis Campbell with a 5.78 lb. speckled trout that was caught in the lower Neuse River on a MirrOlure MR17.
James, of Neuse River Adventures, reports that with the water getting so warm, up to 70 degrees in some places, the fish are transitioning out of the creeks. Striper, trout, and puppy drum are on the move, and they will take a variety of baits. Soft plastics, swim baits, and topwaters will work on all species.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that the waters are warming and the trout are becoming active. There are many small trout being caught, but there’s a fair mix of legal trout and the occasional citation mixed in. These fish will be heading out of the creeks and moving into the river and sound for the summer to eat and spawn.
Target the specs with suspending baits like MirrOlure and Rapala, with the Twitchin Rap being favored. Soft plastics on bottom are also producing bites, and the Storm 360 is working on the trout, too.
Stripers are moving back down the river and providing some excellent topwater action. Sizes can vary drastically, but the big fish will give a hard run. Weedless soft plastic topwaters, like the DOA PT-7, are working well on the fish, and the jig bite is also picking up. The DOA Sna-Koil slow rolled around piers, bridges, and structure will connect anglers to the rockfish, as well as throwing weedless hooks around stumps.
