Pamlico – August 21, 2014
Capt. Dave Stewart, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, and Andy Farmer, of MarineMax Wrightsville Beach, with a 48″ red drum Farmer caught and released in the lower Neuse River after it struck a D.O.A. popping cork rig.
Mitch, of FishIBX.com, reports that anglers are seeing an improved puppy drum bite in the lower rivers of eastern North Carolina, with most of the fish feeding along the shorelines. Live and cut baits have been producing most of the action, but anglers can also hook up on topwater plugs, soft plastics, and a variety of other baits.
Some flounder (most nice fish) have been feeding in the same areas as the drum and biting live baits and soft plastics.
Anglers are releasing some 40”+ citation-class drum on both artificials and large cut baits, but the bite is a bit off from previous years. It should be improving over the coming weeks, however.
Tarpon are making a good showing in the lower Neuse River, and anglers can target them with cut and dead baits fished on the bottom around areas where the fish are rolling on the surface.
Bluefish are feeding in the eastern rivers and western Pamlico Sound, and anglers are seeing enough spanish mackerel now to make it worth doing some trolling with Clarkspoons, diving plugs, or other flashy lures.
Solid numbers of large spot are feeding in the lower rivers and will eagerly bite shrimp, bloodworms, or Fish Bites on double drop rigs.
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that anglers are seeing some solid action with citation-class red drum in the lower Neuse River right now. Most of the fish are biting large D.O.A. soft plastic baits under popping corks.
Casting smaller plastics around the shorelines of the lower river is producing action with speckled trout, puppy drum, and flounder. Anglers are also hooking all three on fly tackle.
Big numbers of jack crevalle have moved into the river, and anglers are tempting them to bite topwater plugs and popping cork rigs.
Jack Simons, of Washington, NC, with a pair of cobia that stuck cut baits on the bottom in the Pamlico Sound near Cedar Island.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that anglers are hooking some 40”+ “old” drum in the lower Neuse River right now, but the bite isn’t as hot as it should be for mid-August. The action could easily change for the better overnight, though.
Both working large D.O.A. soft plastics under popping corks and fishing large cut baits on the bottom are fooling the big reds. The bait bite is generally better at night, while the popping corks work best when it’s light.
Slot and over-slot puppy drum are feeding along the shorelines of the lower river alongside some speckled trout. Both are falling for D.O.A. CAL-series soft plastics on jigheads and weedless weighted hooks.
Austin, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers have been seeing some good flounder and speckled trout action around Swan Quarter recently, with a few scattered upriver towards Washington. Gulp and Z-Man soft baits are fooling both fish.
Puppy drum are feeding along the shorelines of the lower river and sound, and anglers have hooked big numbers lately on soft plastics and cut baits.
The large red drum bite is finally starting to get good, with reports of double-digit numbers of releases on some nights. The fish are feeding around drop-offs and oyster rocks around the mouth of the Pamlico River, and they’re biting large cut baits fished on the bottom.
The few anglers who are looking for them continue to find some striped bass action around Washington on both topwater plugs and subsurface lures.
