Pamlico – August 7, 2014
Megan King with a striped bass that bit a topwater plug around a stump field in the Neuse River while she was fishing with her husband, Capt. D. Ashley King of Keep Castin’ Charters.
Mitch, of FishIBX.com, reports that anglers are starting to see some signs of life in the Inner Banks tarpon and large red drum fishery. Boats have hooked and released a few tarpon in recent days after seeing the fish for several weeks. The citation-class red drum action is becoming somewhat more consistent as well, with multiple releases reported by several anglers targeting them recently as opposed to the scattered encounters that anglers chasing trout and puppy drum have been seeing for a month.
Isaiah, of East Side Tackle, reports that despite all the recent rain, anglers are finding some good inshore action in the area. Some fat speckled trout and flounder have been feeding along the shorelines and around structure near Swan Quarter (with specks to 25” and flounder 20”+). Most are falling for soft plastic baits like Z-Man and Gulp lures pinned to jigheads. The specks will also take an interest in topwater plugs and suspending lures like MirrOlure MR17’s.
Puppy drum are on the feed near Belhaven and biting the same lures.
Anglers bottom fishing with shrimp are connecting with croaker, black drum, and other bottom feeders around the blowouts near Swan Quarter.
Gavin Root, of KY, with a 29″ red drum that struck a D.O.A. soft plastic in the lower Neuse River while he was fishing with Capt. Dave Stewart of Knee Deep Custom Charters.
The tarpon and big red drum action is still a bit on the slow side, but it should be picking up in the coming weeks.
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that the recent weather has made hunting for citation-class “old” red drum a bit challenging recently, but anglers are still finding a few. Casting large D.O.A. soft plastics like Airheads under popping corks has produced several releases on the big reds over the past week. Working the lures around areas of bait or where anglers see fish pushing water is the ticket to success.
Speckled trout and smaller puppy drum are feeding along the shorelines of the lower Neuse River, and anglers are hooking good numbers early in the day on topwater plugs. Switching to D.O.A. popping cork rigs and soft plastics will keep the action going when the topwater bite slows.
Anglers fishing upriver around New Bern are still seeing some solid topwater striped bass action along stump fields and other shoreline structure in the area. A few puppy drum are mixed in and also taking an interest in the topwaters.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that anglers are just seeing the first solid action with giant red drum in the area. Anglers had been seeing a trickle of fish while casting for smaller reds and other predators, but the bite seems to have turned on as reports of multiple releases on both bait and artificials have come in over the past few days. Soaking large cut baits around shoals, oyster reefs, and drop-offs is the classic way to connect with the big reds, but anglers can also work large D.O.A. soft plastics under popping corks to connect on lighter tackle.
Big numbers of smaller puppy drum are feeding along the shorelines of the lower Neuse River (many upper and over-slot). Anglers can fool the smaller reds on D.O.A. CAL-series soft plastics fished beneath popping corks or on jigheads. Live finger mullet or mud minnows on light, circle-hook Carolina rigs are also attracting attention from the reds. Some speckled trout and flounder are mixed in and also biting the plastics and live baits.
