Pamlico December 15, 2011
Capt. Richard Andrews and Joe Rose with a pair of winter Roanoke River striped bass that bit Z-Man soft plastics.
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that the striped bass fishing in the Neuse and Trent rivers is outstanding right now and should continue all winter long. Anglers can target the fish with topwater plugs on warmer days in the early mornings and late afternoons. Stump fields, points, and other shoreline structure offer the best odds of topwater hookups. On colder days and when the sun is high, the fish will be feeding around deeper ledges and other structure, where D.O.A. soft plastics on 1/4 oz. jigheads will get the job done.
Anglers should also always be on the lookout for fish chasing bait on the surface, when they’ll bite almost anything anglers can cast.
Speckled trout are feeding in many of the same areas as the stripers, and in the creeks down the Neuse towards Oriental. Soft plastics are also the way to go for the trout. The trout should be feeding actively in the creeks until water temperatures drop below 48 degrees or so, and feeding at deeper structure near New Bern as long as it remains in the 40’s.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that the speckled trout fishing has been outstanding lately (though many of the fish are small). Anglers are catching big numbers while casting D.O.A. soft plastics and MR17 MirrOlures in the creeks off the lower Neuse River, and the action should be good all winter as long as there are no extended freezes.
The striped bass bite around New Bern is excellent right now, and there are some fish around shoreline structure like docks on down to Minnesott Beach. Casting topwater plugs around shallow structure in the mornings and Rock-N-Wobble eels at deeper structure like bridges and ledges is the way to hook up with the stripers.
Donald, of Custom Marine Fabrication, reports that the speckled trout bite has been solid in the creeks off the Neuse downriver from New Bern. Anglers are finding the fish scattered from the creek mouths on in, and they’ll be moving further up the creeks as the water temperatures cool. Soft plastics and MR17 MirrOlures have been producing most of the action with the specks.
Striped bass fishing is excellent around structure like bridges in the Neuse near New Bern, and it should remain consistent all winter. Casting and trolling hard baits like Rat-L-Traps and X-Raps is producing plenty of action with the stripers.
Glen McLaughlin, of Raleigh, with a striped bass that bit a D.O.A. CAL jighead/shad body combination while he was fishing with Capt. Gary Dubiel of Spec Fever Guide Service.
Richie, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that striped bass fishing has been good lately in the river near Washington. Most of the fish are falling for Roadrunners and similar lures, with some decent topwater action early and late in the day. The bite should only improve as the weather gets colder over the winter.
There’s been a decent speckled trout bite in the creeks off the Pungo River down towards the sound, and if the weather remains reasonably mild, the specks should be biting into the New Year. Gulp baits and MirrOlure MR17’s in 808 and electric chicken colors are fooling most of the trout.
Richard, of Tar-Pam Guide Service, reports that, barring any extremely cold weather, anglers should continue to see excellent speckled trout fishing in the Pamlico River throughout the early winter. Targeting shallower flats and creeks with muddy bottoms on sunny days will offer anglers the best odds of finding the trout, and wherever bait is working the banks, the trout shouldn’t be far away. Suspending and sinking hardbaits like MirrOlure MR17’s, 18’s, and 52’s, along with soft plastics like Zman Minnowz and Jerk Shadz, are the best bets when it comes to lures for the trout.
The lower Roanoke River should produce some excellent striped bass fishing over the winter. The Three Sisters area (Roanoke, Eastmost, and Cashie Rivers) and the Western Albemarle Sound from Bachelor Bay to Swan Bay are the focal point of the action. Casting paddle-tail soft plastics is the most fun way to hook the fish, and anglers should choose bright colors (like chartreuse and yellow) when the water is cloudy, and white when it’s cleaner. The fish are also ideal targets for fly fishermen using sinking lines and minnow imitations like Deceivers and Clouser Minnows.
