Pamlico – June 12, 2014
Larry Danzinger, of Toronto, Ontario, with a 40″ red drum he caught and released in the lower Neuse River after it struck a D.O.A. Airhead soft plastic under a popping cork. He was fishing with Capt. Gary Dubiel of Spec Fever Guide Service.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that anglers are finding plenty of rod-bending action with red drum and speckled trout in the lower Neuse River at present. The reds are feeding tight to the shoreline, with the trout sitting a bit further off the bank. Both are taking an interest in D.O.A. CAL and Airhead soft plastics rigged weedless or on jigheads.
Citation-class (40”+) red drum have already been caught in the lower Neuse, so anglers should keep an eye out for signs of the big reds and have a heavier rod rigged with a popping cork and large soft plastic at the ready.
Striped bass are on the feed around New Bern, where anglers are finding the best action while working topwater plugs around stump fields and other shoreline structure.
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that anglers are hooking striped bass on topwater plugs around New Bern. The bite’s best in the early morning hours around stump fields and other hard structure along the river banks.
Large, citation-class (40”+) red drum have shown up in the lower Neuse River, and anglers have released several over the past week while working D.O.A. Airhead soft plastics under popping corks. The action with the big reds will only get better as more fish move into the river from the sound over the summer.
Puppy drum and speckled trout are feeding along the banks of the lower Neuse River, where anglers are hooking both on D.O.A. CAL series soft plastics on weedless hooks and jigheads. The speckled trout season opens next week, and anglers should be able to put together some limit catches with relative ease in the coming weeks.
Michael Black (age 8) caught and released this citation-class red drum whil fishing from his family’s dock near Oriental. The red fell for spot on a drum rig.
Mitch, of FishIBX.com, reports that anglers are seeing the Roanoke River striped bass action slow down a bit as the water flow is weaker than over the spring. There should be some more hot fishing if the river levels fall to within the banks before the water temperature reaches 80 degrees, and if that happens anglers should see some world class topwater action.
More stripers and white perch are feeding in the Albermarle Sound and taking an interest in a variety of artificial lures.
Things have been a bit slow in the Pamlico River recently, particularly in its western portion. There are decent numbers of keeper flounder around, but recreational and commercial pressure on them has been very high lately. Speckled trout and red drum are feeding in many of the same areas, and the trout harvest season opens next week, which should relieve the pressure on the flatfish a bit.
Red drum are scattered throughout the Pamlico River, but the trout and flatfish action has been best to the east. Anglers looking for mixed bag fun should focus on the downriver areas. Soft plastic baits like Gulps will fool all three inshore predators, and anglers can also tempt the reds and specks to bite a variety of topwater and suspending hard baits.
Isaiah, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are gearing up for the opening of speckled trout season next week, and they’ve been finding some quality trout in the creeks around Bath and just upriver. Flounder and scattered puppy drum are feeding alongside the specks, and all are falling for Gulps and other soft baits.
There still aren’t many people targeting them, but anglers should be able to find some solid topwater action with striped bass around Washington.
