Pamlico – June 26, 2014
Curtis Pelt with a 26″ puppy drum that bit a Strike King Ragetail Shrimp near Swan Quarter.
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that anglers are still connecting with big numbers of slot and over-slot puppy drum along grassy shorelines in the lower Neuse River. Most are falling for D.O.A. soft plastics on jigheads and under popping corks.
Large citation-class red drum continue to push into the lower Neuse, and it won’t be long until the action is going full bore with the big fish. Anglers can hook them on cut baits fished around shoals and drop-offs, but casting large soft plastics under popping corks makes for more fun and allows anglers to fight the fish on relatively lighter tackle.
Plenty of speckled trout are looking for meals in the same areas, though they’re often feeding a bit further off the bank than the reds. D.O.A. soft plastics are tough to beat for the specks as well.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that anglers are seeing some solid action with speckled trout, puppy drum, and flounder in the lower Neuse River, and “slam” catches of all three have been commonplace on recent trips. Working D.O.A. CAL and Airhead series soft plastics along the shorelines of the lower Neuse River has been producing most of the action with all three fish. Popping cork rigs like the D.O.A. Deadly Combo have also proven effective lately.
Andrew Pope, of Hugo, NC, with a 25″ striped bass that bit a topwater plug in the Neuse River near New Bern.
The large “old” red drum are continuing to move into the sound and river, and anglers should see solid action with the big reds in the coming month. Both bottom-fishing with large cut baits and casting big soft plastics under popping corks will fool the large drum.
Mitch, of FishIBX.com, reports that anglers saw some stellar striped bass action while casting topwater plugs in the Roanoke River last week, but several days of heavy rains shut the bite down. The better striper action over the coming weeks will likely be in the western Albemarle Sound, where anglers can find schooling fish chasing bait on the surface and cast topwater plugs, soft plastics, and a variety of other artificials to hook up.
Anglers fishing the Pamlico and Pungo rivers are finding some decent mixed-bag action with flounder, speckled trout, and puppy drum along the river shorelines. Searching for bait before beginning to fish will save anglers time and frustration, and areas where bait is working along the shore have produced some fast inshore slams with all three of the predators over the past week. Live baits and brightly-colored Gulp and Z-Man soft baits are fooling the fish.
Isaiah, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are connecting with some speckled trout around Blounts Bay and Swan Quarter. Gulp and other soft baits and suspending lures like MirrOlure MR17’s are fooling the specks.
Flounder and puppy drum are feeding around Bath and in the Pungo River, and anglers are fooling both with live baits and Gulps.
Large, citation-class reds are already starting to move into the river, and anglers have already released several of the big reds while soaking large cut baits on the bottom.
