Pamlico June 28, 2012
Matt Godwin, of Beaufort, NC, with one of the first Neuse River "old drum" of the 2012 season. He caught and released the 40" red while fishing with Stuart Dudley. Photo courtesy of Spec Fever Guide Service.
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that there are still big numbers of speckled trout feeding at a variety of spots in the Neuse River, from New Bern down to Oriental and the sound. Soft plastic baits like D.O.A. Shrimp and CAL series lures along with Gulp baits fished under popping corks are producing plenty of action with the specks.
Flounder, black drum, and small puppy drum are feeding in many of the same places as the specks are and vulnerable to the soft plastics as well.
The giant “old drum” have shown up in the Pamlico Sound and the mouth of the Neuse, and anglers found schools of the fish busting bait on the surface along the shoals near the mouth of the river last week. Large cut baits fished on the bottom are the classic way to target the big reds, but anglers can also hook up by tossing topwater plugs or bucktails and soft plastic jigs when they spot the fish feeding on top.
Tarpon have made their annual appearance in the river and sound, and the bite should get better as June turns into July.
Capt. Dave Stewart, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, with a 21" speckled trout that bit a D.O.A. CAL soft plastic near Oriental.
Striped bass are still feeding along shorelines and at the bridges and other deeper structure near New Bern. There’s been a solid bite on soft plastics rigged on jigheads during the morning hours lately, with some days also producing good topwater action.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that anglers are still finding plenty of action with speckled trout in the Neuse River between Minnesott Beach and Oriental. Many of the fish are still on the small side (but legal fish to 20”+ are mixed in). Soft plastic baits like D.O.A. Shrimp and CAL series lures are tempting most of the bites from the specks.
Puppy drum are showing up intermittently among the specks, and flounder have moved into the area (with legal fish mixed in with shorts). They’ll also take an interest in soft plastics, and live mud minnows are a solid bet for both fish.
Black drum are feeding around docks and other structure in the Neuse, and they have a tough time turning down a bottom rig baited with fresh shrimp.
Jason Biggs, of Washington, NC, with 18" and 19" speckled trout that bit a Super Spook Jr. topwater in Bath Creek.
Tarpon have made their first appearance in the river over the past week, with a large pod spotted last week. Fishing large cut baits on the bottom near schools of the giant fish that anglers spot rolling on the surface offers the best odds of a hookup with the “silver kings.”
Richie, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that the flounder bite continues to improve, with the best action still around Bath. Gulp baits on jigheads are producing the lion’s share of the action with the flatties.
Black drum are also schooling around Bath and Bayview, where fresh shrimp on bottom rigs will attract attention from the scent feeders.
Tarpon have shown up in the river, with sightings reported around Indian Island last week.
Some large drum have also been reported in the river already, so the big fish of summer are showing up right on schedule.
