Pamlico/Neuse – June 2022
Donald, of Custom Marine Fabrication, reports that action has been great along the banks of both the Neuse and Trent river systems. Striped bass are staged up around shoreline structure and bridges, and they’re hitting topwater plugs and larger soft plastics.
Black drum have been moving into the lower Neuse and staging up around ledges and structured areas. Cut or live shrimp works best in getting strikes on the black drum.
Red drum action has been picking up as more bait in the area is pulling fish into the river from the sound. Both puppy and slot-sized fish are becoming more common along the marsh banks, and some scattered trophy red drum are in the mix.
Catch-and-release flounder are also mixed in the action, though they aren’t typically a targeted species.
Hamilton (left) and Nick Vaughn hooked these redfish on live finger mullet near Belhaven.
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that red drum have been showing up in better numbers, with more drum action moving in from the sound.
Speckled trout are mixed in, and like the reds, they are spread out in their summer patterns.
Schools of bluefish are moving in the deeper parts of the river.
James, of Neuse River Adventures, reports that topwater action has been great for anglers fishing structured areas upriver around New Bern. It has been a good mixed bag of speckled trout, red drum, and striped bass. Many times, all three species are being found in areas very close to each other. The key has been that there is good salinity well up into the river.
Bait has been becoming plentiful throughout the region, and anglers are having the most success by targeting areas holding bait along the shorelines.
Brad, of Gunny B Outdoors, reports that red drum action has been red hot on most days. Anglers have had a lot of success with smaller (3”) soft plastics fished under Four Horseman oval-shaped popping corks.
Speckled trout action is a bit spotty since the schools moved out of the creeks and into their summer patterns. These fish are scattered all along the river shorelines. Anglers are finding strikes while targeting ledges with a variety of soft plastics.
Bluefish have been aggressively feeding throughout the river system since moving in from the sound, and this has been providing a really fun topwater bite.
Anglers out on the water early have been catching a few striped bass around the creek mouths.
Dana, of Reel2Reel Fishing, reports that fishing in general is really picking up now that there is lots of good bait moving into the area.
Speckled trout have left the creeks and are moved out onto the banks along the Neuse River. Anglers finding some nice, calm wind conditions are able to get a good topwater bite going while working the shorelines. It is great to target areas around the creek mouths that have points or structure.
Salinity has been great in the river, and there is plenty of trout action well up past the ferry line.
Puppy drum are mixed in these same areas of stump beds or structure around creek mouths, and anglers are finding success with both cut baits and soft plastics fished under popping cork setups.
With both species moving into their summer patterns, anglers have to adapt to new conditions. Warmer water has these fish more active and, as a result, fishing faster will be more productive. A great example is when fishing sub-surface lures such as MirrOlure MR-17s, as the bite is way more aggressive than the cold-water comparisons.
The schools of fish are also smaller and more spread out, so moving around to pick at groups of fish will really help for a more successful trip.
Ken, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that speckled trout action has been good, with most schools now staged up out around the mouth of Pamlico River and in the lower Pungo River. Anglers have found most action while targeting the main river marsh banks and points.
Red drum, both puppy and slot-sized, are in the mix around these same shorelines. This action is still in its early stages as more schools push up into the rivers from the sounds.
A few scattered trophy reds have already been landed. This bite won’t be anything consistent until later in the year, but they are in the area and will surprise a few trout anglers.
Flounder will also be mixed in the action, though the lack of a keeper season has fishing pressure extremely light. The flounder are available mostly as a bycatch species from anglers fishing bottom-rigged live baits for reds.
Hugh, of Pungo Charters, reports that speckled trout fishing has been really good around the lower Pungo. Just about all the trout have left the creeks and are spread out along the shorelines moving downriver. A variety of soft plastics fished on light-weight jig heads have produced most of the strikes.
Anglers are finding some striped bass around structure back in creeks and around the creek mouths. When the conditions are right, topwater plugs have been great for getting the striped bass fired up.
There are some scattered slot drum for anglers working these shorelines, with more fish showing up daily from the sound.
Schools of spanish mackerel have also moved in around the mouth of the Pungo, as well as out into the Pamlico Sound.
