Pamlico/Neuse – November 2022
Donald, of Custom Marine Fabrication, reports that striped bass, red drum, and speckled trout are being found all over the place.
A majority of the old red drum have moved out into the sound, but anglers have been still catching some nice over-slot fish (to 30”) in the river.
Speckled trout are starting to move into the creeks where the larger groups become easier to target, and there are some really good-sized striped bass (to 30”) being caught on topwater plugs and jigs.
Todd Byrd caught this speckled trout on a Heddon Super Spook in the Swan Quarter area.
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that a few trophy red drum (to 48”) are hanging around.
A few slot-sized reds are also scattered in the action when working closer to the banks.
Speckled trout fishing is picking up. Look for these fish to start transitioning into the creeks with the remaining bait as water temperatures in the river start to fall.
Striped bass also become more active as waters cool off. At times anglers will be catching stripers right alongside trout around deeper banks and structure back in the creeks.
Joe, of Caps Fishing Charters, reports that speckled trout are starting to school up, but warmer water temperatures seem to have that pattern just a little farther out. During this transition period, anglers can find trout on ledges in the main river, along shorelines outside creek mouths, and into the creeks themselves. The best target areas will be deeper shorelines with docks or a ledge nearby. Utilizing popping corks is a great move when trout fishing. These can be rigged with Vudu shrimp, Gulp shrimp, or smaller Z-Man paddle tails to entice strikes.
Red drum are in some of these creeks as well, though overall they are becoming scarcer as they move out into the sounds. Fishing banks with a popping cork and Gulp shrimp is a great choice for the reds.
Striped bass action up around New Bern has been pretty good. Look for these fish to be staged up around structures in the main river in depths from approximately 6-15’. Anglers out on the water early can have a lot of success with topwater plugs when the waters are calm and wind speeds low. Soft plastics such as Z-Man DieZel minnows, paddle tails, or Rat-L-Traps all make for other quality bait options.
Brad, of Gunny B Outdoors, reports that speckled trout are on the move. They are setting up in their fall pattern where they will stage up around points, creek mouths, ledges, and flats. A lower profile, cigar-shaped popping cork rigged with Vudu shrimp or Z-Man baits is a hot setup for this time of year. Anglers also love to utilize topwater plugs and suspending hard baits such as Salty Bay Dazzle Minnows. Color pattern preference can change day to day, even minute to minute. If the bite you are on slows down, try changing something up before moving on.
Redfish are still around, but most are making their way back to the sounds. All the same setups being used for trout are producing the red drum bites.
Striped bass are biting well back in some of the creeks. Topwater plugs are a favorite go-to bait, but as it is a catch-and-release fishery, switching to in-line hooks is a smart option.
Dana, of Reel2Reel Fishing, reports that it is time for the speckled trout bite to get hot, and MirrOlure MR-17s, soft plastics, topwater plugs, and popping corks rigged with D.O.A. shrimp will all entice strikes. The key with trout is to keep baits “hanging” in the strike zone. With suspending plugs and baits under a cork, there is no adjustment needed. When fishing soft plastics, use very light weight jig heads to allow these to slowly flutter down the water column.
As for target areas, anglers will have plenty of success watching for shoreline structure and ledges. The key is to look for areas with a little moving water and bait. Anywhere from the main river back into the creeks could be holding trout as they are in a transition.
Red drum, both slots and the citation-class, have pretty much pushed out into the sounds.
Striped bass are around just about all the time on the Neuse. The best action will mostly be upriver of New Bern. These fish are holding deeper in the main river, and some will start to push into creeks around the end of November.
Kent, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that speckled trout action has really been heating up, as working deeper banks from Little Washington down to the Pungo has been producing strikes on a large variety of setups. Topwater plugs, MirrOlures, live bait, and soft plastics under corks or on jig heads are all having their times of success.
Slot-sized red drum are mixed in the action along marsh banks and near docks, and a decent catch-and-release striped bass bite is around Washington, the mouths of Chocowinity Bay, and the larger creeks.
Walker Lytton, of Raleigh, hooked this red drum on mullet in the Pamlico River.
Mitchell, of FishIBX, reports that speckled trout fishing has really started to pick up, with good-sized fish (to 25”) now in the mix.
Striped bass also get more active with these cooling patterns and will be caught right alongside the trout. Topwater plugs are a great choice for scouting banks and looking for these groups of transitioning fish.
There are still some slot-sized reds around. They’re mixed in with the trout and stripers, but the reds are on the move out.
Hugh, of Pungo Charters, reports that speckled trout are already starting to move back into creeks where they will be staged up before pushing back deeper as winter moves in. Anglers are having success with popping corks rigged with some bigger (5”) soft plastics. Bigger baits have helped get strikes from the bigger fish.
There are some slot-sized red drum mixed in the action, but largely it seems most have started to push out of the area.
