Pamlico – November 17, 2016
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that the speckled trout bite in the lower Neuse River remains excellent on the main river shorelines. Anglers have been connecting with the specs on soft plastic baits and jigheads. Jerk shads and paddletails have been the bait of choice. DOA shrimp under a popping cork have also been tempting bites from trout and the occasional puppy drum. The trout have moved out of the creeks due to the recent cold front, but as the water returns to a more normal temperature, anglers should look for them moving deeper into mainland creeks.
Striped bass have also been feeding in the lower Neuse, with more fish moving into the New Bern area as the water returns to normal after Hurricane Matthew. Soft plastics, rattle traps, and suspending twitch baits have been tempting bites from these hungry stripers. Most of the fish are being caught around heavy structure like ledges, stump beds, and docks. Anglers should look for the stripers to move up river as the water clears and cools.
Puppy drum have been feeding heavily throughout the lower Neuse and are being found in large schools on main river shorelines. Most of these reds are underslot fish, but the occasional keeper fish is being caught. Soft plastics on jigheads or weedless hooks have been putting plenty of fish in the boat.
Jeff Freuler, of Henderson, with a 45” red drum caught while fishing on the Neuse River. The fish fell for a DOA Airhead under a popping cork.
Richard, of Tar-Pam Guide Service, reports that anglers are still finding good numbers of keeper trout in the lower Pamlico and Roanoke rivers. Most of the specs are being caught on river shorelines where they are feeding heavily on shrimp and mud minnows. Soft plastics and suspending twitch baits that imitate these bait sources are the best bet for connecting with keeper trout. As the water cools, anglers should look for trout deeper in mainland creeks where they will hold throughout the winter months.
Striped bass have been feeding throughout the lower Pamlico River where they are being found on just about any structure on the main river. Most of the stripers in the main river are smaller fish but are in huge schools. For larger fish, anglers should target areas around Washington and Belhaven until the fish begin to move up-river to the Greenville area where they will be feeding through the winter. Soft plastics jerk shads and suspending twitch baits (as well as rattle traps) will tempt bites from both the stripers and any trout that may be holding in the same area.
Tim Mercer with a trout caught and released in the Pamlico Sound. The 27” fish fell for a custom MirrOlure purchased at Neuse River Bait and Tackle.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that the speckled trout fishing has been on fire in the lower Neuse River. Soft plastics and hard subsurface baits have been the ticket for connecting with the large numbers of trout holding on the main river shorelines and in the mouths of mainland creeks. As the water cools, more trout will move up into the creeks where they will hold for the winter.
Striped bass have been caught just about anywhere from New Bern up to the Bay River. Topwater action is the best early morning and late afternoon. The Rapala Skitter V and Storm Arashi Top Walker have been particularly effective at tempting bites from the hungry stripers.
Mitchell, of FISHIBX, reports that the Neuse River is producing a mixed bag of species for anglers fishing both the upper and lower sections of the river. Speckled trout, stripers, puppy drum, and the occasional black drum have all been caught by anglers who are persistent and stay on the move to locate schools of hungry fish.
Trout and puppy drum are being found on the main river shorelines, and they are both starting to move into mainland creeks as the water cools. Yee Ha soft plastics have been the go-to baits for connecting with both species. Suspending twitch baits have also been hooking plenty of fish, and they often fool the largest trout in a school.
Striped bass have been found throughout the Neuse from New Bern up to the Bay River, and they are taking interest in topwater baits, soft plastics, and suspending twitch baits. Targeting concentrations of bait is the key to finding the best striped bass action.
Todd, of Neuse River Bait and Tackle, reports that the speckled trout fishing has only improved since the passing of Hurricane Matthew, and it should continue to do so until the water drops below 45 degrees. Anglers are reporting that the majority of the fish they are catching are keeper-sized fish with very few spikes mixed in. White and chartreuse soft plastics on jigheads and weighted weedless hooks have been tempting bites from plenty of trout. Billy Bay Halo Shad and Suspending MirrOlures have also been providing plenty of action. Small puppy drum are mixed in with the trout are taking an interest in the same baits.
Striped bass fishing has been excellent throughout the Neuse River, with the best action coming from Wobbleheads baited with imitation eels. Popping corks with live or imitation shrimp have been fooling plenty of stripers and trout, too. Mini rattle traps have also been landing both species, as well as puppy drum and white perch. Adding a white feather to the back hook of rattle traps and MirrOlures has a significant impact on the number of bites that anglers are reporting.
