Pamlico – September 15, 2016
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that the old drum fishing in the lower Neuse River has been steady, but anglers are not finding the large schools of reds that are normally around this time of year. Soft plastics on weighted jig heads or under a popping cork have tempted bites from the reds throughout the day. Cut bait on Carolina rigs with large circle hooks has been producing the best action at night.
Puppy drum, flounder, speckled trout, and black drum have been feeding just off of the shorelines of the lower Neuse River from the sound up to the New Bern area. Soft plastics on popping corks or weighted jig heads fished from the bank all the way back to the boat have been getting the attention of all four species. Banks with structure like stump beds or downed trees have been the favorite spots to target for anglers looking to connect with this mixed bag of species.
Tim Thompson, of Concord, with a red drum caught in the Neuse River with a DOA Airhead swimming mullet under popping corks.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that the old drum bite has been slow for anglers. Finding fresh bait has been difficult, and the artificial bait isn’t fooling the drum. With the full moon coming soon, anglers should be patient and wait for the bait to return to the river with the old reds following right behind them.
Striped bass are still producing plenty of action for anglers upriver in the New Bern area. Live bait and topwater plugs have been producing the majority of the action. Trout, puppy drum, and flounder are also being caught. DOA shrimp fished alone or under a popping cork will get the attention of all three species.
Maureen Dolan, of Raleigh, with a 19” red drum caught using fresh squid on a Carolina rig. She was fishing in Belhaven on the Pungo River.
Mitchell, of FishIBX, reports that the old drum bite has been slow, with the majority of drum being just overslot-sized fish. Cut bait, popping corks, and large flies are fooling the reds throughout the day and night when anglers can find large schools of bait to target. Crank baits have also been productive.
Neuse River shorelines have been holding trout and flounder, and anglers are targeting both species using live bait. Mullet on Carolina rigs have been fooling the flatfish, and trout are falling for shrimp drifted under a popping cork. Artificial baits are not producing as many bites due to the large amounts of bait on the shorelines.
David Osborne, of Lexington, and Joe Bunn, of Wilson, with a 46” red drum caught on cut bait in the Pamlico Sound.
Richie, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that the area fishing has still not returned to normal since the passing of Hermine. Anglers are still finding scattered trout, flounder, and slot-sized red drum in the Lower Neuse River. Swan Quarter, Rose Bay, and the Pungo River have all been holding good numbers of all three species, but the fish are scattered throughout these areas.
Live mullet or shrimp on a Carolina rig or under a popping cork has been fooling the majority of fish.
Kim Osborne, of Lexington, caught this 23” flounder on a Gulp soft plastic while fishing a creek off the Pamlico Sound.
Todd, of Neuse River Bait and Tackle, reports that the old drum bite has slowly started to improve since the passing of Hermine. Bait is beginning to move into the lower Neuse River again, which is bringing the large, over-slot fish back into the river.
Popping corks baited with large soft plastics like the Z-Mann Swimmerz or the DOA Airhead have been providing anglers with consistent action throughout the day, especially in the morning and evening. Anglers soaking cut and live baits for the old drum are connecting with good numbers of fish at night, but battling the rays and other bait stealers has been the most difficult part of this method.
Speckled trout fishing in creeks and bays off of the Neuse has been excellent with anglers reporting both good numbers of fish and large fish mixed in with the spikes. Most anglers have not had an issue finding a limit of keeper sized trout, so the forecast for fall is looking excellent. Popping corks baited with live shrimp or any artificial shrimp imitation will tempt bite from the specs and any puppy drum that may be holding in the same area.
Puppy drum fishing has been steady with large numbers of under-slot fish being found and plenty of keepers mixed in.
Anglers familiar with the striped bass fishery in the Neuse River report that the striper fishing has been better than they can remember, which is a good sign leading into the season opener in October. Topwater plugs fished near heavy structure like downed trees, stump beds, bank ledges, or bridges has been productive both early and late in the day. Sinking twitch baits and soft plastics on jig heads or weedless weighted hooks has been tempting bites throughout the day when the sun keeps the fish lower in the water column.
