Pamlico – September 29, 2016
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that the old drum bite has slowed down and most anglers are focusing on other targets such as speckled trout, flounder, puppy drum, and stripers. Large numbers of small speckled trout are being caught throughout the entire river system, with good numbers of keeper fish mixed in.
Most of the fish are being caught in creek mouths and river banks as they move deeper into area creeks. Artificial shrimp below a popping cork like the DOA Deadly Combo has been producing the best results. Shrimp imitations fished without the popping cork are also tempting bites from plenty of specs.
Flounder and puppy drum are mixed in with the trout, and they will all take interest in artificial baits on jig heads.
Striped bass season opens October 1, and the fish are cooperating well by taking heavy interest in a variety of baits. Topwater lures like the Storm Arashi Top Walker or Storm Rattlin’ Chug Bug have been providing excellent action throughout the day.
Michael Goins, of Wilmington, with an over-slot red drum caught on cut menhaden. He was fishing out of Oriental with Capt. Greg Voliva.
Todd, of Neuse River Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are connecting with large numbers of citation-quality speckled trout in the lower Neuse River. Creek mouths, river shorelines, and grass banks are holding the best numbers of fish as they move upriver and deeper into area creeks.
Popping corks paired with live or artificial shrimp have been fooling large quantities of fish, but the larger, fish are being caught on soft plastics. Z-Man Trout Tricks and Jerk Shadz on jig heads or weedless hooks have been the most popular lures for these big specs.
Flounder fishing has been excellent recently, with plenty of large fish being caught. Go with live mullet and mud minnows on jig heads or Carolina rigs fished close to structure like stump beds, blowovers, and grass banks. The majority of the fish seem to be congregating around creek mouths and moving up river and into area creeks.
Tanner Lewis (age 11) with a 39” red drum caught and released while fishing in the Pamlico Sound. The fish fell for cut mullet.
Soft plastics on jig heads are also tempting bites from plenty of flounder. Anglers looking to connect with this tasty flatfish need to do so soon as the season closes for recreational anglers on October 15.
Under-slot and slot-sized reds are feeding in the same areas as the flounder and trout, but they are feeding on a variety of different baits. Topwater plugs like Heddon Super Spooks or Rapala Skitter Walks have been fooling reds throughout the day, but they have been working best in the mornings and evenings. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits have also been tempting bites when fished near stump beds, blowovers, and grass banks. Anglers fishing live baits for flounder also have a chance to connect with a hungry redfish.
Matt Ortosky, of Raleigh, with a 28″ red drum caught in the Pungo River on a white Gulp shrimp under a popping cork.
The striped bass bite has been excellent recently, with many anglers claiming that the bite is as good as it has ever been. Popping corks paired with a variety of soft plastics have been producing excellent results when fished over stump beds and underwater ledges, and weighted soft plastics have been fooling fish hanging just off of grass banks looking for an easy meal. The season opener is October 1, and this fishery should only improve as the year wears on and the water begins to cool.
The old drum bite has all but stopped, and anglers are having a hard time connecting with these over-slot reds. Popping corks with large soft plastics and cut bait on bottom rigs still have a chance at fooling a stray fish that hasn’t moved out of the area yet. Anglers hoping to connect with a late season old drum need to concentrate their efforts near large schools of bait fish like menhaden or mullet.
