Pamlico – Winter 2014-2015
Danny Guess, of Wilson, NC, with a hybrid striped bass that struck a topwater plug in the Neuse River near New Bern while he was fishing with Capt. D. Ashley King of Keep Castin’ Charters.
Mitch, of FishIBX.com, reports that anglers are seeing cooling waters temperatures bunch the baitfish and striped bass up in the coastal rivers of the Inner Banks. Shad and herring should be moving up the rivers in the coming months as well, bringing more and larger stripers upriver from the sounds and ocean. Casting jigging lures around suspended bait and fish marks is one of the best ways to target the fish, and anglers will often see excellent numbers once they locate a hungry school. With the larger fish around in increasing numbers, it’s a good time to fish some larger-profile soft plastics and hard baits.
Speckled trout are also feeding in the lower river systems and will likely be available all winter long. The largest fish will be moving into the creeks, where anglers can cast soft plastics or suspending hard baits with success. In the cold water, slow retrieves are imperative to success with the trout.
Richard, of Tar-Pam Guide Service, reports that anglers have been seeing some excellent speckled trout action in the lower Pamlico River recently, with suspending lures like MirrOlure MR17’s producing most of the action of late.
The winter striped bass bite is shaping up to be a good one in the lower Tar and upper Pamlico and Pungo rivers. The fish will be suspending above deeper ledges in 10-25’ of water, and anglers can cast soft plastic jerkbaits and paddle tails on 1/4-1/2 oz. jigheads to connect with them.
There’s also some excellent winter striper fishing in the Roanoke River, where a huge class of 15-17” fish last year should be in the 18-20” range now. The best bite around the mouth of the river will take place in January with the fish scattering upriver from then until March. The same soft plastics worked around channel edges and drop-offs will fool the fish in the Roanoke.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that anglers are seeing some excellent speckled trout action in the lower Neuse River, and populations don’t seem to have taken a hit from last year’s hard freezes.
Capt. Gary Dubiel, of Spec Fever Guide Service, with a 28.5″ speckled trout he caught and released in the lower Neuse River near Oriental. The citation fish fell for a D.O.A. CAL jerkbait.
Most are now feeding in the creeks off the main river where they’ll stay all winter long. Water temperatures in the upper 40’s to mid-50’s have had the specks aggressive of late, but the fish will get lethargic as the water cools down. Extremely slow retrieves are the way to go when it cools off, and D.O.A. curl tails on light jigheads bumped slowly along the bottom are some of the best bets.
The specks will move well up into the Neuse and Trent rivers as the winter wears on, so anglers shouldn’t be scared to venture up to New Bern and beyond in search of the trout.
Striped bass are feeding in the rivers around New Bern, and anglers are hooking decent numbers while trolling and working jigs around the bridges and other structure in the area. Topwater plugs can still be effective on warmer days as well, particularly around signs of bait that anglers see near the banks.
Both the stripers and trout should provide solid action all winter long for anglers who aren’t frightened to fish in the cold.
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that anglers have been seeing some stellar speckled trout action in the creeks off the Neuse River recently (with fish to 8+ lbs.). Fishing lightly-weighted (1/16-1/8 oz.) D.O.A. soft plastics slowly has produced the majority of the fish recently, and anglers are also hooking a few on suspending hard lures as well. The fish aren’t always biting hard in the cooler water, so light tackle (10 lb. braid and light rods) will help anglers feel as many bites as possible.
Striped bass are feeding around the bridges and deeper ledges near New Bern, and anglers are hooking solid numbers on D.O.A. soft plastics jigged near the structure.
Fly casters have also been getting in on the speck and striper action on a variety of patterns.
Isaiah, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are seeing some good speckled trout action around Belhaven and elsewhere in the Pungo River. A few are beginning to show up in Bath as well, and the specks will continue to move back into the tributary creeks and rivers as the water cools off further. MirrOlure MR17’s have been the hot bait for the trout lately, and they should remain solid choices all winter.
Striped bass are feeding in the Pamlico River near Washington and biting subsurface lures like Rattlin’ Rogues and Rat-L-Traps. The striper bite should likewise hold up over the winter.
