Pamlico – Winter 2016 – 2017
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports there are many speckled trout in the creeks of the Neuse River. The water is a little cool (in the lower 50s), so anglers should fish soft plastic jigs and soft plastic shrimp underneath popping corks. There are also a few small reds and stripers mixed in with the specs.
Striper fishing has been a little inconsistent in the New Bern area, but anglers are finding success in the cooler waters with soft plastics.
Winter fishing for specks should continue as long as water temperatures stay 47 degrees and above in the lower Neuse creeks. Once the water drops below 47, fishing can get harder.
Striper fishing should become consistent, and anglers should use soft plastics around deeper shoreline areas. Specs can be found the same way.
Eli Johnson with a striper caught in the Neuse River area. He was fishing with Capt. Richard Andrews of Tar-Pam Guide Service.
Richard, of Tar-Pam Guide Service, reports that anglers are catching speckled trout in the Pamlico River. These fish are in shallower water, so 1/8-1/4 oz. jig heads with soft plastics will work on the specs. Suspended twitch baits work well on the fish, too, like X-Raps and MirrOlures.
The striper bite is getting good, with anglers hooking the fish up in the Roanoke and Pamlico rivers. Soft plastics (like Z-Man) on 3/8-1/2 oz. jig heads will get the bait down to the fish. When the fish are more suspended in the water column, fish for them with X-Raps.
As winter settles in, the fish are expected to move up above Washington and New Bern and for the most part leave the estuaries, although anglers can still find some in the sound. Fish will get schooled up, so it’s just a matter of finding them in the winter. Anglers will need to fish in deeper water sometimes (10-30’) to find the fish. Using a heavier jig head should get the bait down to the stripers.
Dave, of Knee Deep Custom Charters, reports that the trout fishing has been good around the Neuse area, but anglers must be on the move to find the fish. They aren’t staying in one place for long, but once anglers find them, they are limiting out fast. The fish are starting to move into deeper inland creeks for the cold winter. Fish the deeper waters earlier in the day with soft plastics twitched slow along the bottom. The slower the better for all lures this time of year, as the metabolism of the fish slows down. The DOA shad tails and jerk shads on 1/8-1/4 oz. jig heads are working well on the specs, but curly tails are also producing bites. The trout bite should last through the winter.
The rockfish bite has been off in New Bern since the storm earlier this year, but the upper regions of the Trent and Neuse rivers should provide some excellent action fishing sharp ledges with bait such as DOA C.A.L.s, and topwaters should be kept at the ready in case they push up bait.
Mitchell, of FishIBX, reports that while anglers haven’t seen a lot of stripers yet, there are scattered fish around. Following the cold water patterns will lead fishermen to the fish. The bite should pick up as the water temperatures drop, and once the water hits the lower 50s, anglers can expect a much more active fish. Those hooking stripers now are reporting fish up to 22”.
As the water temperatures drop, the bait balls will start to knot up, and so will the stripers. Soft plastic swim baits, like Yee Ha, are working great on the fish, and having several jig heads of various weights rigged up will allow you to locate fish depending on where they are in the water column.
Pushing to the east, there’s still a trout bite happening. MirrOlures and soft plastics, like Gulp jerk shad, are working on the fish in 5-6’ of water. As the temperatures drop, the trout will start to move into the deeper channels and stage up in the winter months.
Richie, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that the trout fishing has been pretty good along the edge of the sound and up in the creeks, especially around Swan Quarter.
The rock fishing has been fair so far, with most anglers having success using MirrOlures. As the temperatures drop, anglers can expect the bite to increase, and they should switch to soft plastics to hook the fish through the winter months.
