Weekly Fishing Report – March 5th, 2018 – Neuse River Bait & Tackle
Shad came in just a little early this year and in huge numbers. Some anglers are having days of catching 100+ using shad rigs. One angler told us that he had been fishing up river for shad for over 60 years and this year is the most shad he had ever seen up the Neuse. Most anglers are using the traditional shad rigs with dart and spoon, others are using 1/8 oz jig heads with curly tail/ paddle tail grubs with shad spoons.
Striped bass have continued to be plentiful on the Neuse River with several fish being caught while shad fishing. Striped bass move up the Neuse River this time of year in preparation for their annual spawn. So going up river to catch these fish can be very productive. Using fresh cut shad on a Carolina rig works great while anchored. For the cast and retrieve angler, venture in one of the many finger creeks up river where the current is slower, use Topwater near the shoreline on the shallow flats to enjoy a aggressive bite. You can also use a 4″ or 5″ soft plastic, (I prefer a paddle tail for a slower fall) match it with a 1/4 oz or 3/8″oz jig head. Use that jig head to bounce down the steep ledges making as much bottom contact as possible. That works great. Stripers can also be found on the lower Neuse in creeks. Seek out structure such as docks, stumps, pilings, etc… swimming large paddle tail plastics near structure works best.
Though Speckled Trout season has been closed that doesn’t mean we can’t catch and release. The population of Speckled Trout on the Neuse River wasn’t effected by the freeze earlier this year. The Neuse had very few areas where cold stunned fish were reported and now since the freeze anglers have began to have 30 to 40 fish per day in some areas. Water temp plays a big factor in the migration patterns that Trout have, due to warming water these fish are coming out of the deep holes in the back of creeks to migrate down the Neuse River. So when fishing focus on creek mouths or the main river shoreline just outside of creek mouths. Things to use are popping corks, soft plastics bounced along the bottom, Topwater, and live mud minnows.
For more info on the Neuse River give us a call at Neuse River Bait and Tackle 252-745-0708 or visit our facebook page.
Neuse River Bait & Tackle
