Neuse River Fishing Report – November 3 2018

As the Fall season is progressing here in Eastern NC, so is the fishing on the Neuse River, Bay River and Pamlico Sound. The much anticipated fall Speckled Trout have finally started to arrive from the ocean, and in good numbers I might add. Every year as the water temps starts to drop, Speckled Trout migrate to the Pamlico Sound and all of its estuaries to seek refuge from the upcoming cold months of winter. (Winters like we had last year). Due to the layout of the Neuse River and its many deep muddy creeks it makes for safe refuge as these Trout will actually somewhat hibernate in a way during the extreme cold. 

 

So our job as Anglers is to find where they are, and also where they are headed. Here is where your local tackle shops come in. Shops like Neuse River Bait and Tackle who have no problem sharing some local knowledge and info as our staff fish on a regular basis to insure the information we give is accurate.     

How to find them: 

You will want to focus your efforts this time of year on intersecting these fish as they move toward the creeks. Fishing main river points just outside of creeks or just inside the creek mouths are always a good rule of thumb but the key is covering water. Since we do not have a Lunar Tide, fish on the Neuse River do not move long distances per day. The best practice is to always cover water until you start to get bit and use your lure of confidence, a lure that is nothing more than a search bait. Like cigar Poppin’ Corks with a Artificial shrimp underneath, Topwaters, or your favorite Soft Plastics with 1/8oz heads for a slower presentation. One of my favorite things to use is a Cigar Poppin’ Cork with a bright colored shrimp underneath. 

When fishing with other anglers, have them cast to the opposite side of the boat covering a wider area until one of you gets consistant bites. Move at a steady but slow pace.This helps to eliminate where the fish are not. When you catch the first fish stop and really fish that area, Speckled Trout usually travel in schools and most of the time you always catch more than one in the same area. 

Several anglers have had good luck catching bigger fish with Mirrolure MR17s and MR18s. These lures have a slow fall/ suspending action which Trout can’t resist! Especially since most Trout are feeding on small Menhaden which MR17s seem to mimic so well. Dont forget to make longer pauses in deeper water. Give it about 3-4 seconds per ft of water before you twitch it. Have patience using these when fishing in deep creeks… 

For any more info on fishing please come by and see us here at Neuse River Bait and Tackle. We will show you what works not what’s not selling.