Fresh Oriental Fishing Reports

Fishing has been very productive recently, if you have the time I would recommend getting on the water now! Here on the Neuse & Pamlico sound we have had good catches of slot, over slot, and old drum. Depending on wind direction and water conditions natural bait & scented artificials have been working well. There are plenty of Trout around… and no shortage of big trout either. Artificial shrimp under a popping cork, and soft plastics rigged on a jig head have been working well. The bigger trout we have caught recently have been on live bait. Black drum are around as well, crab and shrimp as usual are best. Right now there are LARGE Bluefish in the River and in the sound. Definitely fun to catch and give a good pull for young anglers, but when targeting drum i find them to be a nuisance. Short wire leaders on your drum rigs will save you alot of tackle and bring some home for dinner; i like them same day fresh personally. Our last trip out of Beaufort inlet was very productive. there is definitely a reason they call it The Crystal Coast. The visibility was excellent up in the the tower; i could see the bottom in 10ft of water. Spanish and king mackerel, Cobia, Seabass, bonito, gag grouper, and more can be found on good weather days. Summer is right around the corner, feel free to give me a ring if you would like to experience a good slice of what Eastern North Carolina fishing has to offer. Let’s Go Get Em ! -Capt. Jennings

The sea trout are 3/4 of the way out of the main creeks and headed for the Neuse River. D.O.A. Deadly Combo (popping cork), 3" D.O.A. Swim Baits and top water are all great choices. Vary your approach to cover Top, Mid and bottom. Work windy points from bank to mid channel. They are moving in and out to feed. Some bigger trout are hitting larger profiles and top water along with slot reds now moving into the system. The fishing has been FANTASTIC!

The Neuse River & Pamlico Sound are still producing Trophy Drum. This 48” monster came off a; DOA Cork & Cal Swim Bait white/chartreuse. Leader was 90 lbs braided wire to prevent blue fish from stealing your cork. Small schools are still roaming the river eating the plentiful shrimp, menhadden & mullet. Most fish are bewteen Bay River and the Ferry. As with past years, the blue fush schools usually have a trophy drum near by. All traditional methods are working but expectations should be limited based on the fresh water preventing huge numbers of fish to enter the river during the spawn. Look for a couple more weeks of the last class to stay until that NE cold front hits the sound & signals the drum to head back to the Atlantic. Captain Dave Hegel reports that cork bites are limited and still will use cut bait if he cant find baitfish on the surface. ☠️?☠️? #pamlicopiratefishingcharters

Beautiful weather and great fishing here in Oriental NC. Let’s go catching!

The 1st 2 weeks in May; have been as good a May as I can remember. There are Over Slots, Old Drum, Slots, Big Striper and big Trout from Kennel Beach to South River both sides of the Neuse. Don't be surprised if the Blue fish invade your area, there's 4 & 5 pound blues all over the river. Fun to catch but have wire leaders ready if using artificial bait. For Reds, focus on sandy banks with a flat near deeper water. Watch for menhaden and those reds will be there. Best bait options are a DOA Curl tail "gold Rush" color if sunny and Root beer if cloudy. Also, the DOA Bait Buster same colors if there is surface activity. Reel on pace to get to the surface, and "kill" the bait, they hit the fall. Smaller "slot" Lupton rigs with live or cut bait is also effective. Find structure or steep drops, you'll catch some fish!

Great fishing has begun! Water tempature has fluctuated as much as 10 degrees the last few weeks as well as some heavy rains. Adapting to the day is important. The migration of trout out of the creeks is well underway. Up river past New Bern, they are moving to the river, while down river, past the ferry, they are mid-creek moving toward the river. Sunny and warm days look for flats and dark mud spots. Cloudy days and early AM, slow down. Productive methods; corks and retrieving baits like DOA Deadly Combo or the DOA CAL Shad 3”. Colors in clear water use natural and dirty water dark baits. Puppy Drum and Slot Reds are showing up in the same areas. Blue fish are already in the river and bait is on essentially the move. #pamlicopiratefishingcharters