Fresh Craven County 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

We caught fish all morning long. This father son duo put the beat down on some big gold fish and had a great time doing it.

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 spring weather has the trout fired up and moving. The “cold stun” event in the New Bern to Oriental, NC area doesn’t seem to have had devestating damagage to the population. One of the most productive early spring in years for the Neuse system. Fish have moved out of the back of creeks and are heading towards the main river. Target mid main creek areas where bait is visable on surface or sonar. Productive baits have been D.O.A. 3” white/chartreuse swimbait, Paul Brown & MRs Purple/yellow or natural colors if 2’ visibility or more. Pay attention to wind direction and the sun for best bank targets to help production efficiency. Focus on points and work from banks out to mid creek. Fish seem to be moving up to feed then back to the “ditch”. Puppy Drum & Striper catches are also a solid possibilty. Vary your reteieves and presentations if bites are slow. Some days they want it a certain way.

The trout fishing has been on fire as of late. We’ve had plenty of days with almost 50+ fish being caught. Most fish have been from 16-22 inches with a few citations in the mix.

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