Roanoke

Saltwater Striper Fishing
1

I have heard alot about striper fishing up there this time of year. Does anyone have any info/knowledge of this. Any help would be appreciated.

2

I have a friend that is a captain there that guides on the Roanoke. The catch and keep season ends Sat., the catch and release starts Sun. You can only use barbless hooks during catch and release. Call Capt. Rod Taylor aka Capt. Ponytail at 336-240-5649. Tell him the Drftmaster man recomended him. It is a very fun fishery.

3

Bass man, was up there last weekend fishing…the stripers seem to be a little later this year than normal showing up there, the water has not warmed up yet…this was our 3rd year and did not catch the numbers we have in the past…live shad seemed to be doing the best for bait, but when they get there in numbers, anythin from cut bait to artificials will work for you…as driftmaster said catch and release only starts sunday and that helps thin the crowds somewhat…it is worth the trip…unreal fishery and a very pretty river.

4

Thanks for the replys.

5

Jus add h2o - It is over

6

Upstate,

I have been talking with friends in the area, the catch and release season is going to be the time to go. They are having a very cold spring and the water is not quite there for the fish to start hitting good. Shad, Herring, and little brim are the way to go! Tip to the wise only take the barbless hooks in the boat (unless they are really small hooks) because the Game Wardens will write you a ticket.

7

I moved from Raleigh a couple of years ago to Conway, SC. When I lived in Raleigh though, I would go the the Roanoke 5-10 times during the season. On a normal year, the best time to go is just before and just after the legal harvest season (or the last week in April to the first week in May). However, the water temperature plays a major role and this year the temperature rise has been a little behind. I have caught from 25-200 fish per day, but the average would probably be 75-100 during the peak period. I have caught them on live shad, dead shad, shiners, cut herring, bluegill, redbreast, and many assortments of artificial lures. If you want to catch the most fish, live shad are usually the best. I can recall one trip that the live shad fishing was extremely slow and the only thing I could catch consistant fish on was cut herring, but they had to be fresh or alive when you cut them. You can catch the herrring below the rapids at the boat ramp with sabiki rigs. I always had the best success with the heads, strangely. Most of the time you can catch them on many different kinds of artificial lures. Just remember that the hooks must be barbless and one thing that the other posts left out, is that you can only use single barbless hooks. I always just use my regular hooks and bend down the barb with a pair of pliars. If any of you decide to go, I could give you some directions to some of the good fishing spots. When te fish are feeding aand are thick you can catch them anywhere in the river, but when the fishing is slow, you cannot catch them anywhere, but only in strategic positions. Good Luck!

8

I forgot one other thing, the NC Wildlife Resources commission publishes a weekly report during the spring on the
roanoke every Thursday.

Here is the link
http://www.ncwildlife.org/ Look for the Roanoke River Fishing Report under the features.