Steady coastal winds of 15-20 mph led me to fish smaller waters today. I choose to see if Specks and Drum had moved into the upper section of Upper Broad Creek, off the Neuse River. Reports from other boaters indicted that small trout and pups were still down near the Neuse. I’ve hear there were decent Bowfin in the area and landed this prime example. The brackish water is gin clear so I was able to see this beast hit the lure three feet from the boat. As with any Bowfin they’re a blast to hook up and with the size of this one plus being so close to the boat the fight was utter pandemonium with the fish jumping out of the water twice. Bowfin are notorious rollers and are relatively calm until you or they touch something. I nearly had to put it in a headlock to de-hook him. After taking a small beating from the Bowfin a Chain Pickerel was the next to come to the boat, then a small Large Mouth that popped off when it bounced off the boat. Water temps were in the low 50’s as well as the air. Definitely have to put this place on list to bring the kids. Wildlife is fairly abundant in the area. During my time there I saw two river otters, numerous turtles, Egrets, ducks and had Pelicans diving 30’ from my boat.
Bowfin link
Freshwater Fishing