[whitey]

"Trout Season." It's one of those awkward phrases that I have never understood. If you think that trout are a cold water fish, I am here to tell you something: The BEST speckled trout fishing goes down during the hottest months of the year, and most of the bigger fish will be caught on topwater lures...But I digress.
On to the report.

On July 4th weekend c.lane and I did some recon on the lower neuse, and we found a few nice sized fish on shallow sand flats, points and boat docks. Soooooo, after a LONG week, (and a lengthy and in-depth internet conversation got our mouths watering) We went back to that spot yesterday,hoping to put the smackdown on a few. And that is exactly what we did.

We put together a nice haul of healthy trout on topwater lures and shrimp imitations by 10 a.m., and we released quite a few 14-16 inchers thoroughout the day. C.lane caught a couple of under slot drum too. Fish seemed to be holding tighter to structure more than the previous trip, and they were smacking the fire out of our lures as they were worked past the structure itself. Casting to pilings, duck blinds, and rip-rap seemed to be the name of the game for the day. C.lane bagged this one after he worked his lure past a group of old pilings.

Today, we made plans to go to a different spot on the other side of the river. We set off in our kayaks around 0530 with our friend from ncangler, trigger22. We were hoping to catch an old drum, but apparently that was not part of the interstellar agenda for the day. Instead, we casted topwaters and popping corks to grassy bank and main river structure, and had another awesome day on the speckled beauties.

Some of these fish were feeding in less than a foot of water, taking advantage of the rapidly rising water levels that easterly winds provide. There is nothing like a topwater explosion in 6-8 inches of water, and the subsequent lateral fight that you can only get from fishing in a kayak. Today they were kind of finicky, but we managed to catch our share of nice ones because we covered lots of water and constantly stayed on the move. Trout generally do not school up as tight in the summertime, so staying mobile is key in locating scattered warm weather specks. Nothing like a good weekend on the kayaks. Had fun as always guys! If anyone has any questions, (other than location-related) feel free to fire away. Tight lines everyone.

 

[trigger22]

Long paddle, amazing results...I enjoyed it gents. Kayaks, friends and willing fish. Doesn't get much better.

 

[catmaster]

Super Kool...

 

[c.lane]

.. .and boom goes the dynamite!!

had fun boys!

 

[Dillard]

Sounds awesome guys. Great day.

 

[pgarick]

Well done!

 

[led0321]

Great job fellas!

What are you looking for with trout? I see bait busting and swirls but is that what you are looking for? I found reds this morning that way and was hoping for a trout.

 

[roostertail24]

Nice Summer trout guys! Led0321 i'll try to answer your question but the pros can chime in and correct me. Not necessarily any sign of the actual fish. A presence of bait nearby, moving water, a general location. (this time of year you want to be near the sound for trout) not Washington or New Bern for example. and Stay off the bank for the most part. Far enough away so that your longest casts are still landing 10 feet from the bank.

 

[c.lane]

Ne wind had the bait on the bank and the trouts back should have been out of the water they were so shallow. It was also cold and almost 100% cloud cover. With trout you just kinda got to figure out what they want and where they want to be. We covered alot of water and the three of us all covered different area of the water the whole way until we figured them out. Still fished off the bank further and further as we started gaining more sunlight. What I'm saying is trout are weird sometimes and you just have to work and find them. Moving water is a must 99% of the time.

 

[led0321]

Ne wind had the bait on the bank and the trouts back should have been out of the water they were so shallow. It was also cold and almost 100% cloud cover. With trout you just kinda got to figure out what they want and where they want to be. We covered alot of water and the three of us all covered different area of the water the whole way until we figured them out. Still fished off the bank further and further as we started gaining more sunlight. What I'm saying is trout are weird sometimes and you just have to work and find them. Moving water is a must 99% of the time.

Noted.....thanks!

 

[rollcast]

Awesome! And, delicious!

 

[papadave]

Looks like an awesome couple of days fellers! Had the trout radar in perfect working order ........
Love the shirt Mr. White!

 

[trigger22]

C.lanes advice is spot on. No two days are the same. With reds you can almost bet on where they will be. That's not so with specks. One day that are 100 feet off the bank then an hour later they are right up on it. A good rule of thumb is hit the bank at first light and move off of it as the sun comes up. Never underestimate the power of a good main river point either.

 

[pgarick]

C.lanes advice is spot on. No two days are the same. With reds you can almost bet on where they will be. That's not so with specks. One day that are 100 feet off the bank then an hour later they are right up on it. A good rule of thumb is hit the bank at first light and move off of it as the sun comes up. Never underestimate the power of a good main river point either.

You mentioned as the sun comes up these fish can move 100' off the bank. Is it safe to assume that the 100' off the bank is during low tide or does this matter? Some of the areas I fish at low tide and roughly 100' from bank may only hold 2' of water, during high tide may be 6' in depth or better. Thanks in advance.

 

[brickphil]

Awesome report!!!! Thanks for brag......I mean sharing.

For some reason, this report has revamped my trout journey. This time last year, right across the icw from me, I caught one of my personal best in 2' of water in some grass.

Great post cap'n.

 

[AMG08]

You know, I wasnt going to fish in the morning, but its the reports like this that force me into it. Great job on the fish!

 

[c.lane]

I rarely fish tide driven area so tide driving trout are going to bite at the point in the tide change they feed on for the most part. It's up to you to figure out when that is. We have fished places for a whole tide swing just to figure that magic 30 mins out.

 

[c.lane]

I want some sheepshead bad so... .

 

[whitey]

I always look for moving water. And dont wait for visible surface action to toss a topwater. Use it as a search bait. You only gain confidence in the lure by catching a few. Then you will be hooked yourself! Trout like a wide walk with a slow cadence, and occasional pauses. Lots of the fish will slam it on the pause. Can be downright boring until you get a blowup. Many times, the fish will swipe repeatedly at the lure, knocking it out of the water without ever hooking up. When this happens, keep the lure moving steady and he will come back like lassie for the kill. Dont get too excited and speed up your retrieve or pull the lure out of his mouth. Its the hardest thing about this kind of fishing. Never set the hook until you feel the weight of the fish. People ask about what to look for, but like I said the fish will still nail a surface plug even when there isn't any obvious signs of surface feeding. There weren't any fish busting on bait when I caught these fish. Just casting into every breath of current I see, and making the most of the lure's presentation. Oh and staying relatively quiet, not to alert the trout to our presence.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[drumchaser]

Awesome report, thanks for sharing pics and techniques.