Report: North Carolina in the spring…nothing like it!  It seems like one minute we have barren trees, cold temps and cloudy skies, and the next we have beautiful sunshine, trees in full bloom and temps in the 70s.  Although fishing can be great anytime of year in North Carolina, the state really offers a lot during the spring. 

As lakes begin to warm up, largemouth bass prepare for their spawn.  Right now the bass are in full spawn.  I have been finding nice fish in shallow water lately.  Soft plastics like senkos, worms and lizards have been the ticket, and this is the best time to catch a big bass in North Carolina.   As the water warms during the day, look for bass in slightly deeper water adjacent to the shallow spawning areas. 

One of North Carolina's most amazing fisheries is currently heating up.  Beginning in early spring the striped bass (rockfish) begin their trek from the sounds into the river systems.   Plenty of rock are already being taken on the Roanoke river in the 18-22 inch range.  As the water temperature warms to over 60 degrees, more and more fish will show up at Weldon.  Anglers are doing well on live shad, cut bait and white or chartreuse flukes.  If you prefer to use artificials, flukes and jigs work well.  However, my personal favorite is a live shad on a Carolina rig.  By the end of May most of the fish are generally heading back to the sound.  Weekday trips are optimal because anglers can avoid the large crowds that are attracted by the large numbers of fish on the Roanoke.  As for kayak anglers, weekdays would also be a bit safer. 

This winter offered some great speckled trout and red drum fishing in the creeks.  Most of the fish have moved out of the very small tributary creeks into larger estuaries.  Flounder have started to make a stronger showing lately.  On my last trip, I did really well on the reds with Gulp! shrimp under popping corks and cut bait on a Owen Lupton rigs.  At dusk, the specks were biting extremely well on chartreuse hard baits.