Adams Creek specks feed up in November

It’s a Thanksgiving bounty at Adams Creek

November became Thanksgiving month for America’s first settlers because more of nature’s bounty became available for their food supply.

Glenn Grigg of Merrimon, N.C., partakes of the fall feast as a fishing guide in inside waters from Oriental to Morehead City. Close to his home is Adams Creek, a section of the Intracoastal Waterway where many gamefish species, including spotted seatrout, migrate south from Pamlico Sound each fall. They follow baitfish headed for the Newport River and Beaufort Inlet to the ocean, adding weight to survive the coming winter.

“November is really good for speckled trout in Adams Creek and tributaries,” said Grigg, owner of Back Creek Guide Service (252-515-2971). “As it gets colder, specks go into creeks to follow baits.”

Those baits include “some shrimp, small menhaden and little glass minnows,” he said. “Trout suspend off ledges in deeper water than other fish. You can catch red drum and flounder up against the banks.”

Grigg’s main November lure is a 17MR MirrOlure suspending jerkbait in pink, green or purple.

“It’s got a slow fall, so you cast it, let it sit, jerk it once, then let it sit for 3 or 4 more seconds,” Grigg said. “They usually hit while it’s falling. The colder (the water), the longer you wait to move the lure.”

Grigg makes one change to 17MRs out of the box — he attaches a “tail” to the lure’s No. 2 rear treble hook.

Lots of trout, and big ones

“I tie some shiny Mylar to cover the hook and a feather that matches the lure’s color,” he said. “I think fish are attracted to the Mylar flash. The feather makes it look like a big baitfish.”

Grigg’s second-favorite setup is a popping cork with a 3 ½-inch, red Vudu shrimp tied to a 4-foot leader.

Grigg casts from mid-channel toward a creekbank, then pops the cork so the Vudu shrimp rises and sinks near ledges where specks wait in ambush mode.

“Sometimes, I throw a 1/16-ounce jighead with a 3-inch swimbait, such as a Z-Man,” he said. “I love Gulp baits, but pinfish eat their tails; Z-Mans are tougher.”

Grigg said November offers some of the year’s largest spotted seatrout to anglers.

“We catch some of our bigger fish then,” he said. “Average weights are 3 to 4 pounds, but we see some 5-pounders and bigger ones. The last few years, we haven’t had cold months that killed trout, so I expect November to be really good for trout.”