Stripers on Stage

Lower Roanoke River, western Albemarle Sound hold hungry, winter striped bass waiting to start their spring spawning runs.

February delivers bone-chilling conditions across much of North Carolina and, surprising to some, sizzling striped bass angling on the lower section of the Roanoke River, near its confluence with the Albemarle Sound.

While the spring spawning run up the Roanoke put the river on the map, the late-winter action downstream may soon surpass the popularity of the April action near Weldon.

Albemarle Sound’s finned flock of stripers congregates at the entrance to the river looking for a super-sized meal to satisfy their hearty appetites. Huge schools gang up as they stage, waiting for the weather and calendar to push them upstream, leaving them in a perfect position for fishermen who don’t mind the cold.

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