Roanoke Island was the site of the first colony in North America.
One would think the group of 120 English settlers that Sir Walter Raleigh organized would have eaten their fair share of local fare in 1587 when they first arrived in the New World.
One could also believe that speckled trout would have been on the daily menu, especially in the spring, when the prime fishing season takes off for these speckled treasures.
The pristine waters on either side of Roanoke Island are nothing less than ideal trout habitat, and May marks the best time to tackle these snaggle-toothed beasts.
Roanoke Island lies at the junction of the Albemarle and Pamlico sounds, two of the largest inland waters along the Eastern Seaboard. The island is shouldered by the Roanoke Sound to the east and Croatan Sound to the west. The waters are fed by the two large sounds and Oregon Inlet to the southeast of the Island. The sounds are relatively shallow estuaries, with miles and miles of shorelines covered with spartina grass. Additionally, they are enriched with shoals of submerged aquatic vegetation and small islands as far as the eye can see.
The fish habitat is virtually endless in this area, and late spring is a great time to be working down one of these spartina-covered banks, according to guide Bryan DeHart of Manteo, N.C.
“We lose our most of our fish in the winter months,” said DeHart (272-473-8632). “The trout migrate inland into the small tributaries on the western side of the sounds or out into the ocean and to the south. They begin showing back up in April in the likely places, but our strongest numbers are in May and early June.”
The sounds fill up in spring with small fish, including juvenile spots, croakers and pinfish. The arriving schools of speckled trout have a smorgasbord of delicacies to eat, but they also arrive for a different reason.
“We have a huge spawn in May. It’s arguably the biggest spawning time of the year for trout in our area,” DeHart said.
The sounds cover an enormous area of water less than 4 feet deep, with a firm, sandy bottom. With a lack of significant tidal change, the sounds will remain flooded under normal conditions.
“We have tons of fish shallow this time of year, and they have plenty to eat, too. It is a favorite time of year to catch trout in our area. The trout are feeling good and eating like mad,” DeHart said.
The sounds lack a regular tidal change of lunar origin like waters farther south in North Carolina, but moving water remains critically important for speckled trout fishing. According to DeHart, water movement may be one of the hardest mysteries to solve, but anglers with a knack for understanding the currents and water levels can put fish in the boat all day.
“Moving water is a huge deal for catching quality speckled trout,” he said. “Our winds will prevail from one direction for a few days at a time until they switch. The sound is constantly equalizing itself, with currents going from north to south and then south to north. It may not be a typical diurnal tide, you see in most coastal communities, but it is important to fish areas with moving water.”
DeHart fishes most of the year, when he’s not duck hunting or chasing down a land lead at Mossy Oak Properties. When May arrives, his trout rods are rigged and ready, and he is always ready for the full moons in May and June. And he always is ready around the full moon in May and June — May 26 and June 24.
“The full moons are important astronomical periods,” DeHart said. “If I had to pick 10 days to fish all year, it would be the five days prior to the full moons in May and June. And it isn’t just small fish, either. We catch more quality fish shallow than any other time of year.”
DeHart also loves May fishing because his favorite lures, hard jerkbaits and topwater plugs, are most productive.
“Suspending jerkbaits and topwater lures are my go-to lures in May. The fish are aggressively feeding, and hard baits are unstoppable,” said DeHart, who uses a variety of hard baits. He likes both poppers and walk-the-dog-type surface lures and Rapala X-Raps for subsurface options — but he also will not leave out any soft plastics, either.
“Trout are feeding heavily, and about any type of speckled trout lure will get them to strike, but I just love throwing topwater and jerkbaits. They are my favorite type of lure to use, and May is the time they work great in our area,” he said.
Even though a lot of quality trout will be around in a wide variety of habitats, DeHart prefers certain areas for consistent success.
“Structure is a big deal; it can be bridges, shoals, submerged grass beds and marsh edges,” said DeHart, who finds fish all around structure, but typically the best bite on the upcurrent ends — not the lee side where the current is slack.
“A common misconception is to fish on the lee side of a point or in calm water, but this isn’t the case. Trout will be in the current waiting to ambush bait,” he said.
Roanoke Island is a unique area culturally, and if inshore fishing is in your wheelhouse, the spring bite around Roanoke Island is tough to beat. May is generally the biggest spawn of the year, and the area is loaded with spawning habitat.
“We have tons of fish shallow; that makes it so incredibly good throughout the month of May,” DeHart said.
DESTINATION INFORMATION
WHERE TO GO/HOW TO GET THERE — Roanoke Island is on US 64 between the Dare County mainland and the Outer Banks. US 64 and US 264 offer the best highway access from inland. Several public boat ramps are available in Manteo, Wanchese, Oregon Inlet and Mann’s Harbor; visit www.outer-banks.com/publicboatramps.asp. The waters around the western, southern and eastern fringes of Roanoke Island are prime trout spots during spring. Look for spartina-covered shorelines, any man-made structure, submerged grass on shoals, and places with good current. Any submerged grass beds with current can almost always produce a strong bite in spring conditions.
WHEN TO GO — The spring speckled trout bite begins in April and peaks in May during the spawn and before the water heats up to summer temperature peaks.
BEST TACKLE/TECHNIQUES — Speckled trout feed on soft crabs and small fish. About any traditional lure used for trout fishing will produce bites; topwaters, suspending jerkbaits and jigheads with soft-plastic trailers are top choices. Baitcasting outfits work fine, but light or medium-light spinning tackle is preferred. While the majority of the Croatan and Roanoke sounds are void of heavy structure, braid remains the preferred line choice, with a 2- to 3-foot leader of 20-pound fluorocarbon tied on.
FISHING INFO/GUIDES — Capt. Bryan DeHart, 252-473-8632. See also Guides & Charters in Classifieds
ACCOMMODATIONS — Scarborough Inn, 252-473-3979; Roanoke Island Visitors Site (www.roanoke-island.com) or visit North Carolinas Tourism Website for more information (www.visitnc.com).
MAPS — Capt. Segull’s Nautical Charts, 888-473-4855, www.captainsegullcharts.com; The Salty Southeast Cruising Guide (www.cruisersnet.net/cruisersnet-marine-map/?ll=35.5593,-76.4663&z=14); N.C.’s Coastal Boating Guide (www.ncwildlife.org/Boating_Waterways/documents/NCCoastaBoatingGuideMap.pdf).
(Picture by Jeff Burleson)
Are crab pots trout magnets?
Spring is a great time to target speckled trout in the Roanoke and Croatan sounds, especially as the water warms and big schools of trout arrive. But when exactly will these fish move shallow?
Guide Bryan DeHart watches as lines of crab pots shifting around in the sounds and keeps abreast of the local crabbers for a good reason.
“Speckled trout absolutely love peeler and soft crabs,” DeHart said, “especially big trout, which key in on these soft crabs, and May is one of the biggest shedding months. I like to watch the line of crab-pot buoys in the sound, and when the crabbers move them shallow, that is when I know the trout are shallow.”
Blue crabs shed their shells every year, beginning in April, and they will molt throughout the year. But April and May are important months because they haven’t molted all winter and need to shed their shells to grow. Blue crabs are known to molt around the full moons, which makes the cravings for soft crabs in May a big deal for speckled trout.
Trout will behave like crackheads when crabs start shedding. They want them so badly that they will fight to get inside crab pots to get the captured crabs. Local crabbers let DeHart know they get an increasing number of trout in their pots.
It is a crazy time, but crabbers can surely help you figure out where the trout are and when its time to fish shallow areas.
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