Early morning is prime time to do battle with a big speckled trout with topwater plugs.
As a sizzling summer comes to a close along the North Carolina coast, the fall fishing season is just getting started. With enormous schools of bait and shrimp in the sounds and rivers, inshore gamefish are putting on their food bags with a vengeance. For early rising speckled trout junkies, there is not a better moment to walk their favorite surface lure along the banks of the Neuse River.
Even though fall officially arrives in September, the water is still warm, and speckled trout are spending their days in the big water. But the bait is growing thicker by the day, giving the speckled beasts plenty to fill up on each and every day. Ambush points are key places during the early fall.
For Dave Stewart of Knee Deep Custom Charters, the September speckled trout grounds are just downriver from his home base at Minnesott Beach.
“The fish will be out around the mouth of the river near deep structure like towers, barges and oyster rocks,” Stewart said. “Early in the morning, they will be up against these shorelines feeding and chasing bait in shallow water.”
While speckled trout will feed throughout the day, their preference lies early in the morning while the water is still relatively cool. Stewart looks for shorelines and shallow flats close to the deep-water refuges for his early morning outings.
“Find a good marshy area on a flat adjacent to deep water,” he says.
Trout will push bait up on the shallow flats and against structure of any kind. In the Neuse, it is mostly grass-covered banks or a shallow flat that abuts deep water, but the best spots are places where submerged oyster beds or wooden structure lie on these shallow-deep breaks. Specks and possibly a collection of other predators, including puppy drum and striped bass, will also be taking part of the action. None of the predators will let a noisy topwater call go unanswered.
Anglers armed with an arsenal of topwater plugs will not be disappointed. The sounds and vibrations will reverberate over a very large area. Speckled trout are the most aggressive early in the morning, and a strike is almost a guarantee.
Stewart’s primarly topwater baits are Skitterwalks and Skitterpops, which are almost identical in size to the baitfish present in September.
“The Skitterwalk and Skitterpop are my go-to’s for everything topwater. They are both highly effective, but the newer Skitterpop is very easy to work along the surface,” he said.
Ease of use is the most-important aspect of most topwater lures because fish come to the noise and vibration. Not all topwaters are created equal, however, and some are definitely easier to use. Anglers should choose the lure they can accurately work along the surface in a variety of conditions.
As for color, fish rarely seem most of a lure’s paint job.
“The top color of a topwater plug doesn’t matter much because they cannot see it,” he said. “In our dark, tannic water, I like to use lures with an orange belly or gold colorations throughout,” Stewart said.
One of the most factors in topwater fishing is not a topwater bait at all. A follow-up bait that rides under the surface is super deadly when the topwater strikes are frequent, but connections not always the result.
“I always have a follow-up bait rigged and ready,” he said, pointing to a D.O.A. shrimp or 4-inch jerk shad rigged on terminal tackle or under a Deadly Combo cork rig. He’ll twitch the soft-plastic baits back and forth, just under the surface, whenever a fish misses a topwater strike.
Also, a shallow-running baitfish imitation that can be retrieved very slowly or with a stop-and-go retrieve, suspending, is very effective when trout are feeding in shallow water. The Rapala X-Rap Series is good for this technique. Egret Baits makes a Vudu Mullet that is perfect for following up a topwater miss.
Again, Stewart prefers to use gold colors, and even a little bit of red in the tannic waters of the Neuse River.
“The gold flake D.O.A. shrimp is hard to beat as a follow-up lure. Other colors will work just as good sometime, but gold colors are the best in tannic water,” he said.
Right at the brink of the fall season, anglers with trout fever will not have to go far from the Neuse River banks for a quick remedy. And topwater is where it is at. Set the alarm clock early and make dawn’s early light a noisy one with the wake-up call of the century.
DESTINATION INFORMATION
HOW TO GET THERE — The Neuse River is best accessed via US 17, which crosses the river at New Bern and runs parallel to the coast. Oriental’s Green Creek landing provides good access to the mouth of the Neuse and its South River and Turnagain Bay tributaries. Dawson Creek on the river’s north bank and Hancock Creek on the southern bank of the river near Havelock are also popular.
WHEN TO GO — The fall topwater trout bite begins in September and lasts until the water temperature falls into the 50s. The best bite will be from dawn until the sun rises above the horizon. The late afternoon also provides good topwater action when the sun falls down below the trees or in areas where shadows are cast early.
BEST TECHNIQUES — Surface walking baits and topwater popping baits will charm specks in the first hour or so after dawn. A rod rigged with a good follow-up soft-plastic imitation shrimp or baitfish is crucial and sometimes the key to putting consistent fish in the boat when the fish are missing the topwater bait consistently. Suspending twitch baits are also good choices. Since long casts are often required, light-action spinning outfits are recommended spooled with 8- to 10-pound braid with a leader of 10- to 12-pound fluorocarbon. Rods from 6-foot-6 to 7-foot are preferred for long casts and light weights.
FISHING INFO/GUIDES — Dave Stewart, Knee Deep Custom Charters, 252-249-1786, www.pamlicotackle.com; Minnesott Beach Bait and Tackle, 252-249-1786. See also Guides and Charters in Classifieds.
ACCOMMODATIONS — Terri McManus Vacation Rentals, www.vrbo.com/24529, www.vrbo.com/359773; Inner Banks of North Carolina, www.visitwashingtonnc.com; Oriental Tourism, www.visitoriental.com; North Carolinas Department of Travel and Tourism, www.visitnc.com.
MAPS — Capt. Segull’s Nautical Charts, 888-473-4855, www.captainsegullcharts.com; GMCO’s Chartbook of North Carolina, www.gmco.com; N.C. Coastal Boating Guide, www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Boating/documents/NCCoastaBoatingGuideMap.pdf.
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