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Roanoke River Fishing Report (4/3/2008) “Be prepared” is not just a motto for Boy Scouts. For Roanoke River anglers who want to catch striped bass this spring, it is sound advice and could mean the difference between reeling in large number of stripers or reading about it on the following week’s fishing report. In fact, Kevin Dockendorf, a fisheries biologist with N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, recommends that anglers keep a close hand on their fishing gear and a close eye on the air temperature and any possible rain events over the next few days. Although the striped bass have made only a sporadic appearance so far, the fishing is expected to pick up substantially in the coming days as warmer air temperatures roll in – and stay. Water temperatures on Monday were 56 degrees Fahrenheit and have been steadily increasing with warm weather and warm rains. The weekend forecast calls for more warm rains and highs that range from the upper 60s to the upper 70s, conditions that will likely cause a rapid increase in water temperatures and bring the stripers in sooner rather than later. With lower water flows, water temperatures will increase at a quicker rate than they would during a year with normal water flows. Which means if you didn’t catch your first striper until the end of April last year or the year before, don’t expect that to be the case this year. “You don’t want to be the guy who hears ‘anglers caught 100 stripers over the weekend,’” Dockendorf said. “You want to be the guy who catches 100 stripers.” Dockendorf and fellow biologist Jeremy McCargo sampled the river this past Monday, collecting about 55 hickory shad, mostly males. The high ratio of males to females indicates the peak of hickory shad spawning – and fishing – has passed. In their place, the striped bass are beginning to show up, although not in large numbers or sizes – just yet. McCargo and Dockendorf collected about 30 stripers during their Monday sampling trip and Bobby Colston, owner of Colston's Tackle Box on Highway 48 south of Gaston, said that early morning anglers fishing at the boat ramp, right below the docks, are catching decent numbers of small stripers on bucktails, Sassy Shads and Curly Tail Grubs. However, once people start putting boats in around 9:30 a.m., the bite tapers off. So in this instance, the early bird doesn’t get the worm, he gets the fish. Boating anglers who put in at the Weldon boat ramp and fish from the big rock to Troublefield Gut are catching from about eight to 15 stripers, Colston reported. Those drifting large minnows seem to be doing better than others. “While stripers are not at Weldon in any strong numbers yet, I wouldn’t let that discourage anglers from going out and giving it a try,” Dockendorf said. Fishing downriver at Williamston can be summed up in two words: really slow. According to Ricky Mobley, owner of the Roanoke Sportsman in Williamston, anglers have been reeling in a few white perch, a couple of stripers per angler per day, but that’s about it. “Last week’s rock fishing I would rate about a two on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being really good,” Mobley said. Dockendorf cautions that flows, while they’ve increased a bit, are still low enough to create navigational hazards for anglers, particularly those who are unfamiliar with the river’s bottom. “If you were fishing the Roanoke in March and remember seeing rocks, they’re still there, but you may not be able to see them because of higher water flows,” Dockendorf said. Striped Bass Season and Regulation Information
River Conditions Check current river conditions at Roanoke Rapids Check current river conditions at Williamston Additional Water Quality Information
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