Fishing News

While the harvest of striped bass on the Roanoke River ended yesterday (April 30), anglers can still practice catch and release and by all accounts, there are plenty of fish in the river waiting to be caught. Over the next two weeks, anglers venturing to the Roanoke could catch and release more than 100 striped bass in a morning OR afternoon outing!

“Honestly, you may need to keep your hook out of the water while you grab a bite to eat amidst all the action,” said Kevin Dockendorf, fisheries biologist for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, who witnessed some incredible fishing feats while sampling the river Monday.

He and other fisheries biologists with the Commission and the Division of Marine Fisheries collected a little more than 1,000 striped bass, tagging nearly 700 fish during a striped bass spawning survey, a cooperative sampling effort by the two agencies.

“With many anglers reeling in a bunch of fish while we worked, who knows how many total striped bass were caught,” Dockendorf said. “We saw many anglers catching striped bass as fast as they could put a hook in the water. In fact, two anglers reeled in one striped bass …at the same time. The quick eating striper ate both baits and got hooked by both anglers.”

As in previous weeks, biologists found many 14- to-17-inch striped bass as well as some 40+ inch striped bass. In addition, their sample included a good portion of striped bass in the protected slot limit (22 to 27 inches).

“We really hadn’t seen these size classes of striped bass in good numbers at Weldon this season until this Monday,” Dockendorf said.

Bobby Colston, of Colston’s Tackle Box on Hwy. 48 south of Gaston, agreed that there are “lots of fish in the river.” He was fishing Tuesday and saw boats lined up “wall to wall” around the big rock, with most catching fish. He saw many anglers throwing live bait, although he did well with artificial, casting a white fluke with a chartreuse tail. Fly fishermen were doing well too.

Water temps were 64 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday and will likely climb as warmer weather comes in by the end of the week. With water temperatures near peak spawning temperatures and an abundance of striped bass currently on the spawning grounds, anglers will likely observe striped bass spawning events or “rock fights” while fishing on the river near Weldon over the next five to 10 days.

Please remember to use single barbless hooks or lures with a single barbless hook when fishing near Weldon to reduce hooking mortality on striped bass. The Commission also encourages striped bass anglers to use small, non-offset circle hooks, preferably ones with the least amount of distance between the hook point and shank.

Striped Bass Season and Regulation Information

The entire Roanoke River Management Area is open to striped bass harvest from March 1 through April 30.
The Roanoke River Management Area includes the Roanoke River and tributaries from Roanoke Rapids Lake Dam downstream to Albemarle Sound, including the Cashie, Middle and Eastmost rivers.

The daily creel limit within the Roanoke River Management Area is two striped bass per person. The minimum length limit is 18 inches, and no striped bass between 22 and 27 inches may be possessed at any time. Only one striped bass larger than 27 inches can be included in the daily creel limit.

The Commission also encourages striped bass anglers to use small, non-offset circle hooks, preferably ones with the least amount of distance between the hook point and shank.

Studies show that striped bass caught on small, barbless circle hooks are usually hooked in the jaw, which means they have a much greater chance of survival after being released than fish hooked in the throat or gut.

Keep in mind that whether you use circle hooks or regular "J" hooks, regulations only permit the use of a single barbless hook in Roanoke River upstream of the U.S. Highway 258 bridge each year from April 1 through June 30.