Livewell full of stripers
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Weekly Fishing Report for the Roanoke River, May 22
If sampling conducted by fisheries biologists this week is any indication, striped bass will soon be gone from the Roanoke River. On Monday, biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and Division of Marine Fisheries collected about 940 fish, most of them ranging in size from 14 to 25 inches, with some in the 26- to-30-inch range. According to Commission biologist Kevin Dockendorf, stripers are spawning regularly and will likely continue until water temperatures hit 72 degrees Fahrenheit. With water temperatures on Monday right at 70 degrees Fahrenheit and a weekend of warm weather almost upon us, Dockendorf expects that next week’s sampling effort will net a significantly smaller number of fish than this past week’s effort. “Last year, when water temps averaged 69 degrees, we collected 934 striped bass,” Dockendorf said. “Then, with water temperatures at 71 degrees the following week, we collected 51. “Although its possible anglers may catch stripers during this extended weekend, the optimal periods to catch a striped bass on the Roanoke in 2008 are probably behind us.” That’s not to say that anglers headed to the river this weekend won’t catch fish. “There’s still plenty of fish in the river and you can still catch them,” said Bobby Colston, of Colston’s Tackle Box on Hwy. 48 south of Gaston. “And it’s not very crowded since a lot of people stopped fishing for them.” If you’re headed to the river for some striper action this weekend, please remember to use single barbless hooks or lures with a single barbless hook 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. Click here for additional information on striped bass fishing on the Roanoke River. River Conditions Check current river conditions at Roanoke Rapids Check current river conditions at Williamston Additional Water Quality Information
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