By: Frank Jones
Over the years I’ve heard about fishing the “upper” Roanoke River in eastern North Carolina. The springtime spawning run of striped bass is famous, and I’ve had it on my bucket list of fishing trips for some time.
While attending a local fishing expo, I met Capt. Scooter Lilley of CWW Inshore Charters. He told me something I had not previously known about the Roanoke.
“If you really want to experience this fishery, you need to fish the river in the winter months,” he said. “During the months of November through March, the striped bass will winter, and then begin their move up the river, and in the lower end it is not uncommon that my clients have 100-fish days.”
I wasn’t born yesterday, and can tell a good fish story myself, so I’m thinking “how come I haven’t heard of these 100-fish days before now?” I mean, come on, that’s not the kind of thing you can keep a secret. Well, one day in the middle of February I was talking to Scooter on the phone and he invited me down for a day on the water. I don’t know if he meant it or not, but I said how about tomorrow and we made a date. Little did I know at the time, but I was in store for one of the most amazing fishing days of my life.
The next day I woke up at 4:45 a.m. to the loud crack of thunder and heavy rain and thought Mother Nature was going to put a stop to this fishing trip. A quick check of the radar and to my disappointment the storm was headed straight for my destination of Jamesville, N.C. Knowing I had a couple hours to drive and seeing how fast the storm was moving, I looked at my watch and said, “time to go fishing.” Sometimes in life things that don’t look too good at the start of the day turn out great, and this was going to be one of those days. The rain had stopped and it was about 10:30 a.m. when we launched Scooter’s Triton bass boat from the wildlife ramp on the west edge of Jamesville. After a short run up the river we arrived at our first stop.
The area we pulled up to looked just like any other spot on the river to me, but Capt. Scooter assured me this was not the case.
“River fishing is different from other types of fishing. You’re not looking for major structure changes but just small changes in the river that cause minor changes in current and water color,” he said. “People can fish the Roanoke for years, and if they don’t know what to look for they go right past some of the most productive locations on the river. I’ve got 30 years experience fishing this river, and I learn a little something new each time I’m on the water.”
After tying on a 3/8-ounce jig head and 5-inch paddle tail grub, my first cast proved he knew what he was talking about. That first cast produced a fat 3-pound striper, and over the next couple hours the action was non-stop. We lost count of the number of fish we caught at close to 100 in a stretch of the river no longer than 300 yards.
“Not everyone can catch these fish,” said Scooter. “You have to cast to the right location and let the lure drift and sink with the current, that’s the trick. If you don’t put the lure in the right location, or get impatient and reel it in before it gets to the right depth, you’ll catch a few fish, but not the numbers we’re catching.”
It’s hard for me to leave fish while they’re biting, but about 1:30 p.m. Capt. Scooter assured me that no fishing trip to this part of the river was complete without a lunch stop at the famous Cypress Grill in Jamesville. The Cypress Grill is located right on the river in Jamesville and has been in business for decades serving fried fish to locals and visiting fishermen. Fried herring is the specialty of the house this time of year, and I highly recommend it. I had the salted herring with a little vinegar, and it’s a real treat. After this short break it was time to get back on the water, and though we had left the fish biting, Capt. Scooter wanted to show me some more of the river and try something a little different. After nearly three hours of almost constant action in the morning, I was game for the change even if it meant the fishing slowed down. Boy was I in for a surprise.
The lower end of the Roanoke has a number of small “backwater” feeder creeks, and we went looking for one to see if the fish had moved into them. The week before this trip, North Carolina had been hit with its second snowstorm of the season, but the week of my trip we were finally seeing our first string of warmer days. Even though the day had started out with rain and temperatures in the 40s, the afternoon had cleared up and warmed to the mid 60s with some sunshine.
“This time of year these creeks can warm up a couple of degrees in the afternoon, and that will be enough to send the stripers up into them looking to feed,” Scooter said. “When they do that, they are sometimes bigger fish. You don’t usually catch the numbers, but you make up for it in size.”
We pulled into one of these creeks and started using a different technique from the morning.
“These feeder creeks don’t have the current of the main river, so instead of letting the lure drift and sink we’re going to be fan casting across the creek and slow reeling the same lure as we used this morning,” Scooter informed me.
The first part of the creek didn’t produce a fish, but roughly halfway up the creek we caught our first fish. From that point on the action was fast and furious. The biggest fish of the day, about 8 pounds, was caught in the morning. These fish averaged a solid 3 ½ to 4 pounds with a number 5-pound fish, and all were full of fight.
I had my doubts at the fishing show, but I’m now a believer in fishing the lower Roanoke for winter and early spring stripers. Capt. Scooter assured me that this days was special, we lost count of the fish somewhere north of 100, but an average February day in this part of the river will produce 25 to 50 fish. Now that’s a great day on the water for anyone!
The key to the Roanoke River is knowing the water, and Capt. Scooter Lilley, of CWW Inshore Charters, (252) 799-9536 is one of the most experienced guides in the area. Take a day off and go fishing. The lower Roanoke River has some world-class fishing.
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