This is the time of year outdoor writers despise. That’s because not much is happening out there but icicles clinging to the bridge pilings. And what is happening is the same-old, same-old. Skates and sharks in the Outer Banks surf, a few speckled trout caught in the Elizabeth River and a big bass or two landed at Lake Anna. Crappie are deeper than a western Pennsylvania coal mine, and though there are freshly stocked trout in the streams, they are colder and more sluggish than Mrs. Paul’s fish filets.
But there are a few decent winter opportunities awaiting those who bundle up and in the next few weeks, I’ll offer my two cents on the best of those opportunities.
For starters, the stripers are now stacked like cord wood back in the sounds of the Outer Banks. There are miles of bridges crisscrossing the sounds and that’s where most of the fish hang out. In past years, the stripers caught were often throw backs, running 14-to 18-inches, but in the last few seasons, the big boys have arrived, and numerous 10-pound fish are caught.
The stripers begin staging in the sounds before they make their spawning run up the Roanoke River where hundreds of boats await their arrival at Roanoke Rapids, and that’s a problem.
Fishermen generate tens of thousands of dollars to the local economy and for that reason, politicians (and the Game Commission) allow a big harvest – far more than the quota, and that means the season is closed early for Outer Banks fishermen.
So, it’s catch and release at Nags Head while the Roanoke Rapids anglers are allowed to haul in their limits.
But catching stripers is fun. They fight like the devil and while it would be nice to put a couple in the live well, the January season offers an excellent chance to get outdoors and catch some nice fish.
The top captain for this fishery is my good friend, Capt. Reese Stecher, who has been prowling these sound waters for over 25 years. He knows where the fish are and how to catch them. Contact him at Beachbumfishing.com and arrange a trip for an extra special Winter Opportunity.