The winter striper bite is still going strong. We have received a little more rain since my last post, and base flows in the rivers are increasing slowly. We needed the rain, and so far we haven’t received too much. We see what this recent big rain event from this coastal low pressure system brings. In the Tar, localized rain within eastern NC and the Piedmont determines what the river does. With the Roanoke, everything depends on rain that falls above the lakes. Rainfall above Kerr/Gaston/Roanoke Rapids Reservoir dictates flow from the dam, which determines that we receive on the lower end of the river. The Virginia foothills received a lot of recent snow, so we’ll see what this snowmelt does to the lakes.
Most days on the lower Roanoke have produced 30-80 fish days. I did sneak off to the Tar one day to check on it and we caught about 25 fish in just a couple of hours with an average size of 5-6 pounds. We had a few 8-9 pounders in the mix. Those are so much fun in the river. We have great options for winter fishing, so come on down and enjoy one of North Carolina best fisheries.
Last Remaining Open Dates for Winter Striper Season:
Jan. 20-21, 24, 27 Feb. 2-3, 8-9, 14, 17, 18 Mar. 15, 17
