Pamlico/Neuse River – October 2025
Brad, of Gunny B Outdoors, reports that red drum in the area spawned at the end of September, and many of the 35-42” males were really active. Artificials, such as large gold spoons, bigger paddle tails on 1/2 oz. jig heads, and plastics under Four Horseman corks, are all having their times of success. The main focus areas have been on ledges in the 3-12’ range.
The flounder are biting live finger mullet on Carolina rigs with a 2/0 circle or kahle hook. If throwing artificials, try casting spinnerbaits around structure, such as stumps or docks.
Speckled trout are more in the river system as a result of the recent stretch of northeast winds. Anywhere from the creek mouths to half-way back the creeks have been the areas with most of the trout action.
Slot-sized red drum are being caught on the flats with gold spoons and topwater plugs.
Striped bass can be found around bait and structure from the tributaries up above New Bern down to the ferry line. The stripers are being caught with topwater plugs and swim baits, and those soft plastics in gold bream or chartreuse color patterns have seen the better action.
Dave, of Pamlico Pirate Charters, reports that drum fishing has seen the most active bite in the evening and nighttime hours this year. These fish are concentrated, and on many days the bite seems either switched on or completely off. Typical areas such as ledges, points, and around bait have been the target areas. Using cut menhaden or mullet on Lupton rigs have been the best offerings, but artificials such as D.O.A. soft plastics, gold spoons, and bucktails can all be solid options.
Although water temperatures are just touching 70, the salinity is high after all the northeast winds, and this high salinity should keep the bait and drum around for a bit longer. With another moon cycle ahead, the thinking is that another spawn is coming.
Loads of bluefish and slot-sized reds are around as well.
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that anglers are focused on trophy red drum action that should continue through October. Throwing artificials, such as the go-to popping cork and larger soft plastic setup, allows anglers to work through more areas of water in search of fish and can make the strike more fun than bait fishing.
A key with all the extra boating traffic is to try and find your own little pocket or area to fish, as these drum are scattered all over. If cruising by another boat, be mindful of distance, and if close to fish, slow down to keep that extra pressure off the fish.
Slot-sized red drum are biting the same popping cork setups.
Plenty of bigger bluefish are feeding around the bait balls in the river.
Wyatt and Daniel Craft, of Hampstead, caught (and released) this 45″ red drum in the New Bern area using cut bait.
Kent, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that the bull red drum bite has been the main focus of anglers in the area. Most of the strikes are coming from ledges (anywhere from 5-20’) while fishing fresh cut bait on Lupton rigs.
The evening is a popular time to bottom fish, but these fish are hitting cut bait all day long. Plenty of anglers are successfully targeting these citation-class reds with artificials, such as larger popping corks matched with a larger swim bait.
Flounder have been hitting live baits or paddle tails with jig heads cast against grass banks in the Swan Quarter area.
Speckled trout are moving from the sound and into the river. They’re mostly being found around creek mouths, especially the creeks that are closer to the sound.
Gaston, of Kingfisher Charters, reports that there are plenty of speckled trout moving into area creeks as part of the fall migration. Many of these fish are smaller, but there are keepers mixed in. The water temperatures are still between 70-75 degrees, which means anglers should expect temperatures to drop more before seeing the larger trout more consistently. Popping corks rigged with Vudu shrimp, soft plastics on jig heads, and topwater plugs have all proved successful.
Plenty of flounder are around, and they’ll be mixed in the fishing action as bycatch until deep into October.
Ike Hawley, of Washington, NC, caught this 44″ red drum near Swan Quarter using a custom topwater plug. He was fishing with Capt. Josh Sutton of Pamlico Point Guide Service.
Zach, of UFO Fishing Charters, reports that the long run of northeast winds pushed a lot of action back into the Pamlico River and its bigger, protected creeks.
Anglers are finding speckled trout (14-20” range) mixed throughout the river and around the larger creek mouths. When targeting trout, soft plastics under popping corks have been the best setup.
The big red drum bite is steady, with most of the action at the mouth of the river and out into the sound.
Many of the slot-sized red drum are working their way out of the river, with very few being seen while targeting the big reds.
Anglers will likely continue finding flounder around, as October is usually one of the best months for flatfish. Z-Man paddle tails or jerk shads on jig heads have been the top producing setups.
Grey, of Hyde Guide, reports that the big red drum fishing action has been fantastic. Anglers are still seeing plenty of big females around, even with recent weather fronts.
The flounder season was excellent, with plenty of quality fish (to 8 lbs.) in the mix. A popular tactic was to use bigger artificials (5-6”+) almost exclusively to weed out the smaller flounder.
Slot-sized red drum are starting to group up on the flats, and they can be seen tearing up the schools of shrimp. These slot fish should become the main focus once the citation-class drum bite starts to slow down.
Speckled trout fishing is ramping up with the recent cool down. The topwater bite has been the top tactic lately, as these fish are starting to push back into the river system.
