Pamlico/Neuse River – August 2025
Donald, of Custom Marine Fabrication, reports that red drum of all sizes are scattered along the shorelines from the sound up past New Bern. Slot-sized fish make up a majority of the action, but scattered big drum have been hanging out all year.
Some smaller speckled trout are moving back into the river after a spring spawn down in the sound. Most of the trout are being caught with artificials.
Targeting hard structure with natural baits is producing black drum and sheepshead.
Bluefish are all over the place, with some schools made up of larger fish.
Scattered tarpon are in the river and have been seen almost all the way up to New Bern.
The New Bern Fishing Pier is producing a few striped bass.
Dave, of Pamlico Pirate Charters, reports that the early morning topwater bite has been good for slot red drum. Getting on the water early is key for fishing overall, as after about 10:00 am, the action gets tough due to the heat. Switching over to live or cut bait (menhaden, mullet, or shrimp) will help keep the action going.
The morning bite is also producing speckled trout. There aren’t numbers of fish, but they are larger fish.
Anglers have already landed a handful of “old” drum. The drum have been found schooled up around frenzied mullet.
Quite a few bluefish are in the area. The heat is keeping them down in the water and off the surface, but they are mixed in all over.
Good-sized flounder are being caught, mostly as bycatch, with bottom-rigged cut or live baits.
Gary, of Spec Fever Guide Service, reports that the main river shorelines have been producing speckled trout and slot-sized red drum, with artificials on lighter jig heads or under popping corks as a simple but sure-fire way to get strikes.
Some trophy-sized red drum (to 50”) are around.
Schools of big bluefish have stuck around in the river, and these blues will hit just about anything you throw at them.
Chandler Eberly, of Garner, caught this bull red drum in the Neuse River sight casting with a gold spoon.
Josh, of Pamlico Point Charters, reports that red drum remain the top target for this hot, mid-summer fishing. Anglers are having the best success targeting shoreline flats and structure in slightly deeper (3-6’) water.
As they have been for the past few months, a few bull drum are in the mix.
Some keeper speckled trout are being caught when anglers can find slightly cooler conditions that get these fish fired up to strike artificials.
Flounder fishing has been really consistent, especially with Z-Man soft plastics on jig heads slowly worked along the bottom.
A lot more shrimp has moved into the Neuse and Pamlico areas, and their presence is only going to help the bite as we move into the hottest stretch.
Alan, of East Side Bait and Tackle, reports that the puppy drum bite has been picking up, with fish scattered all throughout the area. Most of the action is coming from soft plastics under popping corks or Carolina-rigged live or cut bait.
The same soft plastics or Carolina-rigged baits are catching a bunch of flounder.
Most of the speckled trout action is happening in the early mornings or in deeper holes where the water temperatures are slightly cooler.
A bunch of bluefish schools are in the river, and they aren’t picky.
Spanish mackerel are towards the mouth of the river and out into the sound. They have been fluctuating back and forth with all the rain.
Anglers are also seeing some tarpon when out near the sound.
Gaston, of Kingfisher Charters, reports that anglers working the shoreline banks are finding a bunch of flounder bites, and expect to find slot red drum mixed in. Soft plastics have been the go-to bait option for both species.
A bunch of over-slot red drum are around, with may falling for topwaters.
The arrival of brown shrimp has turned on the speckled trout bite anywhere from the sound back up into the rivers. Both topwater plugs and popping corks with soft plastics have been effective in enticing strikes from the trout.
Cathy Washburn, of Oriental, caught this speckled trout in the Oriental area using cut bait.
Zach, of UFO Fishing Charters, reports that red drum (slot to over-slot bulls) are feeding well around the mouth of the river. Targeting points in bigger creeks or stumpy shorelines is producing most of the action.
Tarpon are being caught up in the river. Cut bait or live larger mullet and croakers are the best options.
Speckled trout are being caught along the river shorelines, though this is an early morning bite that shuts down as the heat settles in. These 16-20” fish are mostly hitting artificials such as topwater plugs and soft plastics. Trout are also out over deeper structure in the sound for anglers working artificials lower in the water column.
Sheepshead and black drum are around for those that want to bottom fish in the sound.
Flounder are all over the place, both in the river and out into the sound. A Gulp soft plastic on a jig head is almost a guaranteed way of producing a flatfish.
Grey, of Hyde Guides, reports that the area is seeing plenty of shrimp show up, and the shrimp is helping improve the action for several species.
For speckled trout, topwaters are a fun tactic for first thing in the morning, and then slip out to deeper areas with structure once the sun is up. For the deeper areas, live shrimp under popping corks or slip corks will help keep on the bite.
Black drum and sheepshead can be caught with the same live shrimp.
A bunch of flounder are around and hitting just about any bait fished near the bottom.
Slot and over-slot red drum (to 35”) are being caught while cut bait fishing.
Schools of tarpon are both in the sound and the river.
