Fresh off the boat from being in Roanoke Rapids, NC for past few weeks. For the ones that don't know I spend 4 ish weeks every Spring in NC. I head down there for a week or more every March for the Hickory and American shad run, then back down for the striped bass migration starting middle of April. This years runs were interesting and challenging, no lack of fish but low water flows made it different fishing than all my years past on this fishery. Amazingly we are in a drought again this Spring, last year wasn't this bad far as lack of rain. With all the lakes on the Roanoke River watershed upstream of this fishery being low it was very unlikely we would have a lot of water for the spawn.
The shad fishing was different than I had ever experienced. Most times flows are well in 8000 cfs plus range but this year it was at 2500 cfs. Fish were there but they seem to move more often I think because of lack of current and depth kept them moving about instead holding in a spot for long periods of time. Fish seemed to move through the spot and you may have a lull until more moved into that spot. Still a great season with the Hickory shad being the majority but caught more American shad that I have in past years which was awesome.
With high hopes of rain and higher water promised from the fish biologist I didn't know what to expect with my return back for the striped bass run. My first trip out it was unseasonably being 80 degrees outside and water flow was 3500 Cfs. So a little higher than the shad run and the biologist saying the best spawn they ever had was a 3000 cfs season. Thats great I want these fish to be very successful with their spawn but the question was how long are they going to hang around with low water flows? Well we had fish the entire season when I'm normally there, that being said it doesn't mean the fishing was great everyday. The low water seemed to make the fish move a lot. Locate a school hook into a few of them then they move so the low water was challenging but not impossible just burn a lot more gas chasing them around. Like fishing normally is some days are good some days you work hard for bites and that was how the season was. I can say my clients had more good days than slow and I learned a lot about this fishery if I ever see low flows like this in the future again. If fishing the shad or striped bass run interest you please let me know. I usually book up early by the first of the year for next years season.
