NC TROUT

[Nag Juice]

Ok guys I'm curious if you're seeing the same thing I'm seeing. It seemed like the trout showed up strong a few weeks ago. It was as if 20-25 inch fish were the new norm. So the last few days I've fished pretty hard. I've hit old spots and new spots and all of which have produced. So here's the dilemma, the larger trout seemed to have disappeared. Yesterday I caught 15-20 and this afternoon I caught 10. Not one fish in the last 2 days was even close to 14". The only difference ive seen in the water is the presence of gill nets. I saw 4 different nets set up at the mouth of Hewletts Creek last Saturday. Have the commercial guys schwacked all the big trout already? What are you other NC guys seeing?

[JEM]

I don't understand how NC can still allow inshore netting like that.  It's a darn shame!

[Nag Juice]

Dude it kills me. This fishery could be world class but the gill nets kill EVERYTHING indiscriminately 

[Certified Rehab]

There are some nice fish left, but you have to get way out of the way to find them.

12" fish swim through those nets. 22" fish do not.

[Nag Juice]

You getting deep in the grass or just where the netters can't get?

[Certified Rehab]

I don't have any secret spots, but the farther up the deep creeks the better. Some fish in the rivers to the north and south too.

Maybe when the spots are gone the net pressure will ease up. Hopefully there's a few left.

[whichwaysup]

Nag, stop blaming those poor netters for your poor fishing skills.  C'mon man, every time I go out, I'm loading up the boat!

(we are talking about lizardfish, right?)

[bernieNC]

12 hours ago, Nag Juice said:

Ok guys I'm curious if you're seeing the same thing I'm seeing. It seemed like the trout showed up strong a few weeks ago. It was as if 20-25 inch fish were the new norm. So the last few days I've fished pretty hard. I've hit old spots and new spots and all of which have produced. So here's the dilemma, the larger trout seemed to have disappeared. Yesterday I caught 15-20 and this afternoon I caught 10. Not one fish in the last 2 days was even close to 14". The only difference ive seen in the water is the presence of gill nets. I saw 4 different nets set up at the mouth of Hewletts Creek last Saturday. Have the commercial guys schwacked all the big trout already? What are you other NC guys seeing?

I'm hearing the same thing around Morehead and Swansboro. I have not seen it. Yesterday and last Friday I caught limits of 21-27" fish within 30 min. I am fishing deep 9-11' in a creek between the ICW and the ocean. The area I fish nets are not allowed so what does that tell you?

[Nag Juice]

It tells me enough. I'm not sure their restrictions are here, but I see them everywhere. 

[Nag Juice]

2 hours ago, Certified Rehab said:

I don't have any secret spots, but the farther up the deep creeks the better. Some fish in the rivers to the north and south too.

Maybe when the spots are gone the net pressure will ease up. Hopefully there's a few left.

I was told MATTHEW killed the spot season and that's why they're hitting the trout so hard. You here that?

[ncdrew]

Im no expert but they hit the trout hard every year.  Don't confuse the spot netters(they're annoying too but at least are tended to) with the gill nets you see at the mouth of creeks and on every shoreline in our rivers.  New River has been unfishable at times because of them.  Its ridiculous.  Remember we had some hard freezes a few yrs ago and last year there were tons of 10-14" fish.  This season there has been a good size ones and Matthew pushed most of the shrimp out at once which is why you saw everything wide open after the storm.