The Neuse River in North Carolina has become somewhat of a destination for mid-Atlantic fly fishermen desperate to break out of the winter lull. The Neuse is home to a population of stripers that spend much (if not all) of their lives in the river, unlike most estuarine populations that migrate to the ocean.
For the second year in a row, my esteemed fishing buddy organized a trip down from Washington, DC. In tow were two other buddies itching for adventure. Base camp was an rental cabin right on the river, complete with kayaks and a killer view.
We woke up early our first morning, grumbling at the lack of coffee (more later)...saddled up the kayaks and hit the water.
Can't beat the location
In short, the fishing was slow. Very slow. We eeked out a few tiny schoolies and a white perch. It wasn't clear whether the hot temperatures the week before had moved the fishing, or whether some other unknown was at play. Either way, we weren't catching. The highlight of the day came when Buddy #3 hooked into something big. "Are there largemouth bass in here?" he hollered. Sure enough, he'd hooked a whopping largemouth. Unsure whether we'd catch another fish bigger than our hand, we decided the bass would be lunch.
As our other buddies continued the hunt, the two of us headed for the kitchen. After filleting the bass and noting the overpowering and unpleasant muddy odor, we determined frying was the only sufficient preparation method. Scrapping together some Old Bay, hot sauce, flour, and other spices found around the rental kitchen, we turned out a surprisingly tasty lunch.
Trophy of the weekend
Bass chef at work
Failed attempt at afternoon coffee
White perch
Kindergarden schoolie
When the fishing stinks, you'd better be with some good friends. And we were. I can honestly say I've never had so much fun not catching fish. As the day ended, we quit fishing and paddled leisurely, enjoying the marsh and witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime sunset.
No fish - good friends
Sunset for the books
Rather than try the river a second time, we decided to head back to Virginia early the next morning to mountain brook trout streams. The fact that no one had a trout rod (most of our rods were laughably heavy for trout water) didn't deter this group.
Our rough plan
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I can't say the fishing was much better in Shenandoah. At this point, though, it barely mattered. We were having fun road-tripping around with our rods, comparing fishing saltwater on Saturday and freshwater on Sunday, laughing about the lack of success, and enjoying the warming spring sun that meant better fishing was just around the corner.
Fishing Hero
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