Roanoke River Fly Fishing

"90 Days in the Spring"

Fly Fishing for Striped Bass on North Carolina's Roanoke River

     The annual return of anadromous (adj.[Gk. anadromos running upward]: ascending rivers from the sea for breeding) fish to the Roanoke River in North Carolina is truly one of the most bountiful angling opportunities in the southeast.  Hickory shad followed by striped bass provide almost non stop action for about ninety days every spring.

      The picture on the Roanoke was not always so rosy.  Due to almost unrestricted fishing pressure, both recreational and commercial, this fishery was almost decimated.

      Several years ago a coalition of guides, local civic leaders, fisheries management officials, and industrial concerns was formed to help steer fisheries management policies on the Roanoke River.

      This coalition helped bring about some major changes in the management of the striped bass fishery, not only in the Roanoke River but also in the Albemarle Sound where most of the striped bass spawned in the Roanoke will spent their first few years.  Management changes include: limited number of "harvest" days, along with closely monitored quotas, slot limits, barb-less hook regulations, and efforts to maintain minimum river flows during critical periods during the spawning season

      Hickory shad season usually is beginning to heat up by the full moon in March.  For fly angler without a boat, the Roanoke River can be a tough nut to crack...Flows of 2,000 cfs or less (Roanoke Rapids Gauge) will afford some limited wadding access in the vicinity of the boat ramp at Weldon up to the US 158 Bridge.  The vast majority of the shoreline of the River is steep (slippery) clay banks with trees and brush down to the water.

      While there are some striped bass mixed in all during the hickory shad run, most local guides consider April 15th to be the first booking date for fly anglers looking for big numbers of stripers.  The best of the striped bass run will last about 30 days.  In the early part of the run the population will be almost exclusively male.   The female population arrive in a classic bell curve, very few early in the run and then a dramatic increase until there numbers are almost equal to the males.  Near the end of the run the population will again return to being almost exclusively male. 

      Fly tackle requirements for the Roanoke vary greatly with stream flow.  If the water is low a 3 or 4wt with a type II sinking line is quite sporting for hickory shad.  Hickory shad can be very acrobatic if not burdened by a heavy sinking line.

      An 8wt is just about right for striper fishing.  To consistently catch stripers on the Roanoke you must be able to present you fly close to the bottom.   That means at least a type IV line with a 30 foot head.  Five foot, ten foot, and even fifteen foot sink tips are seldom as productive as full sinking lines or lines with 30 foot fast-sinking heads.  Day in and day out, you can almost always observe a fly angler or two, struggling to catch even a few stripers, while others are having a banner day.  If you want to consistently catch fish throughout the day on this river, you must come prepared to present your fly close to the bottom.

      With only a box full of #2 Chartreuse Clousers you could catch more than enough shad or stripers on the Roanoke to keep almost anyone happy.   Everyone who spends much time on this river will have a few favorite patterns.   If you were to check the boxes of many of the full-time guides on the river you would probably see a lot of boxes full of chartreuse/white Half and Half (half Clouser/half Deceiver).   If shad are your primary target, then a fly with some hot pink will often out produce other flies on the Roanoke River.

      I personally have not found the stripers on the Roanoke to be very color selective.  I have found that when it is tough to get a bite, that I can sometimes stir up some action by changing size.  Either a very small fly (like a #6 Clouser) presented tight on the bottom, or a very big fly presented up close to the shoreline; will produce fish when other presentations are failing.

Surface Action

      Everyone wants to know about catching Roanoke stripers on poppers.  About mid way into the run, when the female population is increasing, groups of spawning fish will come up to the surface.  The majority of this surface activity occurs just before sunset.

      Ripe females are surrounded by a dozen or more eager males.  This spawning ritual culminates with a spectacular surface display and the release of clouds milt into the water column.

      When these male stripers are in this over stimulated mode they will readily chase a popper.  Medium size poppers will generally draw more strikes than larger ones.   

Twenty or more male stripers milting with a single female

How to catch a big one ?

      Stripers on the Roanoke average less than 20 inches.  There are however a few fish approaching 30 inches caught everyday during the mid-stages of the run. In 2003 there were reasonable numbers of stripers over 30 pounds in the upper reaches of the river, with a fish or two landed that exceeded the 50 pound mark.  With so many smaller fish in the river your odds of catching a larger striper is not high.  There are a few proven techniques for improving your odds for hooking up with a larger fish.

      Fishing just prior to sunrise is perhaps the very best thing you can do if you are looking for a bigger fish.  Up in "the rocks" just above the boat ramp at Weldon is one area that has traditionally produced bigger fish at sunrise.  Casting cross-current in the faster runs with  big fly and a stout tippet just as it gets light enough to see, will produce a trophy fish or two for those who put in enough time.

      Big flies generally produce bigger fish.   Pounding snags and blow-downs along the shoreline with a big fly, or working one tight on the bottom will generally pickup more of the larger fish than other techniques during the middle of the day.

Harry Hall   sefly.com  

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