Roanoke River Stripers 5-2-11

The NCWRC Roanoke River Striper Report http://www.ncwildlife.org/Fishing/Fish_RR_Fishing_Report_050511.htm says the fish are still "in" but it is probably too late to catch the peak of the annual spawning run. One advantage of going now is there is not a huge flotilla of boats on the river or the long wait at the ramp. If you are thinking about going I would say "go" but do not go with the anticipation of 100 fish days which were common a couple weeks ago.



"Flower Pot Steve" and I hit the Roanoke a week ago. Steve got his name from the wooden pram he rescued from someone's front yard where it was living our it's final days as a makeshift flower pot. After a good power washing, a new board here and there and new coat of paint it makes a good fishing boat. Steve and a friend had a "100 fish day" the week before so we were looking for more of the same.



It took awhile and most of last weeks spots did not produce but Steve finally connected with the first fish. They came one at a time with a long interval between fish but they were there if you really worked for them.



It looked like I was along for the ride and as Steve's personal photographer because he put 10 like this in the boat before I got my first hit. Give he credit - he knows how to catch stripers, steelhead and salmon. I can out fish him with the small stuff like trout, bream, crappie and bass but he has a knack for the larger species.



At last - my first fish. Photo by Lee Parsons, a salt water guide and friend of Steve's who was on the river taking pictures. Note the sharpness of a good camera compared to all the other photos shot with my little "point and shoot" Pentax Optio W30



Steve added salt to the wound by catching a large mouth bass while I continued photography duty.



I caught a couple more. We put about 20 in the boat, most of them caught by Steve - like I said, he can catch fish!



Time to load the Flower Pot on the trailer and head for home. Weather was nice, the company was great and we didn't get skunked. Best of all, Steve and I had time to catch up as we have not seen each other for a few months. As I get older I'm finding more and more that fishing is not all about the "catching".