Striper Bass by the Thousands Migrate along Roanoke River
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The scenery and the clean water are at the heart of what brings outdoorsmen to the Roanoke Valley. And the deer hunting and striper bass fishing is what keeps them coming back.
“In Roanoke Valley, it is a banner year every year,” says Bob Phillips, who owns Carolina Sportsman, a Roanoke Valley fishing guide service. “It is a wondrous blessing of nature. The place will spoil someone.”
Each April, stripers make their spawning run from saltwater to the freshwater of the Roanoke River, an annual migration that earns makes Roanoke Rapids the Rockfish Capital of the World. Locals call them rockfish because they catch so many of them around the rocks of the lakebed.
Between April and May, striper fishing reaches its peak, with upwards of 150 boats along a two-mile stretch of the river. It’s not uncommon for fishermen to catch more than 100 fish during this season. While that makes for an exciting day, rules do apply: The seasonal keep limit is two fish per day and there are regulations regarding size.
Fishing in any season has its rewards.
“Roanoke River is a fantastic place to take your family, especially your kids,” Phillips says. “It’s not hard at all to put a minnow on a line and wait 30 seconds to catch a fish.”
Three beautiful lakes, Roanoke Rapids Lake, Lake Gaston and John Kerr Reservoir, round out the fishing opportunities in the area and varieties include crappie, sunfish, white perch and several types of catfish. Roanoke Rapids Lake Park also offers great fishing from its pier, as well as a wonderful view of the North Carolina sunset.
“A lot of people move here to retire because Lake Gaston is such a pretty lake,” says Bobby Colston, who owns Colston’s Tackle Box, a hunting and fishing institution in the area. “It’s so clear. They say it is cleaner than the drinking water in Raleigh.”
The fishing is never dull here. For more experienced fishermen, hickory shad, an acrobatic fish that appears each year in late February, offers an unusual challenge.
Phillips says the abundance of fish available in the waters around Roanoke Valley afford fishermen the chance to try out new types of lures and baits.
Meanwhile, camouflage is the wardrobe of choice for many in Halifax County, where more deer are harvested than in any other county in North Carolina.
The long hunting season, which runs from September until January, as well as liberal bag limits, makes this area a hunter’s paradise. Turkey and bear hunting are also popular here.
Don’t worry about not knowing the terrain or the best fishing holes, there are plenty of seasoned guides to help.
“There are a lot of people here thinking about fishing,” Phillips says. “The fishing community here is well connected and well informed.”
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Story by Brandon Lowe
Photo by Todd Bennett
