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This week’s report features this update section because Fisheries Biologists Jeremy McCargo and Ben Ricks sampled the Roanoke on Monday (Apr. 15) and Thursday (Apr. 18) this week. Think of this as a Wildlife Commission “blue light special” for y’all. McCargo and Ricks sampled the Roanoke yesterday (Apr. 18), launching from the Gaston boat ramp associated with the Town of Gaston near Hwy. 48. They conducted this week’s sampling for American shad spawning stock from the Hwy 48 bridge to the powerlines. They captured 124 American shad, consisting of 96 males and 28 females — approximately a 3:1 male-to-female ratio. Size range for the American (white) shad was 15-22 inches. They also observed one bank angler catch an American shad near the boat ramp. McCargo wanted to underscore two important points to anglers on the Roanoke: First, he stressed the importance of being able to identify American versus hickory shad because only one American Shad may be harvested in the 10-fish-per-angler daily creel limit for shad. “The upper and lower jaws on American shad come together evenly when the mouth is closed, whereas the lower jaw of the hickory shad protrudes beyond the upper lip with the mouth closed,” McCargo said. “Another important note for anglers is that flows are currently fairly high on the Roanoke River. Boaters should use extreme caution when boating in the Gaston and Weldon areas.”
Stripers in da’ house! Well, at least in the house on the Roanoke River.
Fisheries Biologists Jeremy McCargo, Ben Ricks and Kevin Dockendorf sampled the upper Roanoke River near Weldon on Monday, April 15, and collected 36 striped bass from their electrofishing boat. Sampling in the area from the Gap downstream to Troublefield Gut, they came across striped bass ranging from 13-26 inches in length, with the heaviest striper weighing 8.5 pounds.
McCargo attributed this year’s late arrival of striped bass to the spawning grounds near Weldon to the unseasonably cold temperatures at the beginning of April.
“As water temps continue to rise, striped bass should be making their way upriver in preparations for spawning activity,” McCargo said. “But hickory shad were still very abundant in the upper Roanoke on Monday. We didn’t net any shad or record any data, but there were plenty to support fishing trips. Hickory shad will likely only be around for a short while, so shad anglers should come to Weldon quick for end-of-season shad action.”
They observed a handful of anglers on the Roanoke on Monday. The boats were spread out from the boat ramp down to Halifax.
“We saw one boat catch two striped bass near Troublefield Gut,” McCargo said. “He appeared to be using live shad with a drifting presentation.”
Water temperature in the upper Roanoke on Monday was 58º F, with flows around 8,500 cubic feet per second (cfs). The weather was cloudy and cool, with rain in the early morning.
Monday’s sampling trip was the first of many weekly striped bass spawning stock survey samples on the Roanoke River. Wildlife Commission fisheries biologists collect data to evaluate the health of the Roanoke’s striped bass spawning stock. Data are combined with DMF data to run stock assessment models and set harvest regulations.
In addition to sampling striped bass in the upper Roanoke, McCargo, Ricks and Dockendorf also sent eight striped bass (two females and six males) to the Watha State Fish Hatchery, where hatchery staff will raise striped bass and hybrid striped bass juveniles for stocking into numerous reservoirs throughoutNorth Carolina.
“Also, Division of Marine Fisheries staff tagged the remaining fish with yellow, internal anchor tags,” McCargo said. “The Wildlife Commission has cooperated with DMF to tag thousands of striped bass each year. Anglers who catch a tagged striped bass should contact DMF biologist, Charlton Godwin, at 800-338-7805.”
McCargo added that the fish were also tagged with a Passive Integrated Transponder(PIT) tag. This small, electronic tag is surgically inserted inside the fish’s abdomen and allows biologists to identify each individual fish. The PIT tag project is a cooperative project with NCSU researchers.
According to information collected from creel clerk surveys, striped bass are being caught throughout the Roanoke River. Most of the stripers caught and released are less than 18 inches.
In addition, hickory shad also are still being caught by anglers targeting these fish, with one angler reporting 101 hickory shad caught. The majority of anglers fishing the Roanoke now are targeting striped bass, according to Kevin Dockendorf, the Wildlife Commission’s fisheries research coordinator in the coastal region.
Dockendorf’s weekly creel report from the Roanoke is gleaned from information collected by Chip Peele and Patrick Railey, Roanoke River creel clerks. Peele and Railey interview anglers coming off the Roanoke to collect information for the Wildlife Commission on angling effort as well as size, catch and harvest data on striped bass, hickory shad and other fish targeted by anglers over the 61-day striped bass harvest season on the Roanoke River.
“On Wednesday (April 17), the creel clerks measured and weighed similar numbers of fish at both Jamesville and Weldon,” Dockendorf said. “At this point of the striped bass migration, an angler could go fish the Roanoke from any access area under the current conditions and catch their limit of striped bass, or at least have fun seeking them out. But after the water temps are 66-70ºF at Weldon, then the lower Roanoke will likely hold relatively few striped bass — just those stragglers trying to make it in time for the party.”
Click here to view map. Note: This map is to be used for general informational purposes only and not for navigation of the Roanoke River. Rocks, logs, and other hazards are likely to be encountered anywhere in this area.
Click here to view map. Note: This map of the Roanoke River Boating Access Areas is to be used for general informational purposes only.
Fisheries Biologist Jeremy McCargo holds up an approximately 30-pound striped bass that was sampled on Monday, April 22, from the Roanoke River near Weldon.
Fisheries Biologist Ben Ricks displays an 8-pound female striped bass collected from the Roanoke River near Weldon on Monday, April 15. Stripers are being caught along the entire Roanoke now.