Roanoke River
NC Rockfish Charters
I’m Captain Joey, and here in North Carolina, the Roanoke River is one of the major lifelines for striped bass, also known as stripers or rockfish. Also a hot spot for blue catfish and channels cats.
The Roanoke River and its tributaries offer a unique wilderness experience for fishing for striped bass. Meandering from the Coastal plain to the Atlantic Ocean, the Roanoke River fans out through the largest intact bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem east of the Mississippi. This vast natural corridor is also home to blue catfish, channel catfish, bull head catfish, largemouth bass, white perch, yellow perch, crappie, and bream. In the spring are migrating herring, hickory shad, and American shad. The Roanoke river is one of the most diverse rivers in eastern NC. Ancient bald cypress trees and towering tupelos form a lush overhead canopy along the Roanoke river.
Striped Bass/Stripers/Rockfish
Every spring striped bass, stripers, rockfish migrate up the Roanoke River to spawn in mass numbers! The fishing is very renowned with the volume located here in the Roanoke! This is a great fishery in the month of April. Weldon, NC, is classified as the Rockfish Capital of the world!
We work on catching fish
Typically 35-70 fish per trip and up to 100 fish on the upper end. Of course, after the limit is reached, it’s catch and release.
Catfish
Our primary target species is blue cat, a.k.a. Arkansas catfish, as they are invasive to the local area. They grow big (100+ lbs) and great numbers that are really fast. There are going to be numerous state records caught out of this river in years to come!
Another great tasting species is the channel catfish that is native to the Roanoke River and puts up a great fight with good numbers also.
Note: If you want a fish to fill your coolers, this is the river to do it.
Shad
We get both Hickory and American shad on the Roanoke River with big numbers going all the way up to Weldon, NC to spawn every March. This is an excellent numbers fishery along with light tackle or fly rod.
Check the rates page or click the Book Now link below to book your fishing experience with me so we can fill your cooler.
I spend my winter season as a captain here on the Roanoke River, and my summer season is spent fishing out of Hatteras, NC. Both places have great fishing.
Rates and Bookings
I’m looking forward to being your captain for catfishing and fishing for stripers and shad on the Roanoke River. Please check for availability on the Book Now button in the lower right of the screen or check the Rates page for more information.