Spring 2025 Offerings from Tailing Tide Guide Service

As I type this, it's freezing outside, literally.  Some type of snow, sleet, frozen rain mix is falling, and it will barely get above freezing during the day.  We might be in the dead of winter, but I have green leaves, blooming flowers, warm weather and fishing on my mind.  Sure, we can go chase Redfish all winter (and its quite excellent), but I can't stop thinking about the wonderful freshwater fishing opportunities we will have here in coastal North Carolina this spring.  The Shad will be in our rivers in less than two months and the Stripers won't be far behind.  And last, but definitely not least, we have a great Bass and Panfish fishery in our coastal black water rivers starting mid-Spring.

Let's take a quick look at these three fisheries.

Roanoke River Shad

I'll be back on the Roanoke River near Weldon this coming March.  I'm planning to be up there for 5 consecutive days from March 26th - 30th.  Once all of those days book, I may consider adding more days.  We will have opportunities for 5hr or 8hr trips.

I've been fly fishing for Hickory Shad on the Roanoke River for close to 20 years and it's an absolute blast.  Most of the types of trips we offer are not a numbers game.  Shad fishing is.  Numbers of 50 to 100, possibly more, are not unusual on the Roanoke in March.  Even on a tough day, you'll still catch more shad than you would when fishing for most other species in NC.

Hickory Shad are great targets on both fly and spin.  For fly we are usually fishing 4 to 5wts with 150-200gr sinking lines.  On spin, we are fishing ultralight rods with 6lb braid for a more exciting fight.

Whether you are a seasoned angler or a newbie to the sport, 8 years old or 88 years old, Shad make everyone happy.  Don't let the size of these fish fool you, they eat aggressively, fight hard, and jump.  There's no better way to welcome Spring back to Eastern North Carolina.  

For more information on this fantastic fishery, visit our Roanoke River page here, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or would like to book a trip.

Roanoke Shad

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Roanoke River Stripers

I'll be back on the Roanoke again from May 1st - 10th targeting Striped Bass.  There will be opportunities for long half days (5hrs morning or evening), long full days (10hrs sunrise to sunset with a mid-day break), and full 8hr days.

I'm already looking forward to spending the first half of May on one of my all-time favorite rivers.  The Striped Bass fishery on the Roanoke is one that made the sleepy town of Weldon, NC famous.  Every year male stripers in the 16-30" range and females from 10lbs to as much as 50lbs make their way to Weldon, to spawn in the same stretch of river where they were hatched.  When all of these fish arrive in a few mile stretch of water, it can be surreal.

On fly we target these fish with 6 to 8wt rods.  We fish both floating lines with poppers, and 250-400gr sinking lines with streamers.  We can also catch these fish on medium light spinning rods with poppers and soft plastics.  Since these fish are in spawn mode, we use single barbless hooks, and we are 100% catch and release whether there is an open season or not.

The best bite, and your highest chance of topwater eats usually come first thing in the morning and at the very end of the day.  Morning and especially evenings are when you can see large groups of fish spawning on the surface.  Although the bite isn't usually as strong mid-day, we can locate schools on the sonar and fish them deep with sinking lines or jigs.

Check out the Roanoke River page for more information on this spectacular fishery.  If you have any questions, or would like to book a trip or three, please reach out and I'll let you know what's available.  

Roanoke Striped Bass

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Canoe Trips

After a successful 1st year offering one-on-one canoe fishing trips, I'll will be back at it again in a few months.  This year, I'm offering morning or evening half and 3/4 day trips on our local black water rivers.  

Join me on my classic Merrimack Tennessean as I paddle you down beautiful tannin-stained coastal rivers lined with Bald Cypress and loaded with fish.  From the front of my canoe, you can wield a 4wt fly rod and popping bugs or an ultralight spinning rod and small jigs.  

This is the type of fishing that takes me right back to my youth.  Beautifully colored Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Largemouth and more, that eagerly take a surface popper.  We'll supply everything you need, from the life jacket to the rod (you just need a FW fishing license).  From there, just enjoy the ride as I take you on a fishing tour of some of my favorite out of the way freshwater creeks and rivers.

I grew up canoeing eastern NC and it's been a thrill to get back out there after all these years.  Recently, I've been expanding my offerings, because although I love the salt, there is more to eastern NC than Redfish and Albacore.  If it's been a while since a big Bluegill has put a smile on your face, it just might be time to go for a paddle.

For more information, please check out the Canoe page on my website, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like to schedule a canoe trip.

Canoe Trips