[gentle orchestral fanfare] - Little bit better fish there today.

- Yeah.

I saw him roll up there.

- Wow.

- He's got a tail on him!

- Beautiful Neuse River striped bass there.

- Oh my, yes!

- [Announcer] The production of Carolina Outdoor Journal is made possible in part by: - [Female Announcer] Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine.

ncwildlife.org/winc.

- [Male Announcer] And by EZ Bait and Tackle, family owned and operated.

We've been fishing since 2003.

Come see the crew in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and we can hook you up for all your fishing needs.

[light instrumental music] ♪ - Hello, welcome to the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

Well today's program, we're gonna be fishing for striped bass using top water lures.

- That's right, this is a fun show today, and for anybody that uh, fishes for striped bass, they know that catchin' them on top is one of the most exciting ways to catch them.

They really hit the bait, they just, they wanna knock it out, and so that is a favorite way of catching striped bass here in North Carolina.

We're fishing today with two guides that are based Neuse River, and they, they really, that's one of their specialties is to catch these fish on top water.

We've got striped bass in all of our rivers, and so you can do this in just about every river we've got.

Catching them on top water, when you can see the strike, hear the strike, especially early in the morning, I don't know of any other way to catch them.

- Joe, what can we expect in Gear Time?

- Using several different top water baits, I think that you can use just about anything that makes any noise on top water.

They've got a couple of baits that they're gonna share with us today that they like to use, and they work.

- Aunt Donna continues on with a recipe using striped bass today.

- [Joe] Yeah this is a striped bass show today.

She's got some real tasty striped bass recipe from her today, just pay attention.

- Well, we've got a lot goin' on, so let's get to it on the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

- [Gary] Well Dave, here we are, end of October, in our own back yard playing here on the Neuse River near New Bern, see what we can catch this morning.

- Well we've got everything goin' for us, I mean, the cooler weather, the water temperature's droppin', we've had plenty of wind shifts to flush the water out, let's go catch us some fish.

- I think we'll get a good top water bite on these stripers here this mornin'.

- I do too.

Nice fish.

- Absolutely.

- Big B, Big B.

- There ya go.

[laughter] One nice thing about this time of the year, once you find one, you're gonna find more than one, so.

You get a bite in an area.

- Nice fish.

- Oh, yeah, just what we're looking for.

Perfect.

- Nice fish, nice fish.

- Perfect right there.

Get this plug outta here.

That'll work.

- Just an old chug bug right there.

- He uh, he chewed on it this morning.

- Done a good job, nice fish.

- Oh, yeah, just what we're looking for this morning.

- About, what, ten or twenty more of these will work?

- Absolutely.

- Huh?

- Absolutely.

Well let's get this one back in the water and get another one.

- Let him live, let him live.

- Alright, man, good deal.

- You got your hands all fishy, I'll stay clean.

How about that?

You catch another one, how's that sound?

[laughter] - Off he goes.

Alright man, pretty work.

- Good job, bud.

You'll get some more.

Hold him up, Gary!

This one here?

- Yes, sir.

Dave, I'll tell ya, as many times as you do this, when you're top water fishin', you can never get tired of it.

- It's unbelievable.

- Well, not near as big as the last one you caught, but still a nice fish.

Absolutely.

- Little skinny fish, but hey.

- He was enthusiastic, wasn't he?

- That's a slot fish.

- Absolutely.

Well, let's let him grow up a little bit bigger.

Alright, good deal.

Alright, got em' goin' here a little bit.

- Do this without gettin' hooked.

- Now don't be tyin' up my plug too long on me.

We got fish to catch.

- Well, now, see I'm not.

[laughter] I can't be hittin' your water cause I'm over here unhooking ya, buddy.

- I gotcha.

Little slick just popped up there, too.

Ease back this way.

[laughter] Hit a stump!

- I got him coming this way, too.

Right at the boat.

- Oh, my!

- God, dang!

[laughter] Woo!

[laughter] Scared me!

Oh, ain't it great?

- We're right in the middle of the stumps here.

As soon as it hit the water!

- I need a double, I need a double.

- Little bit better fish there today.

- Yeah.

I saw him roll up there.

- Wow.

- He's got a tail on him.

- Beautiful Neuse River striped bass there.

- Oh, my, yes there baby you're catchin' up with me.

Go ahead, I ain't gonna wait on ya.

- I don't blame ya.

Need the pliers for this one, I think, Dave.

He uh, he ate it.

Boy, as soon as it hit the water.

That was just gorgeous.

- Well he was chasin' bait up there, we saw that.

- Right.

- I think we can double up.

There ya go!

- You got him?

- Yep, got him on.

If I can keep him out of that stump.

[grunting] Got him!

- I'll be right there for ya.

This is not a big one.

Get him in there.

Well, you don't get.

- That's the baby.

That's the baby of the family.

[laughter] Have we seen all sizes?

Look at here.

- Oh, yeah.

Well, just a good look at a healthy fishery.

You know, we're really seeing this striped bass fishery up here on the Neuse paying off.

You know, things are coming around with some good changes, and we've seen three different year class of fish first thing this morning here on top water, so it don't get much better than that.

Alright, man.

Got him loose?

Get him back in the water.

- A good, healthy fish.

Let's put him in our next generation, and come on back to us.

- Absolutely.

- Look at that fat belly, they're eatin' good today.

- Yes sir.

- Ain't no hesitation.

- No, not at all.

- No hesitation.

- Well, I can't stand it no more, brother, I gotta cast in.

- Look at the sun coming up.

Hey, it's all great man.

Fishin' outside, playin' in outside waters.

- I like it.

- Play in the outside waters.

- I tell ya, there ain't nothin' quite like this, is there?

- Not quite.

Little bit better than that last little one.

- Well, I'll tell ya, still a slot fish, right in that keeper slot right there.

- I got her here, go catch another one, buddy.

- Good deal, I'm glad you said that cause it's hard to stop doin' this, this is so fun it's hard to believe.

- Oh, I know.

Alright, we got him.

- That's pretty.

- Don't let them gill plates get you today.

- No sir, they're sharp now, that's sharp.

- They'll eat you up.

- Yep, get him swimmin'.

[country music] There he is.

- Got another one?

- Yes sir.

- Uh oh, we've got a problem.

Houston!

[laughter] Houston, I'm in the net.

- Hey, this one, he's kinda close so you won't have to, he's not all that big, might just scoop him up.

- Can you pick him up?

- I think we'll just lift this one, what do you think?

- Well good, cause I've got this one netted in and everything else, I ain't figured out how he got in there.

- Look how fat that fish is.

Boy, he has been eatin' really, really well.

I tell you Dave, you kind of see the action we got goin' here, which is kind of typical of what we're seeing here in the fall, I pinch these barbs down on all my top waters and I'll tell ya, that makes a- - I see, I see what you're doin'.

- Big, big, big difference gettin' these fish back in the water, cause it don't take much to get ya a keeper fish if you want him, and plenty of action to go around, so.

Get this fish back goin', and.

I'm glad you kinda tangled up there cause I'm gonna try to get another one before you get back in the water.

- Boy, you ain't that quick baby.

[laughter] There he is, I got him.

- Good deal.

- I'll get the net for ya.

- Now you won't, you might have to give me my chug bug back now, I'm.

- No!

[laughter] Well, I will, I'd a had him the first time with my rod.

See, took three strikes with your rod.

- I gotcha.

- He ain't very big but he's feisty.

Look at that little sucker, look at how much fight that little fish put up.

- That's amazing, isn't it?

- You'd a thought that was a twenty pounder.

Yeah, go on and hook me up, I see ya.

Okay.

- You go ahead and get rid of that fish, I'm gonna catch one.

- Right here, he was a quick release.

Another nice little striper.

As I call them, rock, my rock fish.

Alright, where's your momma?

- Oh, look at them up in there.

- Oh they're thick that way.

- You know, Dave, we got lucky here, we found some fish on the jig, you know, we started out the day top water fishin', nothing like it, you know, nothin' like it.

I mean, it's exciting, it's a great way to find rock, it's a great way to catch rock, but we, you know, we brought jigs, we brought a little bit lighter rods out here, we got jigs with us, we got some sub surface baits, days you never know, we come off the fish top water this morning, and here we are still catching.

Just had to change tactics a little bit.

- Any time you go you need to be prepared.

Cover all the bases, and tend to find the bite early mornings, cloudy day, might go top water later.

But uh, rubber jigs and sub surface bait sure play in if you keep a variety on the boat you should be ready to catch in any condition.

- Absolutely.

Always be prepared.

I think we've found one of our other species here.

Nope, we didn't.

- Another little striper.

- Another little striper.

And a lot of head shakin' there.

- Yeah.

- Thought we might've found us a trout.

Which wouldn't be terribly unusual.

- Hey, there we go.

Windy rock.

- Windy rock.

- That's alright, good job Gary.

- Step in the right direction, had to go to the jig to do it, but we got him.

Well, let's see if we can't get a little rally goin' here.

- Maybe I'll go back to the jig then, too, how about that?

- I think that's, worked on that one.

Had one little tap before that and then got that one, so maybe we can find a school goin'.

- What you got, Gary?

- I'm not sure.

- What you got?

- Guessed the last one wrong.

- Running like a rock.

- Yeah.

- Got another one.

- Gonna have them on two lines here in a second.

- Uh oh, uh oh.

- Hey now, nice little rock there, probably comes right into the slot, just maybe eighteen and a half, nineteen inch fish.

Just because they come off the top water doesn't mean they ain't gonna bite, so.

Pretty.

- That's a pretty fish.

- Heavy, been eatin' well.

- Pretty fish.

- Get him back in the water here.

- Splashed ya, too.

- He splashed me too.

Well, that's alright.

I'd probably splash me if I caught me.

- Yeah.

[laughter] - Well, that didn't take you long.

- Well, evidently we've got a few herded up here.

- Well I guess I can pull mine in and help you out.

- Would you mind netting mine for me, Gary, sir?

- Not at all here, Dave, you were so kind for mine, so.

- Don't wanna lose this big one, here.

- As I like to say, a fish is a fish.

- A fish is a fish, huh?

- You know, it may not be bigger than the one I just caught, but it's still a fish.

- [laughter] Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.

We gotta hear that kinda stuff, huh.

[laughter] - Joe, we had a good day of fishin' but we did have to make some adjustments.

- We did, and that's one of the things that you'll, when you go try this, you'll note that there's no guarantee how long that top water bite's gonna last.

So that morning, you'll notice, we had a really pretty morning, it was really pretty, and while the sun was not up quite yet, that's where that activity took place, and once that sun got up and we were in shallow water too, the bite started waning, and we eventually stopped.

And so, you know, most fishermen will agree, they're not gonna stop fishing, so that day we had to break out some soft baits, and kind of finish the morning catching some stripers sub surface.

But that hour, that particular day, that hour, hour and fifteen minutes that we had on top water with them was just exciting.

And that's the way it is.

Summer time, if you try it, you may want to go real early, late in the afternoon, but generally that's when it happens.

You can occasionally catch them in broad daylight, if you've got them feeding in that situation, but that particular trip we started early, caught our fish on top water before the sun got up, and then went sub surface and finished out in the morning.

- Well, let's get some more information.

Let's go to Gear Time.

[country music] - Dave, here we are on a beautiful October day, fishing the Neuse River, just down river from New Bern.

Started out with a wonderful top water bait this morning, was a little bit breezy, it was real sunny, and the water was pretty low on us this morning, so that bite maybe not as long as we would've liked.

- But it was good, good while it lasted.

- Absolutely.

- What kind of baits are you using there Gary?

- Well I was using a more walk the dog style bait, this happens to be a wrapless skitter walk, but you know, a lot of companies make that style of bait, little bit of finesse to work that, but I think your bait worked just as well, maybe if not better, and is a little bit more user friendly.

- Yeah, this is a storm chug bug, and it comes in a variety of colors, but it is, it's an easier bait to use.

You just kinda give it that chuggin' action, it shoves the water, drop it back down and the fish comes up and strikes.

Very good and easy bait to fish.

- Absolutely, and I think, you know, when you have a couple guys in the boat like we were fishin' together today, certainly having two different baits sometimes, I think, is helpful.

Sometimes they seem to come to the variation of noise and maybe get a little bit more bites that way.

But you know, they did come off that bite a little bit earlier than we wanted and we sort of had to switch over to the jigs, we went sub surface, still workin' these shorelines, but managed to put some fish in the boat.

- Yeah, and fishin' up in this tackle, the rods and the line in particular make a big difference, because you're up in the stumps, you've gotta get them fish out of the stumps, you know, we're running about twenty pound braid, I guess, that's what I've got.

- Right.

- And I think that's what you've got, with a twenty pound, I've got a monoliter of flourocarbon, and it's a medium action rod.

Now you've got, this is a Temple Fork medium action, then you've got the next generation, I guess, that Temple Fork's come out with.

- Right, this new tactical series rod, certainly a fantastic rod, both of them, you know, quality equipment, and that's what, I think, what you need is quality equipment and a good reel and some good braid, you know.

You wanna fish nice light tackle, a lot more fun, but certainly need a little bit of backbone, and certainly to get these fish out of the stumps, for sure.

- Well we had a great day, I mean, if we could've stayed on top water, that'd been fabulous, but we dropped back and went to the jig and had a great day, and uh, I don't know, we don't ever tend to have too bad of trips when we go together.

- No, absolutely not, I mean, I just, we both came out prepared, we had a little bit of variation in tackle, both caught a lot of fish today, and it's always great having you on the boat.

- Great trip, buddy.

- Thank you, appreciate it man.

- Till next time, buddy.

- Yes sir.

- If you would like to experience catching striped bass using top water lures, give Gary and Dave a call, we have the numbers for you.

Now, Donna's in the kitchen, she's got a recipe today specially for striped bass.

[country music] - Hi, today in the kitchen we're making a stuffed striped bass.

We're going to make a cornbread that you can serve earlier in the week with other items, and then you can use whatever's left over, if you're like me you always have a couple pieces left over, then you can use that as your stuffing for our striped bass.

We're gonna start out with our sweet yellow cornbread mix.

We're going to place that in our bowl.

Then we're going to add just a few additional ingredients.

We're gonna add some milk, we're going to add in some green chiles that are already chopped, you can buy these in the store.

And they're not really spicy, they just add some great flavor, and then we're gonna add some cream corn, or if you don't have creamed corn and you have regular canned corn or frozen corn, you can use that as well.

So we're just gonna mix this all together, and then we're gonna bake this in an 8x8 pan for about twelve minutes until it's nice and golden brown and cooked throughout.

And like I said, then you can serve it with another meal, and whatever you have left over you can use as your filling for our striped bass.

So I'm gonna put that aside, and we're gonna go ahead and work on our striped bass.

So we have our striped bass, as you can see its been fileted, it's just beautiful in color, and I think you're really gonna enjoy it.

So I have my cornbread that is left over from what my family didn't eat, and we're gonna go ahead and just stuff our bass.

And you can season this if you want with a little salt and pepper, which would be great too, or if you have some favorite seafood seasoning you can use that as well.

So I'm just gonna take my corn bread, and I'm just gonna make it, place it into the middle of my bass, and what I like to do is I like to grill mine, so once we've stuffed it, you can spray a little bit of olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and put it on your grill.

So we're gonna take this, and we're just gonna fold it over, and then we're gonna use our wooden skewers to secure them so that when you are grilling them or if you want you can pan fry these or bake them, that they'll stay together.

We're gonna do that.

We have one, and then you can also, what I did with some of mine as well, is I stuffed the inside, and then I grilled just the skin side down on the grill so I didn't have to worry about, that way you can just peel that skin off if you don't like to eat that.

So we're going to fold this one over as well.

And you can use long or short skewers, depending on what you have at your house, if you have decorative ones you can use those as well.

And just gonna secure those, like I said, then I spray mine with some olive oil, and then sprinkle some salt and pepper on them, and put them on my grill for about ten to fifteen minutes.

I did, I cook them for about ten minutes on one side and then just turned them over just to grill the other side real quick.

They're quick and easy to do, and they're a lot of fun to do too, and then, what I did is I decided to do mine a little Mexican style, so I made a, took some store bought salsa, fresh salsa, mixed in some fresh corn with it, put it on top, some great avocados, and served it on some black beans, or you can use rice and black beans if you'd like as well.

Makes a great combination, and I think you'll really enjoy it.

So I hope you enjoy the stuffed striped bass, and I look forward to seeing you next time here on Simple Cooking.

- Thanks Donna, for another great recipe, and you'll find recipes just like that in the Carolina Outdoor Journal cookbook, and Joe, great cookbook but before you cook em', you gotta catch em'!

- That's right, and the way we caught them today, on top water, I just don't, like I said earlier, it doesn't get any better.

Especially with striped bass, they just hit that bait and you know it, I mean, they make a lot of noise in shallow water and calm water, they displace a lot of water and it's pretty dramatic.

We've got striped bass, as we said earlier, on all of our rivers, some rivers have more than others.

These guys are on the Neuse River, and have refined it, and they know where to go, and they fish for other fish too, but I think both of them will agree, day in and day out, goin' striper fishing, that catching them on top water is one of the most exciting ways to do it.

- Simply put, that's a great experience that everyone needs to try if you enjoy fishing.

- Absolutely.

- Alright, for Joe Albea, I'm John Moore, thanks for joining us today on the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

- [Announcer] Make sure to visit our website for more information.

- [Announcer] The production of Carolina Outdoor Journal is made possible in part by: - [Female Announcer] Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine.

ncwildlife.org/winc.

- [Male Announcer] And by EZ Bait and Tackle, family owned and operated.

We've been fishing since 2003.

Come see the crew in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and we can hook you up for all your fishing needs.

[light instrumental music] ♪