OBXr

Oh, and welcome to NC... I have never fished the P-tank from EC north. I've only fished a stretch directly across the CG base where LMB is the exception to the rule. But I intend to fish the river north of EC this fall. See you on the water.

Many of the homes in downtown are very old without insulation or inadequate insulation, also. But it is a matter of public record that is easily google searched that there was a bad deal signed in the 50s or 60s whereby the city pays higher power costs than the surrounding county/counties.

Oh, and a little advice about the move... If you move to the City of Elizabeth City (which it bills itself as), expect absurd power bills - like $800 - $1000 a month in January for an average sized house is not unheard of. The city elders signed a bad deal with Dominion Power decades ago, and now the residents must bear the brunt of bad foresight. If you live in the county or nearby counties, this is not an issue. I live in Currituck County and have normal power bills and low taxes.

I have some experience fishing the section by the coast guard base which is more brackish. You might want to mix in some plugs and may very well get into some striper. Also, the white perch are prolific. Light tackle and a white beetle spin will do the trick for white perch. I wouldn't eat any of the fish. In the past, the pollution was bad, and I read that mercury levels were elevated only a few years ago. I have also heard that the Chowan, which is a short day trip away, is an excellent bass river.

Thanks everyone. I just got back from a long trip - no fishing.

Hello. I live in a tidal area. LMB are sometimes present where I fish, but I am aiming for other species. I do, however, enjoy dedicated bass fishing - usually in small lakes and ponds nowadays. I still have some bucket destination LMB trips that I would like to experience sometime. I would love to fish for SMB in a fast moving river someday. There seems like a good deal of general knowledge here, so I will stick around. I don't claim to be an ace at any form of fishing.

Yes, freshwater baitcasting reels will corrode in saltwater. I am new to using baitcasting reels in saltwater inshore. I have a couple of Daiwas and love them - I forget the exact models. I'm not sure if it is necessary, but I hose them off after exposure to salt or brackish water - same with my other saltwater setups.

I live in the area and happened on to the site. I almost exclusively fish saltwater species in the area, though. It is true that Virginia Beach pumped saltwater into the Back Bay in the 80s. Fishing for bass was said to be hot there in the 70s both in terms of numbers and citation-sized bass (over 8lbs). What happened, as I understand it, is that a hurricane flooded Back Bay, and the salinity intrusion killed the grass and the fishery. Virginia Beach officials then thought it would be a good idea to pump saltwater into Back Bay and make it a brackish fishery. This bonehead idea and run-off issues from development curtailed the fishery. The Northwest River fishing was always pretty solid. It is essentially freshwater (it provides drinking water to Chesapeake) except during only the most extreme droughts when you might catch some flounder there. There are lesser known creeks that flow into Back Bay that also always held bass. The rivers flowing into the Albemarle Sound are said to be solid bass fisheries that are improving every year. Having lived in Texas and fished waters like Lake Austin in its prime, I don't target the local LMB population. Currituck Sound is very shallow, modestly brackish with a wind-driven tide. My buddy catches puppy drum there regularly. Crabbing is popular also. There are the other species like specks, stripers and LMB in the adjoining Coinjock Canal and North River. Despite living extremely close to a Currituck Sound boat launch, I prefer to fish elsewhere. I might go out on the Currituck Sound this weekend in my kayak, however, after seeing some of my buddy's recent pics. I have always wondered if the many small ponds in the OBX hold some true lunker bass. This question and google is what led me to this forum. Many of the ponds are salt ponds and couldn't hold bass. I know, however, there are stocked freshwater ponds including one in Corolla. The moderating effects of the gulfstream might even support Florida strain or hybrid strain action.