James Waters at Bob’s Fishing Hole reports that the BFH weekend tournaments will be held Saturdays with hours from safe light to 3pm. Entry fee remains $25/person with a five fish limit. The 2023 trail events will be held on Sundays. The Winter Series began last month, Sundays, 8am to 3pm with a 3 fish limit, entry fee $25/person.
Bob’s Fishing Hole is located on Rt. 168 (Chesapeake Expressway) on the way to the Outer Banks. It offers anglers access not only to the great fishing on the Northwest River but also to Back Bay.
Back Bay bass have pretty much left the main bay and even smaller weedy bays and headed to over-wintering areas like Muddy and Hell’s Point Creeks as well as the Northwest River. Any creek or canal that dumps into Back Bay could harbor a lot of fish.
Top lures now include a jig-n-craw, three-inch swimbait, a shallow diving crankbait and a single Colorado-bladed spinnerbait.
If you want to plan a visit next season North Landing Beach RV Resort & Cottages is a great place to use as a family basecamp for Back Bay fishing. The resort is first class, has its own ramp and is nearby two others and about 20 minutes from Bob’s Fishing Hole. Book a two bedroom cottage and settle in for a few days of great fishing this coming spring and summer.
North Bay Shore Campground also welcomes anglers and has cabins and a bath house for overnight stays. A canal runs right behind the cabins, so you can keep your boat in the water and you are minutes from Sandbridge.
Backwater Adventures Guide David Ward notes December will still offer visiting anglers some bass fishing opportunity in waters he fishes like the North River, Kitty Hawk Bay and other northeastern North Carolina rivers.
He says water temperatures should be in the mid to low 50’s and could drop in the 40’s. Crankbaits, jigs and the shaky head will be big players. Crankbaits, such as the Rapala DT-6, square bills, and any shallorunning flat sided should start to produce. On the shaky head side, small worms such as the ZOOM Finesse Worm or a 4” ringworm will work on slow, bluebird days. This is the time of year to catch a nice one, so bundle up and hit the water!
If you are looking for accommodations and a new place to fish in 2023, consider the AJ Outfitters cabin on the Chowan River near Harrellsville, North Carolina. This is a riverside cabin with pier and nearby boat ramp that offers angler the opportunity to fish perhaps the best bass river in NC.
The Chowan is formed at the confluence of the Nottoway and Blackwater at the border with Virginia and flows into the Pamlico Sound. to eight feet. It is known for excellent largemouth bass fishing.
