Captain Morgan, Guilford area

• Forty-six degrees on top and 43 near bottom generated a few taps to the electronic display. Could this be true for the first week in May—a time when saltwater temperatures should be approaching mid-50s? Despite those readings, activity in the Sound appeared to be increasing.
• Spring runs of menhaden have started, river herring are in estuaries, and the seal population seems to be thinning out. Hugging close to shore in amongst ledges and rock formations, there was movement of bait driven by the flooding tide.
  
• Schools of small striped bass were obviously feeding, accentuating nature's hierarchy in the food chain. Few if any splashes were detected, but the hunt continued—prey and predator.
  
• On the Water: Water flows and clarity continue to moderate as freshwater anglers find conditions in rivers/streams improving. Although many breeders have adopted their respective territorial holes, newly stocked trout have spread out and begun adapting to the available food supply.
• Good baits include unique floating/sinking swimmers, spinners, Dardevls, flies, and certainly a variety of live baits. Deep-water trolling has also produced good results especially in the trophy trout lakes.
• Certainly weekly stockings (where appropriate) have greatly contributed to the success of this year's trout program in spite of nature's changing moods. As the season advances and the environment develops a more springtime appearance, large/smallmouth bass activity is spiking. Fish are aggressively feeding on live baits, large swimmers, Case quality soft plastics, raps, and spinnerbaits.
• Striped bass, despite the bouncing saltwater temperatures, are feeding throughout much of LIS's shoreline as well as the main tidal rivers. Live bait, chunks, and soft/hard plastics are responsible for most catches of these schoolie-size fish although 1/0 flies stripped across flats and along tidal riverbanks are catching good numbers.