While the spring spawning run up the Roanoke put the river on the map, the late-winter action downstream may soon surpass the popularity of the April action near Weldon.

Albemarle Sound’s finned flock of stripers congregates at the entrance to the river looking for a super-sized meal to satisfy their hearty appetites. Huge schools gang up as they stage, waiting for the weather and calendar to push them upstream, leaving them in a perfect position for fishermen who don’t mind the cold.

.Weldon is the stopping point for many river-running striped bass, just downstream from Roanoke Rapids Lake, the first of many dams on the Roanoke River system. This famed spawning run draws anglers from...