Local Angler Nathaniel Drayton Dominates CATT Neuse River Spring Final with Nearly 19-Pound Haul

Nathaniel Drayton brought 18.94 pounds of Neuse River bass to the scales on June 27, 2026, claiming the CATT Spring Final with the kind of commanding margin that separates locals who truly know these waters from everyone else fishing them. His five-fish limit wasn't just heavy—it was proof that years of reading current, structure, and season on this specific stretch of eastern North Carolina water still matter more than any tackle catalog advantage.

The tournament launched from Spring Garden boat ramp in New Bern. The Neuse flows through Goldsboro, Kinston, and New Bern, connecting these eastern North Carolina communities, and for anglers along this corridor, dominance on home water carries weight that no distant lake championship ever could.

Drayton fished solo against 43 eligible teams. That meant making every decision himself—no partner to share the load, talk through patterns, or split the pressure. His big fish weighed 5.02 pounds, earning him big-fish honors. Matthew Smith and Tom Tripp finished second with five bass weighing 18.38 pounds—just 0.56 pounds behind. Their biggest bass went 4.81 pounds.

Drayton earned $2,505 for first place. But for a Jacksonville angler competing against the Neuse's best, the validation of outfishing a stacked field on their shared home water mattered at least as much as the check.

The June tournament followed a period of spring rains that pushed river flows higher, with levels expected to drop in the weeks ahead. Peak bass fishing on the Neuse runs July through September when river levels are low and falling—the best bite happens when the river sits below five feet and keeps dropping. Those are conditions that demand intimate knowledge of where fish hold when water moves, and where they'll be when it doesn't.

Drayton lives in Jacksonville, a community in eastern North Carolina near the Neuse River corridor. He competes regularly on the CATT circuit, and his dominance on the Neuse is no fluke. He won a CATT Neuse River tournament on September 17, 2023, catching five bass weighing 11.66 pounds and earning $579. He also won the Neuse River Fall Final later in 2026—three victories that prove he's cracked the code on water that plenty of capable anglers fish their whole lives without mastering. Beyond the Neuse, he has competed in three Major League Fishing events and has a history in the Phoenix Bass Fishing League, including a fourth-place finish at Badin Lake in 2014.

The CATT Neuse River Spring Final is part of the Carolina Anglers Team Trail, a bass fishing tournament circuit operating across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. CATT tournaments follow a team format with two anglers per boat competing with artificial bait only, with teams allowed to weigh in a five-bass limit. The Neuse River division hosts a series of qualifier tournaments throughout the spring leading to the Spring Final championship event. CATT is known for offering high cash paybacks to competitors, with many events offering 100% payback. Entry fees for CATT Neuse River tournaments range from $80 to $120, depending on the event. Second place earned Smith and Tripp $1,170.

Smith and Tripp were ranked as the first-place team overall for the 2026 CATT Neuse River Spring season standings, though they placed second in the final event. Other competitive bass fishing events on the Neuse include the Neuse River Wars tournament series based in Kinston and the Neuse River Bassmasters Tournament held near New Bern—a competitive depth that reflects a broader community of serious anglers dedicated to understanding this river.

For anglers who launch from Goldsboro to New Bern, who've spent mornings studying how the Neuse changes with every inch of rise and fall, Drayton's mastery is a reminder that the river still rewards those who've put in the years to earn its secrets. In a sport where technology and equipment keep advancing, he's proven that nothing replaces belonging to the water you fish.