2008

August 3, 2008

Northern District Dare, Hyde, Currituck, & Beaufort Counties

For the 2008 fishing year, all owners/operators of vessels recreationally fishing for and/or retaining regulated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) (Atlantic tunas, sharks, swordfish and billfish) in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, must obtain an Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling permit. This permit has replaced the Atlantic tunas Angling category permit. In North Carolina, additional HMS harvest reporting requirements are also in place.

Please Note: Anglers sometimes confuse small king mackerel with Spanish mackerel. King mackerel and spanish mackerel have different size and catch limits. Make SURE you properly identify the mackerel you are catching. (Tips here)

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters. Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Offshore activity was slow with only a modest increase in catch rates. Dolphin made up the bulk of the catches with a few wahoo and king mackerel mixed in. Tuna were scarce, with only a few being caught this week. Billfish anglers had moderate-good success on all species. Midrange success improved somewhat with catches of triggerfish, black seabass, blueline tilefish, and both vermilion and red snappers being caught in the 8-10 mile offshore range. King mackerel and striped bass were caught with increased regularity in the 5-6 mile range. Inshore anglers caught some very nice flounder in the 0-2 mile range with most specimens being in the very near shore surf zone. Sand fleas (mole crabs) were the bait that worked best. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel were caught in this same region in short term/high volume blitzes.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Flounder catches were good throughout the area. Shallow areas near the various islands at Oregon Inlet produced the bulk of them with a few citation-size ones being recorded this week. Spotted seatrout and weakfish catches were very much improved. Most of them were caught in the Roanoke Sound underneath the Washington Baum Bridge opposite Pirates Cove Marina. Croakers, kingfish, spot, pinfish, and others were also caught.

Piers/Shore: Flounder in the near shore surf zone continued to be the primary target of these anglers with similar results to the inshore boaters. Spanish mackerel and bluefish catches were good as well. Unlike boaters, pier and shore anglers did not have to wait for calm seas to access them and catches were very good on a daily basis regardless of surf conditions. Cobia catches from piers lessened somewhat, but a few nice specimens were caught at night. Bell Island Pier, just west of Swanquarter, produced some very nice spotted seatrout and a few flounder.

General Overview: Fishing success rates improved across the board with the exception of offshore ocean fishing. Water temp in the surf (Kill Devil HIlls) the day of this report was 76 degrees with favorable conditions expected for the coming week.

Central District Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, & Onslow Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters.

Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Anglers caught wahoo at the # 14 Buoy. Billfish and a few dolphin were caught offshore. The charterboat fishing was rather slow. Gags were caught at the 240 Rock.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: There were plenty of flounder at Drum Inlet and there were also some nice black drum. At the Cee Bee Marina nice flounder, spotted seatrout and black drum were measured. Sheepshead are still around all bridges in the county. Two anglers in Carteret county caught 12, four of which weighed five pounds or so. Spanish mackerel were caught around Beaufort and Bogue inlets and off the beaches. Bluefish are swimming with the Spanish. Redfish are still in the Newport River.

Piers/Shore: Anglers reeled in a mixed bag of small bluefish, kingfish and Spanish.

Southern District Pender, New Hanover, & Brunswick Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters.

Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Very few reports from boats fishing offshore. Bottom fishing in the 35 to 55-mile range should be producing some grouper, mostly reds along with some scamps and gags. Closer to shore, there are some kings biting, nothing great but there are some fish around. Places that have been producing some fish are the shark hole and jungle down south, and the 23-mile rock area. There were a good many sailfish caught last week, with some fish coming as close as a couple miles off the beach. There are good numbers of tarpon being reported on the south end of Topsail Island. Near/shore reefs have been producing some decent flounder catches of late. John’s Creek has been a good spot to try.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Inshore, fishing has remained fairly good. Flounder are being caught in the river in decent numbers along some nice trout. Most trout are coming out of the southern part of the river. Sheepshead and black drum are biting well at places such as the ADM dock and Snow’s cut.

Piers/Shore: Fishing is somewhat slow. There are some keeper flounder being caught along with some sea mullets, pompano, and bluefish. Topsail Island piers saw a good many tarpon last week.

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North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Report - 7/20/2008

July 20, 2008

Northern District Dare, Hyde, Currituck, & Beaufort Counties

Please Note: Anglers sometimes confuse small king mackerel with Spanish mackerel. King mackerel and spanish mackerel have different size and catch limits. Make SURE you properly identify the mackerel you are catching. (Tips here)

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters. Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Catches slowed this week, with offshore anglers catching small amounts of dolphin, wahoo and various tunas. Billfish catches have been the exception, with sailfish, blue and white marlin being caught most of the time by anglers targeting them. Midrange catches have been light, with only a few triggerfish, black seabass, and an occasional striped bass being caught King mackerel and a few cobia continue to be caught about 8 to10-miles offshore. Inshore anglers had the best success rates in the ocean with some very nice flounder being caught in the 0 to 2-mile range. Most were legal keeping size and a few were in the 4 lb range. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel were also caught in this same range, but were tough to access in the near shore surf zone due to rough seas. Atlantic sharpnose sharks, assorted skates and rays, and kingfish were also caught.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Flounder catch rates were the best news for anglers in these waters, with success rates similar to those fishing the inshore ocean range. Weakfish and spotted seatrout were caught by early morning anglers at Oregon Inlet’s Green Island Slough. Plenty of large croaker were caught throughout the area with kingfish and spot mixed in.

Piers/Shore: Flounder catches improved for these anglers also with results similar to those listed above. Spanish mackerel were caught in the very near-shore surf zone by anglers working the surface with assorted spoons and lures. Bluefish, kingfish, croaker, spot, weakfish, skates, sharks, and a host of others were also caught. Red drum catches from Avon southward have improved on a steady basis. Cobia catches from piers were moderate to good most of the time, especially at night.

General Overview: Tropical storm Cristobal will keep waters stirred up in the early part of the week but will depart quickly and should have a positive effect on fishing.

Central District Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, & Onslow Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters.

Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: King mackerel were caught around the 14 buoy, the sea buoys and Atlas tanker. Nice wahoo were caught at the Atlas tanker. Dolphin were the main catch on the charterboats. Anglers caught Spanish mackerel around both Beaufort and Bogue Inlets and down the beaches in 10 feet of water. They also caught them around the Cape.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Reports from New River showed very good catches of spotted seatrout. Sheepshead were around all the bridge pilings in the county, and anglers did great catching them. Several 6-pound flounder were hooked in the turning basin at the port. Anglers were using mullet minnows.

Piers/Shore: The pier beside the Morehead-Beaufort high-rise bridge surprised and pleased anglers who landed some very nice sea mullet. Fishermen were catching more than four per person and they were all 12 inches or longer. Those fishing from shore were also hooking kingfish.

Southern District Pender, New Hanover, & Brunswick Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters.

Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Typical summer time fishing. Bottom fishing in the 30 to 55-mile range has been producing lots of red groupers along with some gags, and scamps. King mackerel fishing has been a little slow over the last couple of weeks. The shark hole has been the most consistent place to fish of late. Sailfish have moved close to the beach and boats targeting king mackerel typically catch them this time of year. Flounder fishing on the near/shore reefs has been good. The reefs off Brunswick County are a good place to fish this time of year, with anglers often landing large red drum and spadefish.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Fishing has been good. The trout are biting well around the Southport/Oak Island area. There are also a decent numbers of flounder being landed, with some up to 8 pounds. Sheepshead and black drum are biting well. The rock jetties at Little River and Masonboro Inlet are good places to try as well as the ADM dock and Snow’s Cut. I haven’t heard anybody fishing for them, but tarpon fishing on the shoals is another option this time of year.

Piers/Shore: Fishing was a little slow. The tropical system that passed through the area slowed fishing. Area piers are seeing pompano, sea mullet, bluefish, and some flounder. Shore anglers using sand fleas are catching some nice pompano.

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North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Reports - 6/23/2008

June 23, 2008

Northern District: Dare, Hyde, Currituck, & Beaufort Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters. Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Offshore catches were moderate-good, with limits of dolphin, along with some yellow and blackfin tuna, amberjack, wahoo, king mackerel, and assorted sharks. Billfish catches were much improved, with nice specimens of blue and white marlin being caught. A few sailfish were also caught. Midrange catches consisted of amberjack in the 30-35 lb. range along with large quantities of blueline tilefish and triggerfish. These fish were all caught in the same general area - about 4 miles offshore near the artificial reef AR-160 (Zane Gray). Black seabass, red drum, and striped bass were also caught in these same waters. Inshore action was somewhat slow, but nice catches of bluefish and spotted seatrout were caught in the near-shore surf zone when it is accessible on calm days.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Spotted seatrout and red drum were the most abundant species throughout the area with early morning hours at the Melvin Daniels Bridge being the best time to catch them. Flounder catches were much-improved throughout these waters with some citation size specimens caught in the shallow waters around the islands and land masses at Oregon Inlet. Keeper ratios were very good with well over 50% of them being legal keeping size. There were some nice catches of spotted seatrout and weakfish in this same area.

Piers/Shore: Spanish mackerel and bluefish catches were nothing short of fantastic if you are were at the right time for some short-term/high-volume action. I observed limits of both caught by anglers in less than 20 minutes in one location, where all those with a line in the water caught them. These fish were caught by pier and shore anglers using assorted spoons and jigs. Most were hooked in the near-shore surf zone on. Atlantic croaker, kingfish, puffers, flounder, burrfish, weakfish, spot, and assorted others were also caught.

General Overview: Favorable weather conditions allowed anglers to have fair-good success rates in all the fishing zones. Water temps in the surf are in the mid-70’s throughout the Outer Banks. Weather conditions are predicted favorable for the coming week.
Central District: Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, & Onslow Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters.

Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Dolphin and king mackerel were found at Buoy #14, West Rock, Big 10-Little 10, 240 Rock and the Atlas tanker. Dolphin were thick in the Gulf Stream - ( both gaffers and shingles). Quite a few billfish were reported. Headboats caught seabass, snapper and grouper. The Cape Lookout Shoals were thick with Spanish and, of course, bluefish are everywhere. Chopper blues are still around the Beaufort Inlet and off Shackleford.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Fishing the inside waters was rather slow. Anglers looking for sea trout had a hard time, and most came in with one or none at all. The same goes for the flounder fishermen. There were many released, undersized flounder reported. The Turning Basin at the port saw some nice sized pigfish and an occasional sea mullet. This area is also full of lizardfish and small shark. Red Drum and a few spotted seatrout were found at the east and west end of Bear Island, and Eastman’s Creek

Piers/Shore: Tarpon were caught off the piers at Topsail along with blues and Spanish. In Carteret County there are small spot, croaker, sea mullet and pompano. Blues and Spanish can be hooked at the far end of the piers.

Southern District: Pender, New Hanover, & Brunswick Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters.

Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Fishing has really slowed down. Not much was caught in the stream last week. It has been a good year on the dolphin and wahoo, but the tuna were a no-show this year. Bottom fishing has been good the last couple of months. Plenty of red groupers, along with some scamps and gags. The reds are biting from 30 to 55-mile offshore while the gags can be found much closer. Most ledges and wrecks in the 15 to 20-mile range are holding amberjack, king mackerel, and some nice gags. The dolphin have really moved closer to the beach with some gaffers as close as 8 miles out. The shark hole gave up some big king mackerel last week, and earlier in the week there was a decent bite at Yaupon. Speaking of Yaupon, the flounder should start showing up there in the next 2 to 3 weeks. Spanish have been biting well along the area beaches.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Not much change from last week. Flounder are still being caught in the Cape Fear as well as Lockwood. Sight fishing for drum around Topsail has been outstanding with the clear water conditions, and some nice trout are still coming from the creeks and bays around Bald Head Island and Oak Island. Early and late have been the times to catch the trout.

Piers/Shore: Brunswick County piers are doing outstanding on the trout in the morning hours. Live shrimp is the hot bait. Along with the trout there are some keeper flounder, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, pompano, spots, and sea mullet. New Hanover and Pender County piers are doing well on the Spanish mackerel, pompano, sea mullet, some keeper flounder, and they also had some king mackerel catches as well. Surf fishing is yielding some sea mullet and pompanos.

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North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Reports - 6/1/2008

June 1, 2008

Northern District Dare, Hyde, Currituck, & Beaufort Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters. Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Offshore anglers are still catching plenty of yellowfin and blackfin tuna, along with some nice dolphin in the 30 to 40 lb. range. Wahoo, little tunny, amberjack, Atlantic bonito, and assorted sharks were also caught in. Billfish catches have increased somewhat. Mid-range anglers continue to have success with striped bass and red drum in the 1.5 to 2-mile range in a concentrated area from Kitty Hawk southward to Pea Island. A few bluefish and weakfish were also caught in this same area. Inshore anglers continue to have success with plenty of bluefish and nice spotted seatrout in the near-shore surf zone (when they are accessible).

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Spotted seatrout continue to be the primary target of most anglers in these waters, with specimens of 3 to 4 lbs. being common. Oregon Inlet has yielded the bulk of them in the early morning hours, and again at dusk. The Melvin Daniels “Little Bridge” has also been a promising spot for both spotted seatrout and red drum. Flounder catches have improved throughout the area (sound, inlets, bays) with most specimens being legal size.

Piers/Shore: Bluefish have been most prevalent, with 1.5 to 2 lb. specimens being caught throughout the day with little effort. Spotted seatrout, croaker, kingfish, silver perch, and assorted sharks and rays have all been caught with increased regularity. Cobia have been caught off all the local piers during late evening and nigh time hours..

General Overview: Water temperatures in the surf continue to fluctuate in the lower 60s throughout the Outer Banks with favorable weather conditions allowing anglers to participate in all modes of fishing with moderate-good success rates. Conditions are predicted favorable for the coming week.

Central District Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, & Onslow Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters.

Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Last week, someone said “even anglers that don’t know how to fish are catching dolphin.” Dolphin and Spanish mackerel are the prime catch around here. Spanish are thick from the Cape Lookout area, down to the Sheraton Pier. They are in Beaufort and Bogue Inlets and off the beaches and piers of Topsail Island . Headboats are catching lots of triggerfish, and a few black sea bass and vermillion snapper. There have also been a few American red snapper along with some good-sized groupers. Bluefish are everywhere.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Speckled trout are in the rivers. Redfish are still hiding in the creeks and marshes around Swansboro and Bear Island . Small sheepshead were caught in the Turning basin of the state port along with fair-sized pigfish. Beaufort Inlet continues to have good sized sea mullet along with the blues and Spanish.

Piers/Shore: Sea mullets, small shark and small croaker can be hooked from the beach. Piers report the same, along with pigfish, bluefish and Spanish.

Southern District Pender, New Hanover, & Brunswick Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters.

Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Offshore, fishing has been outstanding. Plenty of large gaffer dolphin along with some nice wahoo. Boats fishing a little deeper recorded some blue marlin releases. Plenty of red grouper in the 45 to 50-mile range along with some gags and scamps. Closer to shore there are some good king mackerel catches coming along the beaches of Topsail Island. There were some cobia being caught as well. There are lots of Spanish mackerel along the area beaches.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Fishing was decent last week. The trout are biting well around Bald Head Island and the Little River rock jetty. Early morning hours have been the best time to fish. It’s a little early, but the flounder fishing seems to be a little better then the last couple of years. There were fish up to 8 pounds caught last week. The Cape Fear River, and the creeks and inlets of Brunswick County are producing fish right now.

Piers/Shore: Most area piers had an outstanding week. The wind finally laid down some and fishing was good to excellent. Plenty of Spanish mackerel were reported, with the Topsail Island piers really getting them along with some outstanding king mackerel catches. New Hanover piers saw good Spanish catches along with some cobia, and Brunswick County piers reported good catches of trout in the morning along with some outstanding Spanish mackerel catches. Shore fishermen are reporting large blues and pompano along with some sea mullets and black drum.

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North Carolina Regional Saltwater Fishing Reports - 5/25/2008

May 25, 2008

Northern District Dare, Hyde, Currituck, & Beaufort Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters. Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Offshore anglers are pleased with much-improved catches of dolphin - specimens of 40lbs were not uncommon. A few wahoo, little tunny, Atlantic bonito, assorted sharks, and both yellow and blackfin tuna were also caught. Billfish catches increased slightly. Midrange anglers are still catching some very nice specimens of striped bass and red drum about 1.5-2 miles offshore in a very concentrated area from Duck southward to the Oregon Inlet area. Anglers that encountered these fish were almost guaranteed a good catch of both, regardless of bait or tackle. Inshore success rates remain constant with spotted seatrout and bluefish making up the bulk of the catches. Anglers that were able to access the near shore surf zone when seas were calm caught limits of both, along with moderate amounts of kingfish and spot mixed in.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Spotted seatrout and red drum have been the primary target of most anglers in these waters, with the bulk of both species being caught off of the Melvin Daniels Bridge and underneath the Washington Baum Bridge opposite of Pirates Cove Marina. Catches of striped bass have made a modest improvement throughout the area with Manns Harbor yielding the bulk of them. Black drum, croaker, spot, and kingfish were caught everywhere. Sheepshead and triggerfish catches near the bridge pilings at Oregon Inlet have been very good, especially at night.

Piers/Shore: Anglers have been catching plenty of 2 to 3-lb. bluefish with very little effort most of the time. Limits were caught very quickly due to short term, high volume catches. Spotted seatrout took more patience and persistence to catch, but when they were biting all anglers with a line in the water caught at least a few, with most of them being of legal keeping size. Dawn & dusk yielded most of the catches but nice specimens were had throughout the day. A few others were caught, including silver perch, spot, kingfish, puffers, skates, cownose rays, burrfish, and assorted sharks. Cobia have been caught with increased regularity off of all the local piers.

General Overview: Water temps in the surf are finally on an upward trend with lower-mid 60s throughout the northern district area. Favorable weather conditions have allowed anglers to access most sites on a regular basis with moderate-good success rates in all modes of fishing. Weather conditions are predicted favorable for the coming week.

Central District Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, & Onslow Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters.

Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Fishing has finally taken off. Dolphin were found at the 90’ Drop which also happens to be the best place for king fishing. Blue marlin are thick. Big 10, Little 10 also has dolphin and kings as does Northwest places. Charter boats are bringing in nice catches of dolphin and wahoo - they range from peanuts to bulls. The smaller guide boats are catching cobia and Atlantic bonito. Spanish are in 30’ of water off the beach and anglers are catching them from the Cape Lookout area to Topsail Beach. Most are still pretty skinny. Bluefish can still be found around the Cape Lookout Shoals in early morning. Headboats are doing great with snapper and grouper. A 23-pound red grouper was boated Sunday and lots of vermillion snapper in the 2 to 2.5-pound range.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Fishing is slower. We are still seeing nice red drum coming from the creeks and marshes of Swansboro. There are a few weakfish and spotted seatrout caught at the mouths of creeks..

Piers/Shore: Nice sea mullet can still be found on piers and along beaches. We are also seeing fair-sized croaker, spot and pigfish. Spanish and bluefish can be hooked early morning from the ends of the piers. Black drum and sheepshead are small, but anglers are keeping just about everything they hook except skates and rays. Small shark are everywhere.

Southern District Pender, New Hanover, & Brunswick Counties

A recreational Recreational Fishing License went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state’s coastal and ocean waters.

Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Ocean: Offshore, fishing has been world class of late, with lots of big dolphin and a very good number of wahoo. This fishing should last a couple more weeks or so. Boats fishing a little deeper report a good week for marlin. Closer to shore the red grouper are biting well in the 35 to 50-mile range along with some gags and scamps.

North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Report - 8/3/2008

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