North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Report - 8/3/2008
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.
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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.Â
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.Â
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.
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Central District Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, & Onslow 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.
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Ocean:Â 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:Â Anglers reeled in a mixed bag of small bluefish, kingfish and Spanish.
Southern District Pender, New Hanover, & Brunswick 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.
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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.
Related posts
North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Report - 7/20/2008
July 20, 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.
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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. Â
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.Â
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.Â
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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.
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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:Â 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.
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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.
Related posts
North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Reports - 6/1/2008
June 1, 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.
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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.Â
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..Â
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.   Â
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Central District Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, & Onslow 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.
Â
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:Â Sea mullets, small shark and small croaker can be hooked from the beach. Piers report the same, along with pigfish, bluefish and Spanish.Â
Southern District Pender, New Hanover, & Brunswick 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.
Â
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.
Related posts
N.C. Regional Saltwater Fishing Reports
May 6, 2008
Northern District  Dare, Hyde, Currituck, & Beaufort Counties
Contact: Brian Melott April 27, 2008
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 anglers continue to have moderate-good success rates. Most prevalent were yellow and blackfin tuna, wahoo, king mackerel, amberjack, Atlantic bonito, little tunny, and assorted sharks. Several bluefin tuna were caught out of the Hatteras marinas this week. There were very few billfish catches.Â
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Modest improvements gave anglers some hope as compared to the previous week’s poor fishing trends. Spotted seatrout in the 2.5-3 lb range were caught throughout the area with most of them being caught in Oregon Inlets “Green Island Slough.” Triggerfish and sheepshead were caught with increased regularity near the pilings of the bridge at this location as well. Striped bass were caught at Manns Harbor, but most were undersize.Â
Piers/Shore: Spotted seatrout and bluefish were the primary catch of these anglers. Spotted seatrout were caught from early to mid-morning, bluefish were caught throughout the day in short term but high volume blitzes. Dogfish sharks, skates, and stingrays remain plentiful. Red drum catches from the beaches between Rodanthe to Avon were somewhat improved.Â
General Overview: Success rates have improved in all modes of fishing this week. Water temps are on the rise with upper 50s in the surf throughout the Outer Banks. Weather conditions are predicted favorable for the coming week.Â
Central District  Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, & Onslow Counties
Contact: Suzanne Hill April 27, 2008
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:  Headboats are having good catches of vermillion snapper, grouper, ( red, gag and scamp ) black sea bass, grunts and banded rudderfish. They are also bringing in Hatteras blues and dolphin. A cobia was hooked on the Captain Stacy. Charter boats are having a great time catching large and small dolphin and nice sized wahoo. Flounder in the 4-pound range are being hooked on the wrecks. The Hatteras blues are from the shore to 10 miles out. Right whales were sighted about one mile off the beach. Anglers are looking hard for Atlantic bonito- they have been reported off Bogue Inlet.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Sheepshead are plentiful under the Atlantic Beach Bridge. Plenty of folks are out on a pretty day searching for sea mullet. There were a few lucky anglers catching them in the Beaufort Inlet. Fishing the inside waters has not yielded much - a few puffers, small croakers and bluefish. A cobia, approximately 25 pounds, was caught about 2.5 miles off Atlantic Beach but jumped off the hook. There are lots of small shark reported.
Piers/Shore: Â Fishing is slow. There are bluefish and shark reported.
Southern District  Pender, New Hanover, & Brunswick Counties
Contact: Dennis Trowell April 27, 2008
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 things are a little slow. The yellowfins have not made a showing but there still are some fish being caught - blackfin tuna, wahoo and dolphin. The dolphin fishing should really get good over the next couple of weeks. There were a good many blue marlin releases reported last week. Closer to shore, kings are being reported around the Wr4 and they showed up last Thursday on the beaches of Brunswick County. I’ve also heard of some Spanish mackerel being caught as well. The Atlantic bonito are being caught in good numbers around divers rock, but won’t be around too much longer with the warming water temperature. This is the time of the year when cobia start showing up along the beaches and inlets. One was lost off of an area pier last week. Offshore, the red, gag, and scamp groupers are biting well in the 40 to 50-mile range.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Â Not much change. There are some decent trout catches coming out of the river still. Live shrimp fished under a float has been the key. Along with the trout there are some drum. The sea mullet fishing slowed considerably last week.
Piers/Shore: The big news this week was the first kings of the year were caught on the Oak Island Pier. Ocean Crest Pier caught some Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A New Hanover pier had a large cobia on but it got away. Area piers saw blues and sea mullets mostly, but there were a few large pompano reported as well. The Spanish mackerel should show any day now.
Related posts
N.C. Regional Saltwater Fishing Reports
April 27, 2008
Northern District  Dare, Hyde, Currituck, & Beaufort Counties
Contact: Brian Melott April 27, 2008
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 anglers continue to have moderate-good success rates. Most prevalent were yellow and blackfin tuna, wahoo, king mackerel, amberjack, Atlantic bonito, little tunny, and assorted sharks. Several bluefin tuna were caught out of the Hatteras marinas this week. There were very few billfish catches.Â
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Modest improvements gave anglers some hope as compared to the previous week’s poor fishing trends. Spotted seatrout in the 2.5-3 lb range were caught throughout the area with most of them being caught in Oregon Inlets “Green Island Slough.” Triggerfish and sheepshead were caught with increased regularity near the pilings of the bridge at this location as well. Striped bass were caught at Manns Harbor, but most were undersize.Â
Piers/Shore: Spotted seatrout and bluefish were the primary catch of these anglers. Spotted seatrout were caught from early to mid-morning, bluefish were caught throughout the day in short term but high volume blitzes. Dogfish sharks, skates, and stingrays remain plentiful. Red drum catches from the beaches between Rodanthe to Avon were somewhat improved.Â
General Overview: Success rates have improved in all modes of fishing this week. Water temps are on the rise with upper 50s in the surf throughout the Outer Banks. Weather conditions are predicted favorable for the coming week.Â
Central District  Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, & Onslow Counties
Contact: Suzanne Hill April 27, 2008
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:  Headboats are having good catches of vermillion snapper, grouper, ( red, gag and scamp ) black sea bass, grunts and banded rudderfish. They are also bringing in Hatteras blues and dolphin. A cobia was hooked on the Captain Stacy. Charter boats are having a great time catching large and small dolphin and nice sized wahoo. Flounder in the 4-pound range are being hooked on the wrecks. The Hatteras blues are from the shore to 10 miles out. Right whales were sighted about one mile off the beach. Anglers are looking hard for Atlantic bonito- they have been reported off Bogue Inlet.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Sheepshead are plentiful under the Atlantic Beach Bridge. Plenty of folks are out on a pretty day searching for sea mullet. There were a few lucky anglers catching them in the Beaufort Inlet. Fishing the inside waters has not yielded much - a few puffers, small croakers and bluefish. A cobia, approximately 25 pounds, was caught about 2.5 miles off Atlantic Beach but jumped off the hook. There are lots of small shark reported.
Piers/Shore: Â Fishing is slow. There are bluefish and shark reported.
Southern District  Pender, New Hanover, & Brunswick Counties
Contact: Dennis Trowell April 27, 2008
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 things are a little slow. The yellowfins have not made a showing but there still are some fish being caught - blackfin tuna, wahoo and dolphin. The dolphin fishing should really get good over the next couple of weeks. There were a good many blue marlin releases reported last week. Closer to shore, kings are being reported around the Wr4 and they showed up last Thursday on the beaches of Brunswick County. I’ve also heard of some Spanish mackerel being caught as well. The Atlantic bonito are being caught in good numbers around divers rock, but won’t be around too much longer with the warming water temperature. This is the time of the year when cobia start showing up along the beaches and inlets. One was lost off of an area pier last week. Offshore, the red, gag, and scamp groupers are biting well in the 40 to 50-mile range.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Â Not much change. There are some decent trout catches coming out of the river still. Live shrimp fished under a float has been the key. Along with the trout there are some drum. The sea mullet fishing slowed considerably last week.
Piers/Shore: The big news this week was the first kings of the year were caught on the Oak Island Pier. Ocean Crest Pier caught some Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A New Hanover pier had a large cobia on but it got away. Area piers saw blues and sea mullets mostly, but there were a few large pompano reported as well. The Spanish mackerel should show any day now.
