Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico – Current Regulations Provide Protection for Striped Bass and Red Drum

October 30, 2008

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, to assist in ensuring faithful execution of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act, and the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act (chapters 38, 71, and 71A of title 16, United States Code), and to conserve striped bass and red drum fish, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy.

It shall be the policy of the United States to conserve triped bass and red drum for the recreational, economic, and environmental benefit of the present and future generations of Americans, based on sound science and in cooperation with State, territorial, local, and tribal governments, the private sector, and others, as appropriate.

Sec. 2. Implementation.

(a) To carry out the policy set forth in section 1, the Secretary of Commerce shall:

(i) encourage, as appropriate, management under Federal, State, territorial, tribal, and local laws that supports the policy of conserving striped bass and red drum, including State designation as gamefish where the State determines appropriate under applicable law;

(ii) revise current regulations, as appropriate, to include prohibiting the sale of striped bass and red drum caught within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States off the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico;

(iii) periodically review the status of the striped bass and red drum populations within waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and:

(A) take such actions within the authority of the Secretary of Commerce as may be appropriate to carry out the policy set forth in section 1 of this order; and

(B) recommend to the President such actions as the Secretary may deem appropriate to advance the policy set forth in section 1 that are not within the authority of the Secretary.

(b) Nothing in this order shall preclude or restrict the production, possession, or sale of striped bass or red drum fish that have been produced by aquaculture.

(c) The Secretary of Commerce shall implement subsections 2(a)(i) and (iii), insofar as they relate to Atlantic striped bass, jointly with the Secretary of the Interior, as appropriate.

Sec. 3. Definitions. As used in this order:

(a) ‘‘Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States’’ means the marine area of the United States as defined in Presidential Proclamation 5030 of March 10, 1983, with, for purposes of this order, the inner boundary of that zone being a line coterminous with the seaward boundary of each of the coastal States;

(b) ‘‘red drum’’ means the species Sciaenops ocellatus; and

Sec. 4. General Provisions.

(a) This order shall be implemented in a manner consistent with applicable law (including but not limited to interstate compacts to which the United States has consented by law, treaties and other international agreements to which the United States is a party, treaties to which the United States and an Indian tribe are parties, and laws of the United States conferring rights on Indian tribes) and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(b) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budget, administrative, and legislative proposals.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its departments, agencies, instrumentalities, entities, officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

THE WHITE HOUSE

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South Carolina Saltwater Fishing Trends - 8/11/2008

August 11, 2008

Little River - Grand Strand - Charleston - Hilton Head - Tides - S.C. marine recreational fishing regulations (PDF file). Saltwater Fishing License site.

Fishing trends courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com. Check the site for recent updates and detailed reports.

Little River

Flounder: Very good. Even though the water is starting to get very warm flounder continue to be caught in Cherry Grove and 53rd area creeks using mud minnows. Flounder are also being taken at the Little River jetties.
Spottail bass: Very good. Fish Clark Spoons or other heavy, fast dropping lures deep against the rocks at the jetties for big red drum. Fish can be caught on most any tide - the key is getting the spoons deep. Cut mullet or menhaden weighted down may also work.
Sheepshead and black drum: Excellent. The sheepshead bite has gotten hot. Sand fleas and fiddler crabs are both very productive around the jetties and any inshore pilings.
Spanish mackerel: Very good. Big Spanish mackerel are being caught near the jetties. Look for feeding birds and motor slowly towards the fish; throw Gotcha Plugs, Hopkins Spoons, or anything else with a treble hook to land fish.
Offshore: Wahoo and king mackerel are both being caught when boats can get offshore. The dolphin bite has really slowed.
Cherry Grove Pier: Whiting up to half a pound and black drum up to three pounds are both being caught on cut pieces of shrimp. A few small sheepshead are also being reported caught, and occasional 16 inch flounder are being landed.

Grand Strand

Spottail Bass: Good. Slot sized spottails are being taken at the south end of Murrells Inlet in the backwaters and creeks as well as by flounder fishermen drifting or trolling the main inlet. Mud minnows, live or cut mullet, and cut shrimp are all producing. Large drum continue to be caught at the jetties; fish the incoming tide right after the tide turns against the North Jetty walls.
Trout: Sporadic. Occasional reports continue to come in of some very large trout being caught at the jetties, but these are few and far between. Use live shrimp, finger mullet, or mud minnows or fish Gulp.
Flounder: Slow. With the very hot water flounder catching has slowed to almost non-existent. Some anglers continue to troll Murrells Inlet, but few fish are being landed.
Sheepshead: Excellent. Large numbers of sheepshead are being caught at the Murrells Inlet jetty, but the bite is even hotter down at the Georgetown jetties. Fiddler crabs and live or cut shrimp on a Carolina rig fished vertically are producing. Perry’s Bait and Tackle reports that sheepshead sell as fast as they can catch them.
Surf report: Snapper bluefish are prolific as well as good numbers of whiting. Pompano are also around in good numbers - August and September are traditionally the best months for sheepshead in the area. Large, 5 to 7 pound Spanish mackerel are abundant in the surf.
Springmaid Pier: Some good sized flounder have been caught, as well as fair numbers of pinfish and spots. Ribbonfish have been prolific, and no kings have been caught recently. Second
Avenue Pier: Flounder action is pretty hot; 15 or so are being caught each day, up to 3 or 4 pounds. A few black drum are being caught as well as some Spanish by jig fishermen. Pinfish, whiting, and croaker are also around.
Myrtle Beach State Park Pier: Occasional flounder are being caught, as well as whiting, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel.
Apache Pier: Fishing has slowed, but some summer trout and flounder are being caught as well as occasional pompano. A 30.8 pound king mackerel was landed a couple of weeks ago.
Surfside Pier: Fishing remains off, and only sharks, stingrays, and sea robins are being caught in good numbers.
Garden City Pier: Whiting and pinfish are being caught in decent numbers, and lots of small bluefish in the 11 to 13 inch size are being landed. A few pompano are being landed and some Spanish are also being jigged up. No king mackerel have been caught recently.
Offshore: Offshore fishing has slowed down, but some grouper are being reported caught at the wrecks and reefs. The hottest bite is big king mackerel - a 35 pounder was recently caught trolling a reef 15 miles out, and lots more approaching that size are also being taken.

Charleston

Spottail Bass: Very good. Haddrell’s Point reports that redfish are scattered across all of the lowcountry estuaries, and anglers continue to have best luck fishing under docks with deep holes and plenty of shade. These fish are being caught on live or cut bait, Gulp, or Rattle Traps. Fishing in the flats is also strong, and spottails are in schools of 5 to 30 fish and being caught on flukes fished on flutter hooks. Bull drum are also schooled up in the harbor, and fish up to 40 pounds or more can be caught on bottom rigs with cut bait. The same method also works at the jetties.
Trout: Very good. Early and late in the day topwater action is hot for spotted sea trout. Use topwater lures like Zara Spooks and “walk the dog” around oyster shells and feeder creeks on moving tides. Strong action is also coming fishing shrimp, minnows, or artificial shrimp under a popping cork at high tide. Good action is also coming fishing around points with oyster beds on tides where bait is being pulled in or pushed out; trout will ambush prey from the back side of these points.
Flounder: Good. Flounder fishing continues to improve over the last few weeks, and best results are coming fishing around the edges of rock piles and creek mouths. Fish live finger mullet or mud minnows on a Carolina rig.
Sheepshead: Very good. Most any structure, from nearshore wrecks to the jetties to inshore piers and bridges, is holding hungry sheepshead right now. Fish fiddler crabs, clam pieces, or cut shrimp.
Tarpon: Good. Decent numbers of tarpon are still hanging around the inlets and jetties, and shark fishermen report picking some up accidentally. Fish large live mullet or menhaden in 6 to 15 foot deep slews between the sandbars on the outside of most any Charleston area inlet.
Spanish mackerel: Good. Nice catches of Spanish mackerel continue to be made in the Harbor. Fish Gotcha plugs or spoons.
Folly Beach Pier: A mixed bag continues to be caught at the pier, including whiting, bluefish, trout, Spanish mackerel, red drum, and sheepshead. Anglers are not having hot action on any one species, but action is pretty consistent for something.
Offshore: Grouper and snapper action is good using butterfly jigs and cigar minnows in 85 to 150 feet of water. King mackerel fishing is hot from the shipping channel out to 120 feet of water. Snakes are abundant in 60 to 90 feet; troll sea witches with small ballyhoo, drone spoons, and diving plugs to ensure plenty of action. Dolphin fishing has generally slowed, but Ryan Riggs landed a new state record dolphin weighing 77.5 pounds and measuring 65 inches aboard the “Daymaker” on July 24 while fishing the Governor’s Cup out of Bohicket Marina. He caught the fish just inshore of the 226 hole trolling a naked ballyhoo rig on a circle hook. A few wahoo continue to be caught in 130 to 180 feet. The hottest bite continues to be billfish and particularly sailfish. Sailfish are balling bait in 250 to 300 feet of water, and boats heading deep are getting 5 to 10 shots a day at them. Blue marlin are being sighted less frequently, but several boats have released them in the last few days.

Hilton Head

Spottail Bass: Very good. First thing in the morning redfish are hitting topwater; when the sun is higher fish deeper with Gulp Shrimp. Tailing action is strong around high tide and will continue all summer. On the incoming tide fish the edges of the grass with rattle floats and natural colored Gulp Shrimp to catch slot sized fish as well as larger ones. Also use brown Gulp Swimming Minnows or mud minnows.
Trout: Good to very good. Early morning topwater action is very good, and some big trout are being caught on lures like Spooks. Good fishing is coming under docks or on the outgoing tide where feeder creeks are emptying into bigger water. Shrimp and mud minnows fished under Cajun Thunder rattling bobbers, or Gulp grubs, are producing.
Flounder: Good. Flounder fishing has improved slightly, and anglers are catching flounder using traditional flounder rigs with a bobber to float the mud minnows off the bottom. Best fishing is around low tide in the same areas as the spottails and trout, or in the mouths of creeks and inlets.
Tarpon: Read about tarpon fishing in the Beaufort report.
Offshore: High fuel prices and windy conditions have slowed offshore fishing. Nearshore Spanish mackerel, bluefish and jack crevalle are being caught just outside the Port Royal Sound and at the Gaskins and Whitewater reefs. For more offshore information read the Beaufort report.

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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.

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 Regional Saltwater Fishing Reports - 6/8/2008

June 8, 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 and Gulf of Mexico – Current Regulations Provide Protection for Striped Bass and Red Drum

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