| Regional
Saltwater Fishing Reports
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 Saltwater Fishing License goes into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state's coastal and ocean waters. |
| Charterboats:Offshore success has been not
quite as fruitfull as in pre-Ophelia days, but nice catches of bigeye &
yellowfin tuna are still hitting the docks on a fairly regular basis.
Billfish catches are slower than previously. Midrange success has been
primarily cobia, striped bass, black sea bass, tautog, blueline tilefish,
and king mackerel, all in moderate amounts. Inshore success has been
bluefish & little tunny "false albacore" and a few Spanish mackerel. Headboats: A mixed bag, all in moderate amounts, including spot, croaker, kingfish, pigfish, puffer, bluefish, little tunny, skate, and seatrout. Private Boats: Success has been similar to charter boats in described waters with a few exceptions. Founder catches have slowed but more red drum and both types of seatrout have been caught these last few days. Nearshore catches of king mackerel are increasing in numbers. High volume catches of spot & croaker are still being caught in all of the inlets. Piers: Plenty of spot, croaker, kingfish, pigfish, spadefish, and pompano for everyone. Lesser amounts of bluefish & Spanish mackerel are being landed-but a few isolated blitzing schools have made anglers happy these last few days. Shore:Fishing success has been similar to piers with lesser amounts of bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Red drum & striped bass are being caught with increasing success on the beaches this week. Spot & croaker are abundant in the backwash of the surf almost everywhere. General Overview:Post-Ophelia success has been fair to good in most fishing modes. |
| Central District Pamlico,
Craven, Carteret, & Onslow Counties Contact: Suzanne Hill September 25, 2005 For the 2005 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 Saltwater Fishing License goes into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state's coastal and ocean waters. |
| Headboats: Incredible fishing. The boats
are catching their limit in snapper and grouper before lunch. Along with
these great catches were large grunts, triggers, black sea bass . The
groupers were both red and gag.
CharterBoats: Bottom fishing for snapper and grouper is great. Anglers are catching their limit. Boats trolling offshore are catching dolphin and wahoo. A 67 inch blue fin tuna was caught off Buoy 14. Many sailfish and marlin are still being reported released. Private Boats: Fishing is still slow inside. Gray trout and red drum are around the Beaufort Inlet. Sheepshead, hogfish, bluefish and pinfish are in the Turning basin of the port. A lonely flounder is seem here and there- like off the dock at the Wildlife Ramp in Swansboro, or from the back of Shackleford. Piers/Shore:We are seeing nice sea mullet,
weakfish, croakers and spot. |
| Southern District Pender,
New Hanover, & Brunswick Counties Contact: Dennis Trowell September 25, 2005 For the 2005 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 Saltwater Fishing License goes into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state's coastal and ocean waters. |
| Headboats: After three straight weeks of windy
weather, the winds laid down last week. Full/day trips did well on a number
of species of fish. Vermilion snapper, groupers, triggerfish as well as
some fish species not to common in our waters, Yellowtail snapper, African
pompano, mutton snapper, and gray snapper.
CharterBoats: Boats did fair on wahoo earlier in the week, along with some sailfish, but fishing slowed toward the weekend. Bottom fishing charters saw some of there best catches last week after the storm, with lots of grouper being brought to the docks. Inshore charters reported drum and flounder. Private Boats:Stream fishing is producing some wahoo's, with most
boats catching 3 to 5 fish a trip. There were some African pompanos being
caught around the tower and on ledges SW of the tower. King mackerel fishing
fired off at southport last week, with the river channel and Yaupon reef
producing good numbers and big fish. Near/shore, flounder fishing continues
to be good on near/shore reefs, with the best catches coming off of
southport. There are some nice drum showing up in Carolina beach and
masonboro inlet, and the bays behind Bald head island along with some
speckled trout. Flounder fishing in the river is surprisingly good after the
rain fall from the storm. I haven't heard anybody tarpon fishing on the
shoals, normally this is the prime time for it. Shore:Sea mullets, bluefish, and pompanos were the main species being caught, along with some scattered catches of drum and flounders. |
