7/30/2006
| Northern
District Dare, Hyde, Currituck, & Beaufort Counties
Contact: Brian Melott July 30 For the 2006 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 goes into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state's coastal and ocean waters. Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details. |
| Charterboats: Offshore activity remains
fair-good with dolphin & yellowfin tuna being caught on a regular
basis. Bigeye tuna have been caught in good numbers, with very large
ones showing up this week. Sailfish, blue marlin, and white marlin have
been caught most of the time by anglers targeting billfish. Wahoo, king
mackerel, Atlantic bonito, little tunny, and skipjack tuna have also
been caught. Midrange activity is slower than previously, but nice
catches of tautog, blueline tilefish, black seabass, and grouper are
still being caught. Headboats: Fishing has improved somewhat, with a mixed bag of species including, pigfish, pinfish, croaker, spot, skate, shark, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, kingfish, seatrout, puffer, and spadefish.
Private Boats: Fishing success has been similar to that of
charter boats with the exception of the inshore success. Anglers with
small boats are happy to have the advantage catching nice spotted
seatrout & flounder in the very shallow waters of Oregon Inlet. The
majority of the spotted seatrout have been caught in the Green Island
Slough and most of the flounder have been caught in the shallows of the
Off Island area. Large specimens of black drum & sheepshead are still
being caught near the bridge structure Piers: Success here still remains one extreme or the other with some nice spotted seatrout catches in the mornings. Short-term blitzes of bluefish & Spanish mackerel have been passing through, making for great fishing for the lucky anglers who are there to experience the quick 20-30 minutes of steady activity. Fishing in this mode is a little “hit or miss” and only the anglers whom are patient & persistent are reaping the benefits of a good catch Shore: Fishing success similar to that of piers with a few exceptions. Pompano are being caught in the near-shore surf zone using mole crabs (sand fleas). Flounder & spotted seatrout have been caught with increased regularity this week. Red drum & very large croaker are being caught with increased regularity from Rodanthe southward. General Overview: Fishing in most modes is consistently fair to good. Patient and persistent anglers run a good chance of nice catches. |
| Central
District Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, & Onslow
Counties Contact: Suzanne Hill July 30 For the 2006 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 goes into effect Jan. 1, 2007
for all of the state's coastal and ocean waters. |
| Headboats: Local boats are out fishing
just about every day. Half-day trips are bringing in spottail pinfish
and black sea bass. Light liners on board are catching kings and small
dolphin. The full day trips are going strong. The grunts are over a
pound. The gag are running from 14 to 17 pounds. There are decent sized
black seabass, but not too many are keepers. White grunts are out
numbering all other fish caught.
CharterBoats: Dolphin and wahoo with an billfish every now and then. Private Boats: Kings and dolphin are still being caught around Buoy 14. Nice kings are reported around the hook at Cape Lookout and the jetty. Ar 315 and Ar 320 are covered up with flounder. Divers are reporting tons of shark around the wrecks and hesitate to spear flounder. They are seeing big tigers and nurse sharks. Hammerheads are reported on the surface of the water by boaters. Smaller sharpnoses are reported everywhere from shore to offshore. There are good flounder catches in the mouth of Beaufort Inlet and around the closer buoys of the Inlet. Anglers are reporting many undersized flounder. Spotted seatrout catches are picking up. Speckled trout are also in the Haystacks along with redfish. Anglers are reporting many undersized red drum - more than usual. Bear Island also has redfish, but the fish have been there all year. Sheepshead are thick at the State Port. Piers/Shore: Small pompano, tiny croakers, undersized flounder, very small kingfish and the good old pinfish are being caught amid shark after shark after shark. |
| Southern
District Pender, New Hanover, & Brunswick Counties Contact: Dennis Trowell July 30 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
Recreational Fishing License goes into effect Jan. 1, 2007
for all of the state's coastal and ocean waters. |
| Headboats: Full-day trips are doing well.
Catches are consisting of grunts, porgies, groupers, snappers, and
amberjacks. Half-day trips are producing black sea bass and some keeper
flounder. CharterBoats: Full-day trips are catching groupers, king mackerel, dolphin, and some sailfish. Half-day trips are catching some Spanish mackerel, and inshore charters are doing well, with catches of flounder, spadefish, sheepshead, trout and some drum. Private Boats: Offshore, bottom fishing remains good in the
35 to 45 mile range for red and scamp groupers. Sailfish are showing up
in good numbers close to shore, there were several caught around 23-mile
rock, Schoolhouse, and at Dallas rock. There are some larger king
mackerel starting to show up on area beaches. Carolina Beach Inlet, the
river channel, and Yaupon reef has produced a few nice fish over the
last couple of weeks. Inshore and near-shore have seen the biggest
improvements. There is a pretty good speckled trout bite around the Bald
Head/Southport area, along with improving flounder fishing as well.
There were a good many citation-size flounder reported last week. The
Cape Fear River, and near-shore reefs are producing the best right now.
Sheepshead and black drum are biting well. The ADM dock, Snow's cut, and
the jetties at Masonboro would be good places to try. |
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