Regional Saltwater Fishing Reports
8/6/2006
| Northern
District Dare, Hyde, Currituck, & Beaufort Counties
Contact: Brian Melott August 6 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)Fishing has
been fair to good most of the time with moderate catches of yellowfin tuna,
dolphin, and a few very large bigeye tuna. Billfish catches have been fair
to good. (Midrange)Fishing has been fair with catches of tautog,
black seabass, blueline tilefish, grouper, king mackerel, and cobia. (Inshore)
Fishing has been slow to fair with only a few bluefish, pigfish, croaker,
and spot being caught. Headboats: Fishing has been slow to fair with a mixed bag being caught. Pigfish, croaker, bluefish, silver perch, black seabass, spot, skate, and dogfish sharks have all been caught in small amounts Private Boats: Fishing success similar to that of charter boats with the exception of a few flounder being caught in the shallow waters of Oregon Inlet near the small islands. Piers: Fishing patterns have been slow to fair with only a few bluefish and Spanish mackerel blitzes Shore: Fishing success similar to piers. General Overview: Record breaking temperatures and heat warnings in effect have made fishing conditions very tough for anglers, with poor catches of fish in all modes. Weather conditions are predicted to improve in the coming week. |
| Central District Pamlico,
Craven, Carteret, & Onslow Counties Contact: Suzanne Hill August 6 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: Anglers are catching large grunts,
beeliners, grouper, sea bass and porgies. Inshore trips are doing great with
sea bass catches and spottail pinfish.
CharterBoats: Half-day trips are bringing in boxes full of Spanish mackerel. Full day trips are catching dolphin, wahoo and billfish. Private Boats: Spanish are popping up everywhere. They are covering up Ar 315, and the Cape shoals in 20 feet of water all the way down to the point. They are off the beaches down to the Sheraton Pier. There was a 5-pound Spanish measured at New River and several 2.5 pound Spanish measured in Carteret County. Reports from The 90 Foot Drop and Northwest Places say kings and dolphin are everywhere. Nice catches of kings have been reported 10 miles out of New River Inlet.. Anglers are reporting many undersized red drum released, especially in the Newport River. Red Drum also are being caught in the Haystacks. Small bluefish are in Beaufort Inlet, swimming with nice-sized Spanish. Sheepshead remain around all the pilings in the State Port. Flounder on the reefs and at the jetty at Cape Lookout. Many anglers are seeing turtles again. Piers/Shore: Flounder - a nice 3-pounder- was measured at Camp Lejeune. One angler on the Oceanna Pier caught 3 keeper flounder in the 3 pound range in less than 1 hour. There are reports of good-sized flounder around the rock jetty at the Cape.... most anglers are using live minnows. |
| Southern District Pender,
New Hanover, & Brunswick Counties Contact: Dennis Trowell August 6 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: Offshore trips are catching nice
vermilion snapper, groupers, grunts, triggerfish, porgies and other assorted
bottom fish. Half-day trips are catching sea bass and some nice flounders.
CharterBoats: Full-day are producing a little of everything - grouper, king mackerel, dolphin, and some sailfish. Half-day trips are doing well on the Spanish mackerel, and inshore charters are catching flounders, drum and a few trout. Private Boats: Summer time fishing. There are some sailfish being
caught close to shore now. Hard bottom areas in the 10 to 20 mile range
would be good places to try. Bottom fishing is always an option in the
summer time, with nice reds and scamps in the 30 to 40 mile range and gags
much closer. There are some nice king mackerel being caught, with quit a few
coming offshore in the 15 to 20 mile range. Inshore, things have slowed some
with the heat. There are some drum in area creeks and bays, with the best
fishing taking place in the early morning hours. Flounder fishing remains
good on most near/shore reefs. |
