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Regional Saltwater Fishing Reports

Northern District  Dare, Hyde, Currituck, & Beaufort Counties
Contact: Brian Melott October 15, 2006
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 has been moderate-good with limits of yellowfin tuna still being caught.  A few dolphin & wahoo have also been caught.  Billfish catches are very few.  Midrange success was much improved with striped bass being caught on a regular basis along with a few blueline tilefish & black seabass. Inshore success was the same as that of private boaters fishing the same waters mentioned in private boat report.

Headboats: The last few trips of the season yielded much better catches than previously, with high volume catches of croaker, spot, silver perch, black seabass, puffers, kingfish, and a few, but very nice size weakfish.  Anglers wishing to make trips should do so as soon as possible, being that most boats end their trips at the end of October.

Private Boats: Offshore & midrange success was the same as detailed in charter boat report.  Inshore anglers have been targeting striped bass primarily with ever-increasing success.  Oregon Inlet has produced most of them this past week and Manns Harbor catches were moderate-good most of the time.  Spotted seatrout, flounder, croaker, spot, silver perch, and some nice red drum were also caught.

Piers/Shore: Anglers fish the same waters with similar results.  Red drum have been the primary target of anglers this past week with much increased amounts of them being caught, most of them being of legal size.  Spotted seatrout, pompano, striped bass, kingfish, and a few flounder have been caught

General Overview: Fishing was somewhat limited due to early week foul weather, good success was had by anglers in all areas when weather permitted.  Water temps in the ocean remain in the upper 60's

Central District  Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, & Onslow Counties
Contact: Suzanne Hill October 15, 2006
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.

Headboats: Fishing remains great. Boats are catching snappers, triggers, grouper, sea bass and grunts. Half-day trips are catching mackerel - both king and Spanish, little tunny, and seabass.

CharterBoats: Boats are  catching wahoo and dolphin. Half-day trips are coming in laden with Spanish and blues. Trips also bring in kings and little tunny.

Private Boats: It appears that everyone within 200 miles of the coast is after the SPOT.  Boats and anglers are everywhere.  Hot spots are around the Beaufort draw bridge ( both sides ) Duke Marine lab;  around Sugarloaf Island and the Emerald Isle Bridge. Another Hot Spot is the Emerald Isle Fishing Pier where anglers are catching tons of fish. Anglers in boats are not getting coolers full of fish. Boats with 5 people, fishing for 5 hours are bringing in maybe 100 spot.  Most anglers are averaging 10 fish after 4 hours of fishing. Along with the spot are small croaker, blues, pigfish  and pinfish.  Sea mullet have appeared again and some anglers are bringing in a dozen or more. Spotted sea trout anglers are happy. They are catching 2 to 4-pounders and nearing their limit. Trout are in Newport River, North River, Middlemarsh, and the Cape Lookout jetty.  King mackerel are at Northwest Places and around the reefs.  Red Drum are also being brought in. It was an excellent weekend for all fishermen. Guide boats are having a hay-day between the great catches of red drum and spotted sea trout.

Piers/Shore:  Bogue Inlet Pier is another good place to fish for spot. Anglers were filling coolers full of spot and pompano - cleaning the fish and returning to fish some more.  Also seen were flounder, bluefish, croakers and pinfish.  A few puffers showed up - but they have been scarce this year.

Southern District  Pender, New Hanover, & Brunswick Counties
Contact: Dennis Trowell October 15, 2006
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.

Tagged Red Drum: Download PDF with reward details.

Headboats:  Full-day trips are producing vermilion snapper, grouper, grunts, triggerfish, porgies, and other assorted bottom fish. Half-day trips are catching sea bass, gray trout, and some keeper flounder.

CharterBoats: Gulf stream trips are catching wahoo, blackfin tuna, and some nice king mackerel. Full-day trips are doing very well on the king mackerel and grouper, and half-day trips are catching Spanish mackerel. Inshore charters did well on the drum and trout last week.

Private Boats: Offshore, there are some wahoo being caught, but no real big numbers. The king mackerel bite slowed some this week in the river channel, but there still are some fish being reported. The jungle and around frying pan tower would also be good places to try. The gray trout are showing up on the near/shore reefs, and are very nice size fish. Inshore, the cold front that moved though last weekend kicked off some good speckled trout fishing last week. Best catches came from the southern part of the river and Carolina Beach Inlet. The red drum are biting well also with the cooling water temperatures. The bays behind Bald Head, area creeks, and right along the surf are good places to look for them.

Piers: There were some good spot runs last week on most area piers. If you were lucky enough to be there when the fish moved though you caught all you wanted. Pompano, sea mullet, flounder, bluefish, and some drum were reported as well last week.

Shore: Pretty much the same as the piers. There should be some big drum around Bald Head and the south end of Fort Fisher, I haven't heard of any, but this is the time when they show up.

 

 

 

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