15 FOOT OUTBANK FISHING SURFF POLE LICENSE
Other species available to North Carolina surf fishermen are pompano, croaker, trout, spot, hogfish and whiting (sea mullet).īe advised that there is a proposed recreational saltwater fishing license which is scheduled to take effect January 2006. When jigs are used, they work best when tipped with fish, shrimp or a mullet minnow. Many flounder are caught using cut baits and some are caught using jigs. Southern flounder dominate the catch in inshore and southern NC waters, while summer flounder dominate the catch in offshore waters north of Cape Hatteras. By June, the fishing is going strong, with both summer and southern flounder being caught.
For sounds and other areas, consult the NC Marine Fisheries website.įlounder begin biting in May as the water warms. In Atlantic waters, size limit is over 27” total length with bag limit of 2 per day. October, November and December are the best times for fishing, with fish still showing up as late as February. Recently during the winter months striped bass have returned to NC waters in great numbers. Minimum size allowed is 12” fork length (from tip of snout to middle of fork in tail). Fishing rod of choice is a 9 foot light action. Spanish mackerel are usually taken on fast moving metal lures. The Spanish is delicious, averages 1 to 3 pounds and presents a real challenge to any angler. This fish is somewhat of a tourist, arriving in June and staying until later September. Only 5 allowed over 24” total length (from tip of snout to tip of compressed tail). They’ll take bait (mullet, spot, or menhaden) or almost any type of lure.
These later fall visitors are plentiful and powerful. Their departure is generally hastened by the arrival of the fall run of 15-20 pound giant blues. Large size blues (8-12 pounds) arrive in May and remain until November. Size allowed is between 18” and 27” with a daily bag limit of 1 per person.īlues are available in a variety of sizes from April to December to surf fishermen and boaters as well. Bait of choice is fresh mullet rods are 9 to 11 feet with medium to heavy action tips. In late October the bigger drum (40-70 pounds) return and remain until late November. They are more plentiful than the larger variety and can be found in most sloughs. These fish will range between 2 and 15 pounds. In September the smaller drum will enter the surf. Average size in spring is 35 to 50 pounds. This run will peak by mid May and taper off in early June. The spring season generally begins in April.
Popular and prolific sport fish species you may catch surf fishing along the North Carolina coast include: With a basic understanding of seasons, conditions, equipment and regulations, an angler can get lucky just about any time of the year, but typically the very best times to surf fish are spring and fall. Most locations can be reached either by car or ferry. Surf fishing is exciting, rewarding and accessible to all.
Needless to say, we were eating bluefish casseroles all winter long. Later we filleted, boiled and ate the fish in casseroles made with mashed potatoes. Cast after cast we were rewarded with huge bluefish, twelve to sixteen pounds, filling up a wheelbarrow in a pyramid of large fish. My husband had come in from duck hunting and had heard the big blues were hitting the beach! We parked our 4-wheel drive truck nearby on the hard sand and with the baby playing contentedly in her car seat and the puppy chewing on anything he could find, we lined up along the surf with a few dozen other fishermen, casting the heavy silver spoon lures into the churning waters of the big blue blitz. Years later, in the mid-eighties, I remember an early winter fishing expedition near Oregon Inlet, south of Nags Head, this time with my husband, 8-month old daughter and a Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppy. Later, my grandmother would fry the filleted fish to a golden brown and we would eat them with hushpuppies and coleslaw. I remember him catching bluefish, croakers, puppy drum and flounder as I played in the tidal pools nearby. He parked our shiny black Ford Fairlane in a gravel parking lot off the beach and we hiked over the dunes to the surf, carrying rods, buckets, tackle box and various other fishing paraphernalia. My first experience surf fishing was with my father on Wrightsville Beach, NC in the 60’s.
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