Central District Fishing Report —
Pamlico, Craven, Carteret and Onslow Counties
Contact: Jesse Bissette (Jesse.Bissette@ncdenr.gov)
For the week of June 12-18
Ocean: Anglers fishing offshore saw outstanding catches of dolphin. Most of the fish were fairly small, but many boats were able to bring their limit back to the dock. Some wahoo and a small number of blackfin tuna were mixed in the catches. The billfish action was hot early in the week, but tapered off as the week progressed. Offshore bottom fishing produced catches of triggerfish, amberjack, vermilion snapper, and black sea bass. Spanish mackerel fishing along Carteret County beaches remained fairly good, but muddy water limited success. Anglers fishing the nearshore artificial reefs had good luck catching flounder using both jigs and live bait.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Anglers fishing Core Creek, the Haystacks, Middle Marsh, and other area marshes caught good numbers of slot-sized red drum and spotted seatrout using top water baits early in the morning. Later in the day, soft plastics and live bait caught the fish. Some of the trout were solid citation sized fish. Anglers bottom fishing in the State Port turning basin caught croaker, pigfish, weakfish, and a handful of sea mullet. They also caught keeper flounder while fishing around the port wall using live bait on a Carolina rig. Good numbers of sheepshead were found around area structure.
Piers/Shore: Pier and surf anglers caught Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Those fishing the bottom caught a few croaker, sea mullet, pufferfish, and pinfish, as well as some pompano. Surf fishermen at Fort Macon caught bluefish, pufferfish, and pinfish.
For the fishing year, all owners/operators of vessels recreationally fishing for and/or retaining regulated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (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 Angling permit. This permit has replaced the Atlantic tunas Angling category permit. In North Carolina, additional Highly Migratory Species harvest reporting requirements are also in place. To obtain a permit go to: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/compliance/permits_reporting/index.html Report a tagged fish 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 fishing license went into effect Jan. 1, 2007 for all of the state's coastal and ocean waters. Click here for the latest seasons, size and bag limits. Please note: New reports are usually posted by early Monday afternoon. |
