Central District Fishing Report —
Pamlico, Craven, Carteret and Onslow Counties 
Contact: Jesse Bissette (Jesse.Bissette@ncdenr.gov) For the week of Aug. 7-13
Ocean: Strong winds kept most of the offshore fleet in port. The few boats that managed trips were rewarded with catches of wahoo, sailfish, blackfin tuna, and dolphin. Offshore bottom fishing provided black sea bass, triggerfish, vermilion snapper, grouper, and amberjack. Anglers trolling area beaches caught Spanish mackerel, but few caught their bag limits. Anglers also caught small to medium king mackerel with the Spanish. Anglers fishing live bait at nearshore artificial reefs brought back good catches of flounder.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Anglers caught red drum and spotted sea trout in area marshes, the most productive being the Haystacks, Core Creek, and Middle Marsh. Top-water lures fished early in the morning worked well, but live bait and soft plastics proving more productive once the sun came up. Anglers sporadically landed large red drum from the Neuse River and Pamlico Sound using soaked dead bait. Anglers bottom fishing in the N.C. Port turning basin caught croaker, pigfish, weakfish, and pinfish. Sheepshead were biting on fiddler crabs and sea urchins at the port wall and the Atlantic Beach bridge.
Piers/Surf: Anglers throwing plugs on area piers caught Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and undersized king mackerel. Those fishing the bottom caught a few keeper flounder, red drum, small black drum, pompano, sea mullet, and pinfish. Anglers fishing the surf at Fort Macon State Park caught in-slot and over-the-slot red drum.
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. |
