NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Marine Fisheries - Northern District

Marine Fisheries

Northern District: Dare, Hyde, Currituck and Beaufort Counties

Contact: Brian Melott

For the 2012 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. To obtain a permit go to: http://www.hmspermits.gov.

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 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.

Northern District
For the week of June 10-16

Ocean: Offshore fishing continued to be great. Anglers fishing out of Oregon Inlet took their limits of 40- to 50-pound yellowfins regularly. Dolphin fishing also was good and included a mix of gaffers and bailers. Billfishing continued to pick up. There were good numbers of blue and white marlin caught, along with some sailfish. Bottom-fishing anglers had good catches of black sea bass, tilefish, triggerfish and assorted snappers. Closer to the beach, the cobia bite was still strong. Oceanfront trollers caught bluefish and Spanish mackerel.

Inlets/Sounds/Rivers/Bays: Most anglers fishing the sounds primarily targeted speckled trout and had good success rates. Keeper trout were caught throughout local waters. Red drum were still caught in good numbers, and a fair amount of fish fell in the slot. Flounder fishing was decent when conditions were right. Bottom-fishing anglers reported consistent catches of sea mullet and croakers.

Piers/Shore: Pier fishing remained good when conditions were favorable. Anglers caught Spanish mackerel, bluefish, sea mullet, spot, croaker and speckled trout. Shore anglers concentrated their efforts in low light conditions to capitalize on the speckled trout bite. Anglers caught trout and drum from the usual locations, such as the Little Bridge and the Washington Baum Bridge.

Northern District | Central District | Southern District
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N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries • 3441 Arendell Street • Morehead City, NC 28557 • 252-726-7021 or 800-682-2632

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N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources

1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601 USA

Headquarters (Environment and Natural Resources Building): 217 W. Jones St.

Archdale Building: 512 N. Salisbury St.

Toll Free: (877) 623-6748

NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Marine Fisheries - Northern District

Marine Fisheries

Northern District: Dare, Hyde, Currituck and Beaufort Counties

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