Southern District Fishing Report —
Pender, New Hanover and Brunswick Counties
Contact: Dennis Trowell (Dennis.Trowell@ncdenr.gov)
For the week of Oct. 29 - Nov. 4
Ocean: Offshore, the fall wahoo fishing was good with several fish over 90 pounds being weighed in over the last two - three weeks. There have also been good numbers of sailfish released, as well as blackfin tuna. Near shore, there wasn't a lot going on due to high winds, but the king mackerel were still around in the 10 to 20-mile range. A few Spanish mackerel were caught along the beaches of Brunswick County.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Spotted seatrout were caught throughout the area, along with good numbers of red and black drum and some keeper flounder. A lot of the trout have been small, but some nice fish have started to show up. The bays and creeks behind Bald Head Island have been productive for drum and trout, as well as the creeks around Riches Inlet. Good numbers of sheepshead were reported around Little river and Masonboro Inlet rock jetties.
Piers/Shore: Area piers reported good catches of spot, sea mullets, pompano and both red and black drum. Surf anglers caught much the same with lots of slot and over the slot red and black drum, as well as some keeper flounder and spotted seatrout.
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.
