Southern District Fishing Report —
Pender, New Hanover and Brunswick Counties
Contact: Dennis Trowell (Dennis.Trowell@ncdenr.gov)
For the week of June 11-17
Ocean: Offshore boats were still catching a few dolphin and blackfin tuna and releasing some billfish. Anglers targeting reef fish brought in good catches of red grouper and scamp grouper, and caught their possession limits of vermilion snapper, fishing in depths of 120 feet to 140 feet. Closer to shore, anglers caught plenty of school-size king mackerel 10 to 20 miles from shore. Amberjacks and a few dolphin were in the mix, as well. Anglers also caught good numbers of both king mackerel and Spanish mackerel along the beaches of Brunswick County, along with an occasional cobia. Nearshore reefs yielded flounder and some spadefish.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Fishing these waters didn’t change much from previous weeks. Anglers mostly targeted red drum and black drum in area creeks, bays and rivers. Anglers also caught nice size spotted seatrout. There has been good fishing in the lower Cape Fear River of late. Sheepshead were caught in the usual spots, such as the rock jetty at Little River Inlet and the ADM Dock in the lower Cape Fear River. Flounder fishing was still somewhat slow, but some big fish started to show up; one fish weighed in at more than 10 pounds. Also, tarpon have already were hooked in the lower Cape Fear area and off the point of Bald Head Island.
Piers/Shore: These anglers saw typical catches for this time of year, including low amounts of pan fish caught on the bottom using blood worms and shrimp for bait. Spot, croaker, and sea mullets made up the bulk of the catches. Anglers fishing with live bait, such as shrimp, mullet, and menhaden, caught some keeper size flounder, along with some slot size red and black drum. When water conditions were favorable, anglers had good catches of Spanish mackerel, with the best fishing in the early morning hours. Surf catches were primarily sea mullets along with the occasional black drum or 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.
