Southern District Pender, New Hanover and Brunswick Counties

Contact: Dennis Trowell

For the 2011 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.

Southern District:
For the week of June 10-16

Ocean: Offshore anglers caught dolphin and wahoo, but Gulf Stream fishing started to slow down. Boats targeting bottom fish in water depths of 100 to 120 caught red, scamp, and gag groupers, along with a wide assortment of reef fish. Closer to shore, cobia were still caught in good numbers on wrecks and ledges at depths in the 60- to 80-foot range. Anglers also caught some keeper sea bass, gag groupers king mackerel.

Inlets/Sounds/Rivers/Bays: Overall fishing was slow. Anglers targeting flounder had limited success, with Snows Cut, Tubbs Inlet, and the lower Cape Fear River producing some fish in the 5-pound range. Anglers targeting red drum and spotted seatrout had a little better luck in the bays and creeks around Bald Head Island. Anglers saw a good top water bite on trout in these areas in the early morning hours. Sheepshead and black drum were caught around the ADM Dock, Snow’s Cut and along the Masonboro and Little River rock jetties.

Piers/Shore: Gusty winds limited shore fishing, but when conditions were right, anglers caught pompano and sea mullet on sand fleas. They also caught red and black drum. Anglers fishing area piers reported similar catches. Good amounts of spotted sea trout also were caught in the early morning on the Brunswick County piers.

Northern District | Central District | Southern District
Back to Fishing Report Homepage