Northern District NCDMF Fishing Report



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Northern District Dare, Hyde, Currituck, & Beaufort Counties
Contact: Brian Melott June 29, 2009
For the 2009 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.

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.

Ocean: Offshore fishing was good, with limits of both yellowfin tuna and dolphin on most trips. Blackfin and bigeye tuna, king mackerel, wahoo, blueline tilefish, atlantic bonito, little tunny, skipjack tuna, and greater amberjack were all caught with moderate regularity. Anglers targeting billfish caught sailfish and both blue and white marlin on a regular basis. Groupers, snappers, and black seabass were caught out of the Hatteras/Ocracoke marinas in moderate amounts. Midrange fishing made a modest improvement the last couple of weeks, and anglers are still catching large striped bass around 12-15 miles offshore- anglers should note that striped bass caught beyond the 3-mile line are unlawful to possess. Artificial reefs provided limited action with a few tautog, black seabass, sheepshead, gag groupers, and blueline tilefish. Nearshore action was slow, with a mixed bag of species caught in low quantities.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Spotted seatrout catches were very good throughout the area, with limits caught by anglers targeting them. Flounder were caught at all locations, but keeper-ratios were low, with less than 50% of them being legal size. Spanish mackerel and bluefish catches were the most improved, with nice catches recorded at Oregon Inlet. Anglers working the surface waters with spoons and other assorted lures caught both species in high volume this week. Striped bass catches saw modest improvement.

Piers/Shore: Nothing in particular and everything in general sums up fishing for these anglers. Spanish mackerel and bluefish catches that previously were very good, slowed as these fish seem to have moved into the sounds for anglers fishing those waters. Assorted others were caught in low-moderate amounts including weakfish, croaker, spot, puffers, burrfish, kingfish, skates, rays, sharks, and a host of others. Red drum catches from Rodanthe southward improved somewhat. Cobia catches were impressive, with large specimens caught off of the piers in the late night- pre-dawn hours.

General Overview: Water temps in the surf are fluctuating in the mid 70s throughout the area with fair-good success rates with the exception of near-shore ocean fishing. Weather conditions are predicted favorable for the coming week. .

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