The Division of Marine Fisheries has heard from many fishermen with questions about the management measures adopted in the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 2. Here are the answers to those most frequently asked. What reductions in southern flounder harvest were approved by the Marine Fisheries Commission? The Marine Fisheries Com...

Ryan of Hatteras Jack reports that surf anglers have been finding some large pompano (up to 3.25 lbs.) while fishing sand fleas and shrimp just off the sand. Also from the surf bluefish and good-sized spanish mackerel (up to 3.5 lbs.) are hitting casting jigs thrown to surface-feeding fish. Speckled trout are working their way […]

Kevin of Island Tackle and Hardware reports that in the Cape Fear River and waterway speckled trout fishing has remained steady. Those casting out live shrimp under a popping cork or hard baits like topwater lures and MirrOlure MR17s have produced good numbers of fish. Targeting marsh points and oyster beds has been most productive. […]

Matt of Tex Tackle reports that fishing inshore has been decent but it should really start to improve with the arrival of fall-like temperatures. The speckled trout fishing has been good around the inlets and in the creeks with the best times being early and late in the day. Topwater fishing has been producing redfish […]

The waters around Carolina Beach were popping mid-September with inshore anglers competing in the 2019 Fisherman’s Post Carolina Beach Inshore Challenge on September 14. With the flounder fishery closed for the season the leaderboard was modified to be based on an aggregate weight of each team’s heaviest two red drum. Presumably due to the flounder...

The Inshore Trail Championship was held on Sunday September 15 the day after the Carolina Beach Inshore Challenge the last of five qualifying events. The top ten boats from the regular season (heaviest aggregate weight of the three heaviest red drum weighed in over the course of the five events) qualified for the invite-only Championship […]

Operation North State (ONS) and its numerous and generous supporters and volunteers are calling on North Carolina’s people places products and pride (especially in the Oak Island/Southport community) to help support the upcoming 6th Annual Peer Fishin’ Festival. The festival will be held Friday October 4 (rain or shine) on Ocean Crest Pier in Oak [...

Ryan of Hatteras Jack reports that Rodanthe-area beaches have been seeing a nice speckled trout surf bite. Soft plastics fished on double “trout rigs” have been the top producing setup. Pompano and sea mullet are mixed in the deeper holes just off the sand and they’re hitting fresh shrimp and sand fleas. Casting jigs to […]

If you close flounder then that means Capt. Luke Donat of Spot On Charters out of the Carolina Beach area will just have to target speckled trout prior to mid-October. And speckled trout was the plan for John Metzger and Simba Glass (the two weigh masters for Fisherman’s Post inshore events) and I when we […]

Chris of East Coast Sports reports that surf anglers have been catching pompano spot and sea mullet while bottom fishing. Also in the surf a few puppy drum and bluefish are hitting Carolina-rigged mullet. Inshore anglers have been hooking red drum and short flounder while fishing Carolina-rigged live mullet near docks and a few speckled […]

Matt of Chasin’ Tails reports that sea mullet are being caught on Sam’s Glitter Rigs in the Turning Basin. Bottom fishing with shrimp has been producing black drum croaker and pufferfish. Speckled trout are in the creeks and areas like the Haystacks and they’re hitting live shrimp fished under slip corks. Red drum are being […]

Patrick of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters reports that water temperatures are around 83 degrees and there are massive schools of finger mullet in the ICW and its tributaries but it has been hard to find any shrimp. The flounder fishery is closed to harvest in NC but on both sides of the border there is […]

The recreational and commercial southern flounder seasons closed Sept. 4 in North Carolina waters. The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission made the decision at its meeting adopting the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 2 as proposed by the Division of Marine Fisheries. The commission did give the director of the Division of Marine Fi...

Ryan of Hatteras Jack reports that sound-side anglers have been doing great finding speckled trout along grass lines and in deeper channels. Soft plastics fished on 1/4 oz. jig heads have been the most productive when targeting the bottom half of the water column. When fishing oyster beds and shallower edges of flats popping corks […]

Patrick of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters reports that inshore surface water temperatures in the morning on the north end of the Grand Strand are around 84-85 degrees. There are massive schools of finger mullet in the Intracoastal Waterway and its tributaries and bait-sized shrimp are also abundant. Even though the harvest of flounder is closed […...

The plan with Capt. Luke Moser of Coastline Charters out of the Wrightsville and Carolina Beach areas was to get in one last day of flounder fishing before the closure. We were both able to manipulate our schedules to free up the Friday of Labor Day weekend and so we met at twilight at the […]

Matt of Chasin’ Tails reports that inshore fishing has been steady. Red drum are being caught in deeper holes near the inlets and back into the marsh flats. There has been a large amount of bait back in the grass and the high tides have had the fish actively attacking baits on the flats. Speckled […]