North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Reports More excitement again this week from the rockfish that have showed up in NC. Lots of big fish being caught around Oregon Inlet with a lot of citations being given out for the fish over 45 lbs. Weather was also friendly for offshore anglers this week. A good number of yellow fin and blue fin tuna were caught.
Bill from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center reported: "
November 29, 2008 Fishing ReportFishing offshore was oustanding yesterday. Boats came back to the docks with limits of yellowfin tuna. Bill will post pictures later. Striper fishing was still not that great yesterday. The SW winds made the fishing tough. There were some stripers caught. 3 citation stripers were weighed in at 44lbs, 45lbs and 47lbs. These citations wre caught by Clinton Wright of WV and Jason Wright of Fl. William Flannagan Jr. of Va caught a 37lb citation. Scott Segel Jr. of Il caught a 35lb citiation. This was one of those days where you had to be at the right spot at the right time. Stripers caught in the ocean have to be 28" long and any striper 35lbs and over are citation size fish. You can keep 2 person per day. Offshore boats have left for the day and the nearshore and inshore boats will be leaving at 7am.
November 28, 2008 Fishing Report Thanksgiving day we had several inshore and nearshore boats out striper fishing. Stripers were caught but it took a little while to find them. The SW winds push the stripers further up the beach and makes fishing a little more difficult. We have offshore boats out today. We should have a report later today. Looking to catch some nice yellowfin tunas. Quite a few striper trips out today. Winds should shift to the NW tonight and to the NE Saturday. This should be better weather for the striper catches. I will post a report on the days catch later today or early am. Have a great weekend."
TW's Bait and Tackle reported: "
November 30, 2008 Fishing Report
In Summary: We fished Coquina at daybreak (in the rain) and caught 2 eighteen inch Puppy Drum. All piers are catching Puppy Drum this morning. Avalon and Nags Head are also catching Trout. It looks like an all day of rain.
November 29, 2008 Fishing Report In Summary: Few reports from yesterday. Lots of holiday people fishing. A few Drum and Dogfish were caught on the northern beaches. All the piers are catching Drum this morning. Outer Banks pier are also catching a few Trout. Off-shore fishing was great yesterday with boats landing at the dock with their limits of Tuna. There were 5 citation Stripers weighed in at Oregon Inlet. One of the Stripers weighed in at 47 lbs."
NORTH CAROLINA FISHING REPORTS COVERING THE ENTIRE NORTH CAROLINA COAST Reported from North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries From Knotts Island to Ocracoke:
Ocean: Unfavorable weather conditions this previous week limited efforts of offshore, midrange, and inshore anglers. Offshore catches on favorable days consisted primarily of dolphin, wahoo, king mackerel, blueline tilefish, and a few black and yellowfin tuna. Midrange catches were limited to a few large striped bass in the 8 to 10-mile range, but generally catch rates were low. Inshore anglers had success rates similar to the pier/shore anglers detailed below.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Unfavorable weather conditions limited these anglers also> Striped bass and spotted seatrout were most abundant, with dawn and dusk yielding the highest catch rates. Catches were scattered throughout the area. Other than the striped bass and trout, fishing was fairly slow.
Piers/Shore: The weather affected these anglers least of all, but conditions were tough trying to access the rough surf most of the time. Red drum keeper-ratios were much-improved with well over half of them falling in the legal slot limit. Spotted seatrout and bluefish are still being caught in short term/ high volume periods by anglers that are fortunate enough to be there at the right time. A few black drum, croakers, spot, skates, rays, sharks, and a host of others were also caught. Piers will be closing at the end of this month. Anglers should take advantage of favorable weather days being that this will be their last chance to fish until the piers open back up around Easter.
General Overview: Weather conditions limited opportunities this week in all modes of fishing. Success rates were moderate-good on the few days that anglers were able to try their luck. Water temps in the surf throughout the area are in the mid 50s.
From Portsmouth to Surf City: Ocean: Rain and high winds kept most anglers fishing the inside waters for most of the week. There were still reports of king mackerel and wahoo on and around the 1700 marker and West Rock. Bottom fishing offshore turned up lots of triggerfish, black sea bass, tilefish, grouper, vermillion snapper and silvers snappers on the few days it wasn't too rough offshore.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Gray trout (weakfish) topping two pounds were caught in both Beaufort and Bogue inlets. Legal-size red drum were caught at the Cape jetty along with speckled trout, which were also caught at both Beaufort and Bogue inlets. Anglers said they had best success using live bait to catch the speckled trout.
Piers/Shore: Large black drum were hooked along the beaches from Fort Macon to Topsail and puffers were caught everywhere.
From Topsail to Sunset Beach:
Ocean: Offshore, there were some good king mackerel catches around the tower. Gag grouper were biting well in the 30 to 35-mile range. Near/shore reefs produced gray trout.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Trout fishing is really good right now. Fish are being reported at both rock jetties. Fish up to seven pounds were caught last week with some boats catching limits. Live shrimp and mirror lures seem to be catching the majority of the fish. Striper fishing in the Cape Fear River picked back up this week as well. Red and back drum were caught in the inland waterways and creeks.
Piers/Shore: Most area piers will start closing after next weekend. I would call ahead if you are planning a trip down. Fishing has started to slow down on the area piers but it’s still good. Speckled trout are being caught on most piers. Live shrimp are hard to beat for bait. Sea mullets, some over two pounds, are still being caught, along with bluefish and black drum. Surf fishermen are catching trout, sea mullets and black drum when weather conditions allow. | Useful North Carolina Fishing Links NOAA Real Time Marine Forecasts and Buoy Reports For the North Carolina Coast
Real time Buoy data and Marine Forecasts for different locations in the Chesapeake Bay Rutgers University's Sea Surface Temperature Great site to check out sea surface temperatures which are vital to know for fishing North Carolina Coastal Fishing Rules and Regulations Check this link for the latest North Carolina Tidal Rules and Regulations North Carolina Non-Tidal Fishing Rules and Regulations
Check this link for the latest North Carolina Non-Tidal Rules and Regulations North Carolina Fishing License Information
Fishing license information and link to get your North Carolina fishing license online. Locations Where to Buy North Carolina Fishing Licenses
A listing of all the locations of where to buy fishing licenses in North Carolina
North Carolina Artificial Reef Locations and Information
Get information and the locations for all the artificial reefs in North Carolina waters.
* If you have a link that you would like to suggest that would be helpful to anglers please email me 1) the name of the site, 2) the exact URL, and 3) a short description of the information the site provides. |
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