Recreational Fishing Reports

For more information regarding the Northern District Fishing Reports, please contact Brian Melott.

July 22, 2024

Ocean

Offshore fishing success out of Hatteras was moderate to good on most outings. Blackfin tuna and dolphin of all sizes dominated the catch along with a few king mackerel and wahoo. Billfish catches continued to improve with high numbers of sailfish and moderate amounts of blue marlin and white marlin. Nearshore fishing remained slow, except for a few short-term Spanish mackerel catches. 

Offshore fishing via Oregon Inlet offered high volume amounts of yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna, and bigeye tuna. Citation size fish of all three species was commonplace. A few dolphin, amberjack, and skipjack tuna were also caught. Cutlassfish (ribbonfish) dominated the nearshore catch with moderate amounts of moonfish mixed in on most occasions. A few bluefish and Spanish mackerel were caught on a short-term basis when they were blitzing. 

Inlets/Sounds/Bays

Fishing from Hatteras to Oregon Inlet continued to produce a variety of species in moderate to high amounts. Anglers caught their limits of spotted seatrout. Weakfish and bluefish were a daily occurrence, along with moderate amounts of red drum and sheepshead. Spotted seatrout also dominated the catch from Oregon Inlet to Virginia. Anglers continued to catch the specks in high numbers, including plenty of citation size fish. Sheepshead were caught in moderation around the pilings of the Bonner Bridge pier, along with a mixed bag of other species in low amounts. 

Pier/Beach

North beach anglers saw a noted increase in frequency of catch rates of a variety of species, including moderate amounts of red drum, spadefish, spot, croaker, kingfish (sea mullet), and a host of other species in low amounts.

South beach anglers did not see as much diversity in their catch. Red drum and citation size pompano were both caught in the near shore surf zone with relative ease using mole crabs (sand fleas) as bait. Assorted sharks and rays were also caught in moderation. 

For more information regarding the Central District Fishing Reports, please contact Jacob Stain.

June 22, 2024

Ocean

Bottom fishing anglers reeled in in vermillion snapper, spottail pinfish, scup, and some banded rudderfish. Spanish mackerel were still active close to shore. Offshore trolling yielded dolphin, wahoo, amberjacks, barracuda, and little tunny.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays

Anglers experienced an increase in catches of flounder, spotted seatrout and red drum in the rivers. The sounds yielded good catches of bluefish, black drum and kingfish (sea mullet). 

Piers/Beach

On the piers, anglers primarily hooked Spanish mackerel and bluefish. They also caught pinfish, kingfish (sea mullet), pompano, and a few other species.

For more information regarding the Southern District Fishing Reports, please contact Dennis Trowell.

July 22, 2024

Ocean

There were very few offshore fishing trips due to unfavorable weather and sea conditions. On the few days anglers were able to get offshore, they had decent catches of reef fish, such as black sea bass, vermilion snapper, and gray triggerfish, along with a few nice scamp and red groupers. Fishing, in the 10- to 20-mile range was a little slow, but there were a few nice catches of amberjack, king mackerel, and a few cobia brought back to the docks. Nearshore, the fishing slowed, but anglers caught a few Spanish mackerel and bluefish along the beaches.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays

Slot size red drum and black drum were caught around area docks, jetties, creeks, and bays. Anglers caught some citation size sheepshead, fishing with fiddler crabs, mole crabs, and blue crabs around docks, bridges, and rock jetties. Spotted seatrout catches were somewhat typical for late summer. Early morning top water fishing produced some nice fish as did nighttime fishing around lighted docks and bridges.

Piers/Beach

Area piers reported somewhat slower fishing due to stormy weather and high winds. The Spanish mackerel fishing slowed, but there were still a few caught, particularly in the early morning. Low amounts of sea mullets, spot and croaker were caught using fresh shrimp and blood worms as bait. There were also some nice spotted seatrout caught on the piers using live mullet and live shrimp for bait. Again, the best times to fish were in the early morning and  night. There was limited activity from anglers fishing in the surf last week due to unfavorable conditions and large crowds at the beaches.