Yea we caught a dozen nice Reds five of which were over the slot. We went the 3rd week of September to specifically target flounder. Those results were a major disappointment to say the least and I'm not lying when I say we know how to catch the flatties. There were zero flounder bites in the surf, though those little sob bait stealing crabs were plentiful. It was so bad towards the latter part of the weak that if you had no bite within two to three minutes you were bare hooking it until you bring it in. It mattered not the bait either, live mullet minnows, shrimp, or cut bait. We had six lines in the water setting the crabbies all you can eat buffet, and eat they did. Eventually the hassle of repeating an endless loop of bait-cast-take a smoke-reel it- re-bait-cast-sit a minute- reel it in, well, you get the jist of it. The next day we stopped by the tackle shop and stocked up on an assortment of synthetics so we could at least fish, right? NOT!!!! Those little crabby bastards love the stuff. That was the day before the hurricane blew in.
This group seems to pinpoint the problem with good solutions to fight back. Check em out!
CCANC.org
OBXFishingFool wrote:
NC posted the dates for the 2022 flounder season on June 7th of last year. The spring season for 2023 was cancelled after it was revealed that the commercial flounder haul was less than desirable. Their numbers were down. As a result the NC Recreational Saltwater Angler will possibly be left dangling their rods when it comes to their right to possess this resource so highly valued by thousands of NC Recreational Saltwater Anglers. It appears we may possibly be in for a no go on the fall flounder season this year. If this comes to fruition it will be another step towards what I think will finally be made known to all NC Recreational Saltwater Fishermen. The truth of the matter, IMO, is the people who are making these decisions on our behalf, lol. believe that the NC Flounder is presently "too valuable of a commodity" to allow a NC person, while surf fishing a NC beach, to take even one NC flounder home for a fresh fish dinner. This is obviously the thought processes and the end goal by the powers that be going forward, regardless of if there is to be a fall flounder season this year or not. It's only a matter of time before it will be made "illegal" lol, for a NC Recreational Fisherman to possess even one NC Flounder in the state of NC, regardless of the time of year. Catch and Release. No questions asked. Period. This fish is too valuable for recreational consumption. Release the flounder so the Commercial nets, Giggers, and Inshore Trawlers can catch it, sale it, then ship it to the Northeastern US for out of state consumption by someone in NJ. Please do not ever let this happen. What a travesty this scenario would be. Don't break this old man's heart.
NC posted the dates for the 2022 flounder season o... (
show quote)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A-eHQY23nHg&fbclid=IwAR1qptOoBb8yrs568OtNB2F2fE1hEIsDKrfoNclKmtURj4C-xsplT4fI6uE
All NC recreational flounder fisherman please watch this YouTube video to learn the truth about the NCMFD. Presented in this video are ways the NC General Assembly legislators, who make the regulations, are in the back pockets of lobbyists on the payroll of big rich NC commercial trawling industry which continues to rape the bottom of our NC coastlines and the Pamlico Sound.
Go to CCANC.org
Loneeagle1 wrote:
try stripers at the spillway below rhodehiss coming into lake at top
What time of year would we target stripers at the spillway?
Any updates on the Crappie or Striper bite on Lake Hickory?
From what I've heard today the bite has been on between 1:30am and 3:30am. Monday morning of the 17th this time slot is exactly 2 hours before low tide at 3:37am in Frisco OBX NC. It will be buckets of rain that morning. All hard core brave souls please report. I used to be hard-core. That was 7 back surgeries, 2 shoulders, arthritic knees, hands, and many moons ago.
Any information about the above topic? We are in Frisco for this week thru Friday.
Many Thank Yous,
Eric
If we catch 8 legal size flounder in one day we are required to release 7 of them so that 5 of them can swim away only to be caught in some commercial fishermans gill nets. That's the NCDMRs plan for sustainability of the species? Yes. It is. Exactly their plan. Release em so they can sale em.
Pappy54 wrote:
Let's restrict the commercial side.
I remember years ago when fishing on party boats in New York we would find schools of fluke one day,captains would share the locations with other recreational captains. The commercial boats would come in at night and wipe them out! Next year recreational fishing was 2 fish limit and 18" keeper and no restrictions to the commercial side
The NCDMR has mismanaged the overall flounder regulations for years. It's inconceivable to me that they continue to screw the recreational fishermen and do next to nothing to limit the commercial industry's quota. Allowing us to keep only one freaking flounder per day should be viewed as a red flag to all of us. A "shot across the bow," so to speak, by the NCDMR telling us loud and clearly that their intentions are to cut us rod and reel guys and gals out of the overall yearly flounder quota all together.
Jim Kay wrote:
Thatis their way of saying "Up yours" to recreational fishermen who give the most financial support to the fishery.
True. They don't take into consideration when we go to the coast for one week of the year that the average family spends anywhere from $5000 to $10,000 for a beach house rental not to mention groceries, bait&tackle, eating out or anything else it costs us to spend one week at the coast. All of this directly supports the local coastal economy. Yet the NCDMR continues to screw us more year to year in these meetings and their decisions on the flounder fishing with size limit increases and per day possession limit decreases. Oh yea it's coming. It's only a matter of time before the flounder will be illigal for possession in NC for recreational fishermen period. A 12 month closed season for the rod and reel guys coming down the pipe.
Sandym wrote:
I wonder if Virginia and South Carolina have the same mindset
The state of SC as a commercial fishing industry contributed exactly "zero" flounder to the overall wholesale market in the US. Virginia is not much better. NC is by far the biggest liability for the flounders opportunity to reproduce and grow their numbers for the sustainability aspect of the resource in NC.
NC posted the dates for the 2022 flounder season on June 7th of last year. The spring season for 2023 was cancelled after it was revealed that the commercial flounder haul was less than desirable. Their numbers were down. As a result the NC Recreational Saltwater Angler will possibly be left dangling their rods when it comes to their right to possess this resource so highly valued by thousands of NC Recreational Saltwater Anglers. It appears we may possibly be in for a no go on the fall flounder season this year. If this comes to fruition it will be another step towards what I think will finally be made known to all NC Recreational Saltwater Fishermen. The truth of the matter, IMO, is the people who are making these decisions on our behalf, lol. believe that the NC Flounder is presently "too valuable of a commodity" to allow a NC person, while surf fishing a NC beach, to take even one NC flounder home for a fresh fish dinner. This is obviously the thought processes and the end goal by the powers that be going forward, regardless of if there is to be a fall flounder season this year or not. It's only a matter of time before it will be made "illegal" lol, for a NC Recreational Fisherman to possess even one NC Flounder in the state of NC, regardless of the time of year. Catch and Release. No questions asked. Period. This fish is too valuable for recreational consumption. Release the flounder so the Commercial nets, Giggers, and Inshore Trawlers can catch it, sale it, then ship it to the Northeastern US for out of state consumption by someone in NJ. Please do not ever let this happen. What a travesty this scenario would be. Don't break this old man's heart.
We had a decent week surf fishing just south of the Corrolla Beach NC 4WD access. If only the second half of the week had been like the first half it would have been much better.
Wow! My family gets to come surf fishing for one week out of the year. We're at Nags Head right now. I'm sitting on the deck watching the ocean this morning and just saw a boat put out a freaking gill net less than 200 yards off the beach front all up the coastline right smack dab in front of the house we rented for the week. We're in the Villiage Realty unit #9605 South Old Oregon Inlet road Nags Head. I didn't think they could put those nets that close to the beach. So much for our surf fishing vacation if he continues this all week. He's got the entire coastline to choose from and he drops his gill net to catch every fish where we are surf fishing all week! What if anything can we do about this? This is a really sickening situation.