By Tim Wilson Not all is lost when it comes to winter fishing. December to March can be a great time of year to fill the cooler. When trolling’s not working, it’s time to turn to jigging. A couple of key factors have to be considered. First is the water depth of 140 to 350 [...] Fishing |  Full Article

By Robert Michelson Grouper are large, fat-bodied fish with huge mouths and will eat just about anything they can fit in those choppers. While there are several species of grouper off the East Coast, two stand out in North Carolina: gag and red grouper, the most important for North Carolina commercial and recreational fishermen. “Adult [...] Fishing |  Full Article

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission wants input from its advisors before it moves forward with possible future modifications to small mesh gill net rules. At its meeting last week, the commission chose a variety of options for the Division of Marine Fisheries to explore as a first step toward amending rules pertaining to yardage limits, [...] Fishing |  Full Article

The North Carolina Coastal Federation is giving oyster shells from oyster roasts, restaurant and backyard cookouts a second life through its Recycling for Reefs program. Rather than hauling those shells to the trash, which is illegal, there are several shell recycling drop-off sites across the coast to help make recycling easy, and cut costs for [...] Fishing |  Full Article

The North Carolina Coastal Federation is currently accepting applications for “on-water” cleanup assistance relating to its annual Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project. This project is open to commercial watermen and women in North Carolina. This project is funded by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission Commercial Resource Fund Committee and the Funding Committee for the N.C. [...] Fishing |  Full Article

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is looking for commercial and recreational fishermen, scientists, representatives of non-government organizations, and other interested parties to sit on a Shrimp Fishery Management Plan Advisory Committee. The committee will join the division in a workshop over several days in Spring 2021 to develop Amendment 2 to the N.C. Shrimp [...] Fishing |  Full Article

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet by web conference Nov. 19 and 20, beginning at 9 a.m. each day, and among the agenda items is a possible ban on N.C. seafood companies repacking foreign crab meat. A Tyrrell County seafood processor, was prosecuted and sentenced to federal prison after selling millions of dollars in [...] Fishing |  Full Article

Dozens of North Carolina residents and a recreational fishing advocacy group have filed a lawsuit against state regulators over what they call “abject failure” to “properly manage” the state’s coastal resources. The latest suit was filed on Tuesday in state court, the same day another group’s legal action against government officials’ management of marine fisheries [...] Fishing |  Full Article

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet by web conference Nov. 19-20, beginning at 9 a.m. each day. The public may listen to the meeting by phone or listen and view presentations in real-time online. A 30-minute public comment period is scheduled near the beginning of the meeting on Nov. 19. Those who wish to [...] Fishing |  Full Article