The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) will host two family-friendly events to recognize National Hunting and Fishing Day, an annual celebration promoting outdoor recreation and conservation.
Topics Related to Fishing
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) will open 2025 flounder harvest season for Inland Fishing Waters and in Joint Fishing Waters for hook and line fishing only, Sept. 1 to Sept. 14, 2025. The daily creel limit is one fish with a minimum size limit of 15 inches.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is accepting public comments through September 15, 2025, for the agency’s proposed 2026-27 hunting, fishing and game land regulation changes. Virtual public hearings on the proposed changes are scheduled for August 5 and August 7, 2025.
The proposed changes include:
Inland Fishing
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has opened the public comment period for proposed rule changes to the 2026-2027 regulations related to inland fisheries, land and water access, and wildlife management. The comment period will be open through Monday, September 15, 2025.
Comments may be submitted online, emailed to regulations@ncwildlife.gov (must include name, county and state of residence in e-mail) or mailed to:
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) announces the spotted seatrout harvest season in inland and joint (by hook-and-line) fishing waters reopens today, July 1, 2025. NCWRC closed the season between May 2 and June 30 to help the species recover from mortality due to last winter’s cold stun event.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) asks the public to refrain from the illegal practice of moving inland fish, specifically mountain trout, to other mountain water bodies as it can result in altering healthy habitats and negatively impact the agency’s ongoing aquatic conservation efforts.
Staff have been encountering newly introduced trout species into various mountain waterways during routine and post-Helene monitoring.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has closed the recreational harvest of spotted seatrout in inland and joint (by hook-and-line) fishing waters from May 2 through June 30, 2025. The Commission voted to adopt a temporary rule implementing the harvest closure during its business meeting on April 17.
Alabama bass, which are invasive to North Carolina, are now in more rivers and lakes than ever before and are competing with our native fish and aquatic organisms. Biologists at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) are asking the public for help to prevent the spread and reduce the populations of this invasive species in order to protect the future of native largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has completed its revised spring and summer Delayed Harvest and Hatchery Supported trout stocking schedule following an assessment of impacts from Hurricane Helene.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has suspended the season for harvesting striped bass by hook-and-line in the Roanoke River Management Area, which runs from March 1 through April 30, 2025. This includes the Roanoke River and its tributaries from Roanoke Rapids Dam downstream to the mouth of the river at the Albemarle Sound, as well as the Cashie, Middle and Eastmost rivers.