Last month, the NCWRC suspended the season for harvesting striped bass by hook-and-line in the Roanoke River Management Area from March 9 through 11:59 p.m. on April 30, 2026.
This area includes the Roanoke River and its tributaries from Roanoke River Dam, downstream to the mouth of the river at the Albemarle Sound, as well as the Cashie, Middle and Eastmost rivers.
All striped bass caught in inland and joint waters of this area must be immediately released.
Additionally, from April 1 through June 30 in the Roanoke River upstream of US Hwy. 258 Bridge, anglers can use only a single barbless hook when fishing with live or natural bait, and only a single barbless hook may be use with other tackle. The hook must either have no barb, or have the barb bent downward.
Although the harvest has been reduced in the past four years, NCWRC fisheries biologists have seen a continued declining trend in striped bass numbers as they’ve taken their surveys during the spawning seasons.
The agency will assess the next striped bass harvest season before March 1, 2027. You can read the full proclamation of the suspension at ncwildlife.gov.
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