North Carolina’s 2026 flounder season is set

Recreational anglers will have two-week season in 2026

North Carolina’s 2026 recreational flounder season will be held Sept. 1-14, said Kathy Rawls, Director of the NC Dept. of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries. She notes the season dates are the same as they were in 2025.

“Whenever we can, we aim to provide some consistency in the recreational flounder seasons from year to year,” she said.

Size and bag limits are as follows:

• Minimum size limit: 15-inch total length (from tip of snout to tip of tail)
• Bag limit: One fish per person, per day

Flounder may be caught by hook and line and with gigs. Harvesting flounder with a Recreational Commercial Gear License is prohibited during this season.

As part of the Division of Marine Fisheries regulations, anglers must report all flounder kept through this online form or phone app.

The NCWRC has announced the same dates for recreational flounder season in Coastal and Joint Fishing Waters. This makes it easy on anglers because they don’t have to worry about catching flounder in either agency’s jurisdiction.