Offshore Fishing Archives - Page 72 of 98

July 3, 2026

Dolphin were the No. 1 fish for recreational anglers in North Carolina waters in 2011, with 3.5 million pounds hitting the docks.

Commercial fishermen continue to take most of North Carolina’s saltwater bounty

North Carolina’s commercial and recreational fishermen saw harvests decline slightly in 2011, but for-profit fishing continued to lead all landings by weight and income by a large margin. […]

Golden tilefish are a beautiful deep-water bottomfish that live on the slopes of canyons along the Atlantic coast.

Canyon hopping for tilefish

Bob Goldstein

Golden tilefish are canyon fish. North of the Virginia state line, boats from Lynnhaven Inlet go to the slopes of the Norfolk Canyon or farther north to Baltimore Canyon. […]

Golden tilefish prefer muddy bottoms along the slopes into canyons where they can ambush passing prey.

Future of golden tilefish looks bright

Bob Goldstein

There appears to be no danger of golden tilefish being fished out under current management. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recently concluded stock assessment resulted in a doubling of the commercial allocation. Can expanded recreational fishing be far behind? […]

Golden tilefish rigs consist of a 2-pound weight and a single, 12/0 to 18/0 circle hook.

Biggest recorded fish kill involved tiles

Bob Goldstein

Golden tilefish suffered the largest-recorded Atlantic fish kill in March 1882, when billions were killed by an easterly shift of the Gulf Stream, chilling them in their habitat at the edge of the Continental Shelf where they had always been protected by warm Gulf waters. […]

The fight is over as this white marlin is held at the transom by the mate, who will remove the hook and release the fish.

Banking on Billfish

Ric Burnley

At the edge of the Gulf Stream, 30 miles out of Oregon Inlet, Jimmy Hillsman struggled to fit the last dolphin into the fishbox. […]

Circle hooks cut down greatly on post-release mortality in white marlin and sailfish, according to a Virginia study.

Circle hook studies

Ric Burnley

The circle hook craze traces its roots back to research conducted by Dr. John Graves of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. […]

Mates prepare teasers and baits before an encounter with a billfish.

The art of circle hooks

Ric Burnley

Hooking white marlin or sailfish with a circle hook is an art. […]

This pleased angler landed a beautiful Atlantic bonito during April off Onslow Beach.

Anglers must have true grit for bonito

Craig Holt

SNEADS FERRY – One of the most elusive but hardest-fighting/best-tasting saltwater gamefish is available right now off the N.C. coast. […]

Tim Rayl (left) and Johnny Brown subdued this enormous, 101-pound wahoo, on a April 14 king mackerel trip out of Southport. The fish was finally boated after a 2-hour battle, 15 miles east of Frying Pan Tower.

King mackerel trip produces huge wahoo for Bolivia fisherman

Jeff Burleson

Tim Rayl of Bolivia has caught just about every fish available to be caught between inshore and offshore waters, but the almighty wahoo had eluded him most of his adult life.
Until April 14.
[…]

Members of the legislature's Committee on Marine Resources voted for further study of a possible merger of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries -- both of which manage striped bass.

Legislative committee puts merger talks on hold

Craig Holt

The state legislature’s Committee on Marine Resources met for a fourth and final time April 5 to study legislative proposals to present to the General Assembly when it meets again for its short session in May. […]