Fishing Archives - Page 816 of 1075

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September 25, 2026

Thomas Cutler’s 27-pound, 7-ounce fish was the first tripletail recognized as North Carolina’s state record.

Making a (fishing) record

As recently as September 2009, North Carolina did not recognize a state-record tripletail. None caught were large enough to meet the criteria for establishing a new state record. […]

Sheepshead are often referred to as saltwater panfish, though like this one caught by Johnny Spitzmiller, they may be many times the size of their freshwater counterparts.

Johnny Spitzmiller stood on the bow of his boat, gripping the controls of his trolling motor like a man bent on trying not to crash into the nearby rocks — which he was barely succeeding in doing. […]

Fifteen inches makes a flounder a keeper anywhere along North Carolina’s coastline.

Regs much easier to understand

Dan Kibler

North Carolina’s flounder regulations have become far more simplified in past years; statewide, flatfish are managed with a six-fish daily creel limit and a 15-inch size minimum. […]

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. […]

Bigger sheepshead can be boated by simply cradling and lifting them, so there’s no need for a net or mechanical device such as a Boga Grip.

Herding sheep

Phillip Gentry

Many anglers think nothing about reaching into the mouth of a fish and grabbing by the lower jaw — “lipping” the fish. […]

This Piedmont reservoir is one of North Carolina’s most-underrated fishing holes.

Lake of the Month: High Rock

Dan Kibler

High Rock Lake is a reservoir on the Yadkin River south of Lexington that covers approximately 15,000 surface acres of water. […]

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? […]

Using a rig similar to freshwater panfishing is an option that allows an angler to stay off the rocks and have a strike indicator.

Keep it simple

Phillip Gentry

Marc Deschenes takes a decidedly freshwater-fishing approach to catching sheepshead on the Charleston Harbor jetties, and it’s no wonder. […]

Blueback herring cause anglers to change fishing tactics.

Rebound bass

Craig Holt

By June, the best part of the bass-fishing year has faded into the rearview mirror. […]

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. […]