It’s catch-and-release only for 2025
Anglers on the Roanoke River Management Area will not be allowed to harvest stripers during the 2025 season, which runs March through April 30. The season has been suspended by NCWRC.
The area 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.
The suspension is brought about by what the NCWRC has observed is a declining trend in striped bass numbers during the agency’s yearly spawning grounds survey, along with a high mortality among these fish.
Within the past 7 years, the abundance of striped bass has been low, even during years when the river’s conditions were optimal for spawning, the agency said.
During the March 1 through April 30 season, anglers must immediately release all striped bass caught in inland and joint waters of the area. Also, from April 30 to June 30, anglers in the Roanoke River upstream of the Hwy. 258 bridge must use only a single barbless circle hook when fishing with live or natural bait. Only a single barbless hook may be used with other tackle.
Ben Ricks, NCWRC’s Coastal Region fishery supervisor, said the condition of the striped bass fishery on the river is concerning to him, and not just on a professional level.
“I grew up on the Roanoke River chasing striped bass,” said Ricks. “And the reductions in this population are concerning. We are working to understand the mechanisms that have led to the decline in the striped bass populations in the Roanoke River and Albemarle Sound in cooperation with DMF. We will assess stocking efficacy as striped bass return to the spawning grounds over the next 3 to 5 years.”
Officials with NCWRC will take another close look at the fishery before the March 2026 opening of the season.
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