Flounder bite was strong for opening day anglers
North Carolina’s 2020 flounder season got off to a strong start Sunday, Aug. 16. Lots of smiling anglers pulled flatfish out of inshore waters up and down the coastline, including some true trophy fish.
Aaron Morgan weighed in a 6.02-pound flounder at Chasin’ Tails Outdoors Bait & Tackle. Morgan caught the fish off one of the more popular flounder spots in the area — the Port Wall. He was using a live finger mullet to entice the fish into biting.
“It’s the first one we have had on our scales since last September. That’s how you start off the first day of the season!” said the folks at Chasin’ Tails. “The bite is going to be on over the next 6 weeks. We have the shop prepped and ready to go with hooks, egg weights, swivels, beads, leaders, custom rigs. The best bait choices will be mud minnows, shrimp, and finger mullet. And we have them all in-stock at the shop right now.”
Season runs through end of September
Although that was the first flounder weighed at the shop in a year, it wasn’t the only one they saw on opening day. Chasin’ Tails reported their captains had a strong day, mainly putting youth anglers on plenty of flatfish.
And one couple, Sarah and James, stopped by to weigh some more flounder later in the day. Their biggest weighed 6.49 pounds.
In the Wrightsville area, Johnnie Mercers Pier also saw some good fish. Mike Foy caught two keeper flounder on Sunday, a 15-incher and a 20-incher. And angler “Dentist Dave” caught a 3-pound beauty.
Gig-A-Bite Charters in the Sneads Ferry area took a party from Elkin out on opening night. They gigged their share of nice flounder, and spotted plenty more that they left undisturbed.
Anglers caught plenty in the Kure Beach area too, including on the Kure Beach Pier, where Tony Meyer planked a 3.38 pounder. And the Surf City Ocean Pier stayed busy with them too. One angler pulled in a 25-inch, 6.42-pound flounder, along with a 19-incher.
Between Aug. 16 and Sept. 30, 2020, recreational anglers can keep four flounder per angler, per day. The minimum size limit is 15 inches.
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