NC’s 2021 flounder season is set — but not in stone

Anglers will have 15-inch minimum, 4-fish limit

North Carolina’s 2021 recreational flounder season has been set — sort of. It’s currently scheduled to open Aug. 16 and close Sept. 30. This is in accordance with Amendment 2 of the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. But Amendment 3 is under development and could bring changes to the 2021 open season.

According to NCDMF, the 2021 minimum size limit will be 15 inches total length. Anglers will have a daily creel limit of four fish during the season. NCDMF points out that all flounder species are managed as one, so all fall under the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan regulations and its amendments. North Carolina is home to three major species of flounder — southern, summer, and Gulf. But they are all managed as one species.

So if you hook into five Gulf flounder of appropriate size, you’re still bound by law to toss one back. It’s a point of contention for many anglers, but that’s the law, at least for now.

The NCDMF is scheduled to seek public comments on the draft of Amendment 3 some time this spring. When passed, this could be the most comprehensive amendment to the plan yet.

Amendment 3 could bring more changes to 2021 season

Amendment 3’s draft contains options for quotas (for both commercial and recreational anglers), limits on commercial flounder fishing trips, and accountability measures for both sectors. It also opens discussion on separating southern flounder from other flounder species in recreational management, a move which has faced fierce resistance by fisheries managers in the past. The amendment also calls for evaluating recreational and commercial slot limits, as well as evaluating inlet corridors for management purposes.

The final adoption of Amendment 3’s draft is scheduled to take place in August 2021. So if additional measures are approved, NCDMF will put those new measures in place as directed by the Marine Fisheries Commission. This means more changes could be in place by the time the 2021 season is currently set to open.

It’s time to sharpen our flounder hooks with optimistic caution. And it’s time to let NCDMF know your thoughts on Amendment 3 of the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. If you think the season should be longer, let them know. If you believe we should have a slot limit, let them know. And if you think all flounder species should be managed separately instead of as one species, let them know.

Plan on hooking into some flatfish on Aug. 16. But check back before then to see what — if any — changes are implemented from Amendment 3. The 2021 season could be drastically different than it’s currently set to be. Or it could be unchanged. But it will more than likely be somewhere in between.