2026 spring season begins March 9
North Carolina’s Division of Marine Fisheries has announced a spring Gulf flounder season in ocean waters off the central and southeastern parts of the state. The season will run March 9 – 22, and it will open from the north end of Portsmouth Island (south of Ocracoke Inlet) to the South Carolina state line.
This is a recreational hook-and-line only season, and only allowed in ocean waters. It is only for Gulf flounder. Summer flounder and southern flounder will remain closed to harvest during the spring Gulf flounder season.
The limit will be one flounder per person, per day, with a 15-inch total length minimum size limit.
The best way to distinguish Gulf flounder from the other two species is that they have three prominent, ocellated dark spots arranged in the shape of a triangle on their bodies. One spot is located above the lateral line, one is below the lateral line, and one is in the middle of the line closer to the tail. In bigger flounder, these spots often fade and become difficult to see.
For more information on how to identify a Gulf flounder from the other two, click here.
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