Spotted seatrout harvest season is open with new size and creel limits in inland and joint fishing waters of North Carolina.
The hook-and-line season reopened on Tuesday after being closed between May 2 and June 30 to help the species recover from mortality due to last winter’s cold stun event, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
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This season, the daily creel limit is three fish per person and a minimum size limit of 14 inches long. A fish may not be harvested if it measures between 20 and 26 inches. One fish over 26 inches long is allowed in the daily creel.
“These rule changes are in agreement with the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission’s Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan Amendment 1 and will be consistent with rules established in coastal fishing waters,” Inland Fisheries Division Chief Corey Oakley said in a release.
The spotted seatrout population is being overfished, according to that plan, and the new rule changes have been implemented to allow the population to recover.
