Inland Fishing for Nongame Fish - License Required 2008-09

[NickG]

From a post horsefly put together it appears the NC rules have changed on hand lining. While I can't find anything specific describing the change itself here is what I have pulled form the N. C. WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION on page http://www.ncwildlife.org/fs_index_02_regulations.htm which includes a link to the The 2008- 09 North Carolina Fishing Regulations (effective July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009) http://www.ncwildlife.org/pg02_Regs/2008_09_Regulations_Digest.pdf

From page 9: The Annual State Inland Fishing (basic) License covers Basic Inland Fishing and Non-Game Fish

From Page 28: Nongame fishes, crustaceans (crayfish and blue crabs), and mollusks taken for bait or personal consumption may not be sold.

Also from page 28:
Nongame fishes, crustaceans, and mollusks may be taken for
bait or personal consumption only with the equipment listed
below, and an appropriate inland fishing license is required.
(See Regulations for Taking and Sale of Nongame Fish on page 27
and other nongame regulations on page 35 for more information).
1. A dip net not greater than six feet across.
2. A seine not greater than 12 feet in length with a bar mesh
measure of not more than 1/4 inch.
3. A cast net.
4. Minnow traps under immediate control and attendance of the
operator and not exceeding 12 inches in diameter, with
funnel openings not exceeding 1 inch in diameter.
5. Hand-held lines with single baits attached to each;
6. A collapsible crab trap with the largest opening not greater
than 18 inches and which by design collapses at all times
when in the water, except when being retrieved or lowered to
the bottom.

The daily creel limit is 200 nongame fish, crayfish, and
mollusks, in aggregate, subject to the following restrictions
1. No more than 50 eels, none of which may be less than six
inches in length
2. No herring (alewife and blueback) greater than six inches in
length may be taken or possessed from the inland fishing
waters of coastal rivers and their tributaries up to the first
impoundment dam on the main course of the rivers (listed
above), the Lumber River including Drowning Creek, and
all other public waters east of Interstate 95.
3. No more than 50 crabs per person per day or 100 per vessel
per day with a minimum carapace width of five inches (point
to point.)

-Nick

(The red was added in the pdf document to signify a major regulation change.)

[bluecrab]

so I need an inland fishing license for crabbing. and a coastal to catch flounder and speckled trout???
man this is very confusing and I don't wanna get a ticket.

[jack1747]

Good.  One of the things I was working on before was to have each area's Reg's as a sticky in the Regional Sections. 

[scottkim77]

Just got off the phone with an enforcement officer from Morehead city office and he said:


ONLY MAX OF TWO (2) COLLAPSABLE CRAB TRAPS are allowed per recreational fishing license (~$15) without a COMMERCIAL Rec. Fishing License ($250 for out of stater)!!!  also said that using floats on these traps is OK...

can this be right???  we can only use 2 traps without paying $250 !!!

[bluecrab]

Shoot I am down here now and they say all I need is a Coastal license go figure! I am working with 10 pink traps today and caught a couple dozen.  I guess I will find our what the man has in store for me.

[jack1747]

Shoot I am down here now and they say all I need is a Coastal license go figure! I am working with 10 pink traps today and caught a couple dozen.  I guess I will find our what the man has in store for me.

Go get'em Blue... If the man stops ya, tell him you know Gene.    Or maybe don't. 

[bluecrab]

ooh yeah . i tell ya what I am really likin' NC.
Had the lady and the dog out crabbing and fishin'
I suck at fishin' 

Blue

[jack1747]

ooh yeah . i tell ya what I am really likin' NC.
Had the lady and the dog out crabbing and fishin'
I suck at fishin'  

Blue

... Hope the family is do'n fine.. 

[jack1747]

Anyone have a good link to NC crabbing Regs?   

[ILLSWIMHOME]

Jack, I'll see if I can find a better one but a quick search came across this

http://www.ncfisheries.net/recreational/recguide.htm

If you go down to the blue crabs identification chart, it links ya back to the BCA.....just thought it was cool.  I'll shut up now.

[jack1747]

I got caught in that circle too... 

Can't seem to find a good link to gear and reg's. 

[bluecrab]

If I remember right the floats hat to be pink for collapsible traps.
I hard time finding rec regs and when I got down there everyone had their own regs.
I went with what the guy told me and handed em regs when I bought my license.

Good luck Jack, the family is doing fine.
One more month till Chinco

We can't wait.

[mkbay]

Hi All,
I talked yesterday with the Manteo Fisheries Service Police and here's there take.
No license required in the sound for traps. Float color doesn't matter. 50 crabs per person, 100 crabs per vessel. You can crab from dusk to dawn. They made no mention of trap limit. They were vey courtious.
M

[Crabpot Man]

Hi All,
I talked yesterday with the Manteo Fisheries Service Police and here's there take.
No license required in the sound for traps. Float color doesn't matter. 50 crabs per person, 100 crabs per vessel. You can crab from dusk to dawn. They made no mention of trap limit. They were vey courtious.
M

I'd be very leery of the "Float color doesn't matter" info.

Any place buoy is mentioned in the Fisheries Rules Book, hot pink = recreational.

[mkbay]

Thanks, I"ll double check, the person on the phone said it could be a milk jug. We sometimes use washed out detergent jugs, the small ones and they are bright pink or red. But I'll verify. I don't want to find out the hard way. Getting the correct floats is easy enough once we know what that is.

[bluecrab]

When are you heading down?
Ill be down there next week.

[mkbay]

I'm heading down in November, so depending on the weather it could be wash. Some reports say that if the water temp is still around 60 or so I might do OK. I'll be in Frisco on the canal.

[mkbay]

Let me know how you do and what area you go in.