Fishing reports are provided by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. This report in its entirety may be viewed here.

Central District

Covering Pamlico, Craven, Carteret & Onslow Counties

Click here for the latest seasons, size and bag limits.

For the week ending July 25

Ocean: Anglers caught plenty of Spanish mackerel near shore, with a few bluefish mixed in. Offshore, anglers saw larger, but fewer, dolphins landed, along with lots of wahoos, a few kings and a couple barracuda. The head boats had nice catches of vermillion snapper, gag grouper, black sea bass, gray triggerfish and white grunts.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Private boat fishing was slow, with many small flounder caught, as well as a few croakers and speckled trout. Pigfish, pinfish, and small black sea bass were in the mix, as well, but the strong winds took a toll. Some nice sheepsheads were taken along the bridge pilings, as well as some puppy drum in the creeks.

Piers/Shore: Again, the turbidity slowed shore fishing, although pinfish and pigfish were still biting at the piers. Juvenile sharks were caught in some abundance, as well. Anglers occasionally reeled in bluefish, Spanish mackerel, spot and croakers, as well as skate and rays. Some pinfish, pigfish, croakers and small sharks were also landed on the shore. Fishermen caught some nice pompano, in the two-pound range, in the breakers, mostly from the piers. King fishermen caught Spanish, kings and an occasional tarpon.

The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries interviews anglers throughout coastal areas to estimate the marine recreational fishing catch. The following regional fishing reports are updated weekly and compiled by DMF port agents as they observe and interview fishermen at access sites along the coast - more than 500 anglers are interviewed each week.

Please note: Typically, NCDMF posts each week's new reports by early Monday afternoon.