Saltwater Fishing 



By Rachel Wharton 



Illustrations by Anne Marshall Runyon 



Recreational fishing in North 

 Carolina is a diverse sport. For many, 

 it's an obsession. For others, it's a new 

 venture — a beginner throwing a line 

 off a pier happy to catch anything. And 

 for some, it's dinner. 



But whether novices or competi- 

 tors, the anglers who come to North 

 Carolina waters every year grow in 

 number by leaps and bounds. In 

 1993, the N.C. Division of Marine 

 Fisheries reported that nearly 1 .3 

 million recreational fishermen 

 visited the state. The follow 

 ing is a list of what they're 

 likely to see on the end of 

 a hook in North Carolina 

 estuaries and coastal 

 waters. 



These fish can 

 be divided into three 

 groups based on how 

 close to the shore they 

 are found. The first group is usually 

 caught inshore in the sounds. Or they 

 can be found in the surf or around piers 



Inshore fish are often small. 

 They are called panfish because the 

 whole fish can be fried right in the pan. 

 These fish are often caught by anglers 

 in small boats or from the shore. Easily 

 hooked with simple tackle, they can be 

 lured with bloodworms or cut bait such 

 as small pieces of shrimp or crab. 



The mackerels inhabit nearshore 

 coastal waters. They can be trolled for 

 or caught with hooks and lines from 

 boats offshore. Mackerel are often 

 caught from the end of piers, about 1 00 

 feet from shore. 



The third group, which live 

 offshore, are often called "blue-water 

 fish" because they live in pelagic, or 



open sea, waters. These fish are usually 

 caught from charter boats searching for 

 marlin or other big game fish. As 

 boating and fishing technology 

 improve, many private boats can be 

 found fishing these waters. Because 

 marlin are usually released and not 

 eaten, the catch of a yellowfin tuna, 

 dolphin or wahoo is a welcome dinner 

 possibility. 



fish," says Sea Grant Marine Advisory 

 Service agent Jim Bahen. In the past, 

 North Carolina farmers who had already 

 harvested their crops would bring their 

 families to the coast to catch and salt or 

 freeze enough spot for the winter. 



As the third largest recreational 

 catch in North Carolina, spot are 

 usually fished with a hook 

 and line from small boats 

 in the estuaries. Surf or 

 pier fishermen may also hook 

 a spot for dinner. 



The fish are best eaten 

 soon after they 

 are caught. 



Spot, 

 Leiostomus 

 xanthurus 



INSHORE 



Spot 



Size: generally caught under 10 inches 

 long 



Season: found in summer and fall in 

 North Carolina, move offshore to the 

 continental shelf edge from Cape 

 Hatteras to Florida in winter 

 ^Citation Size: 1 pound 



Spot, well-known members of the 

 drum family, are bluish-gray with 

 bronze backs, silvery bellies and 

 diagonal orange-brown bars. Spot are 

 named for the black spot located 

 behind their gills. 



Although spots are small, their 

 quantities are large. "Spot have fed 

 more hungry stomachs than any other 



Whiting/ 

 Kingfish/Sea Mullet/ 

 Virginia Mullet 



Size: live up to four years; grow to 

 15 1/2 inches long, with the largest 

 weighing 3 pounds 



Season: found in North Carolina year- 

 round, most abundant in the fall and 

 north of Cape Hatteras 

 ^Citation Size: 1 1/2 pounds 



Whiting, sometimes called Virginia 

 mullet or sea mullet, are striking fish 

 with black-tipped fins, a chin barbel, 

 dark blue bars and a long spine on the 

 first dorsal fin. 



Although in North Carolina the 

 official name of whiting or Virginia 

 mullet is northern kingfish, they are 

 rarely called this. Local fishermen, 

 restaurants and recipes most often call 

 them whiting, perhaps for their delicious 

 white, lean meat. 



In the 1970s, these fish were 

 plentiful, and anglers fishing on piers 

 or in the surf took them home by the 

 buckets. Although populations have 

 decreased today, these panfish are 

 still caught in large numbers. 



14 JULY/AUGUST 1995 



