Atlantic Croaker 



Size: seldom weigh more than 2 

 pounds 



Season: caught in large numbers from 

 March through October; arrive in 

 estuaries in March and April and 

 move offshore in early fall to waters 

 60 to 300 feet deep 

 ^Citation Size: 3 pounds 



Croaker are named for their 

 vocalics: Muscular action on the air 

 bladder creates a croaking noise. 

 Croaker are abundant in Pamlico 

 Sound, and on July Fourth the town 

 of Oriental honors the fish with a 

 celebration — The Croaker Festival. 



Like spot, croaker are easily 

 caught by baiting a hook with shrimp 

 and casting a line in the sound or 

 from a pier. 



The 

 croaker 

 has three 

 to five 

 pairs of 

 tiny chin 

 barbels that 

 help the fish feel around the bottom 

 for food. Croakers have a silvery, 

 pinkish-bronze tint and small brown 

 spots that form wavy lines from top to 

 belly. During spawning season, 

 croaker will turn bronze or yellow. 



Red Drum 



Size: are long-lived, 20 to 30 years; 

 weigh up to 80 pounds 

 Season: found in North Carolina 

 year-round, usually caught in spring 

 and fall 



^Citation Size: 45 pounds 



The red drum is North Carolina's 

 state fish. Also known as a spottail 

 bass or redfish, this drum's intrigue 

 increased as recipes for blackened 

 redfish became popular. 



Fishermen come from around the 

 world to fish for red drum in North 

 Carolina waters. They often "sight- 

 fish" from small boats, moving 

 through shallow sounds until they 

 see a school under the water. The 

 International Game Fish Association 

 World Record was set near Avon 



with the catch of a red drum more than 

 92 pounds. 



However, red drum no longer 

 make the landings list as a top recre- 

 ational catch because 80 percent are 

 released. Bag limits restrict the catch to 

 five red drum per day per person. 



Red drum are silvery gray with a 

 coppery cast and have one or more 

 black spots near the tail. Red drum are 

 an excellent food fish. Smaller fish, 

 called puppy drum, are considered the 

 best eating. But bigger fish have 

 traditionally been used in 

 stews on the Outer 

 Banks. 



Spotted Sea Trout, 



Cynoscion nebulosus 



Spotted Sea Trout/ 

 Speckled Trout 



Size: weigh up to 10 pounds; average 

 fish caught is 1 to 5 pounds and 8 to 22 

 inches long 



Season: found in North Carolina year- 

 round; mainly fished from October to 

 January 



*Citation Size: 4 pounds 



When the weather is chilly, serious 

 recreational fishermen look for the 

 spotted sea trout. 



Usually called speckled trout in 

 North Carolina, this fish is highly 

 sought as a game fish. When other 

 fish have migrated to warmer waters, 

 hard-core anglers will be searching 

 for the speckled trout's hiding spots 

 in the sound. 



Baked, broiled or fried, the 

 speckled trout is considered good 

 eating all along the Carolina coast. It is 

 fast becoming the fish of choice in 

 many tournaments and contests. 

 According to the Division of Marine 

 Fisheries, the number of pounds of 



speckled trout caught recreationally 

 in 1994 was 654,661 — almost 

 double the catch of 1993. 



The speckled trout has a long, 

 skinny body and two upper canine 

 teeth. Its back is dark silvery gray 

 with a bluish tint. You can distin- 

 guish it from other sea trout by the 

 round black spots on the upper 

 body. 



Summer Flounder 



Size: reach lengths of 36 inches; 

 range from 1 pound to 15 pounds 

 Season: caught in North Carolina in 

 the surf or from 

 small 



mww boats 



sty during 

 spring, 

 summer 

 and fall; move 

 offshore to waters 

 20 to 300 feet deep in 

 colder weather 

 *Citation Size: 5 pounds 



Even the most landlocked of 

 North Carolinians could probably 

 identify the flounder. The flounder's 

 mild, white, flaky flesh is well- 

 known baked, broiled, stuffed and 

 fried. As a member of the lefteye 

 flounder family, the summer 

 flounder has a broad, thin body that 

 is easy to recognize. It's distin- 

 guished by its eyes — both are on 

 the left side of the head. You can tell 

 the summer flounder apart from 

 other flounder by the three dark 

 brown oscillated spots near its tail. 



To catch food, the brown, gray 

 or olive-colored flounder will cover 

 itself with sand and wait for smaller 

 fish or shellfish to come too close. 



Flounder can be caught with cut 

 bait or minnows from the surf, piers 

 or small anchored boats. Some 

 fishermen prefer to drift in boats 

 using small, live fish, such as mullet 

 or menhaden, as bait. 



Bag limits for flounder caught 

 in ocean waters are eight fish per 

 person per day, and the fish must be 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 1 5 



