This time of year brings anglers to the water, hoping to do some flounder pounding for doormat slabs.
Unfortunately, the flounder stock is dwindling in our coastal waters along the Southeast of the U.S. so anglers need to know that the fishing regulations for Flounder along North Carolina’s coast have changed.
North Carolina’s Division of Marine Fisheries has announced the state’s 2025 flounder season will run from Sept. 1 through Sept. 14.
Anglers will have a daily limit of one fish, with a minimum size limit of 15 inches, total length.
To match these regulations on inland waters, where flounder often cross into waters managed by NCWRC, NC Wildlife adopted the exact same dates and limits.
The dates and limits, said DMF, meet the provisions set by the NC Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3. This amendment is to keep the fishery within the recreational quota, which is 212,941 pounds, or 40 percent of the overall quota.
The Division of Marine Fisheries’s August 20-22 meeting will discuss Amendment 4, which should bump the recreational quota to 50 percent of the overall harvest.
During the September recreational flounder season, only flounder caught by hook and line are permitted. The season is not open to gigging. Also, during the recreational season, the harvest of flounder with a Recreational Commercial Gear License is prohibited.
