North Carolina offers exceptional fishing from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Outer Banks. The mountains provide outstanding trout fishing in 3,000 miles of coldwater streams, the Piedmont features large impoundments like Jordan Lake and Kerr Lake, and the coast offers some of the best saltwater fishing on the East Coast — from the surf fishing of Cape Hatteras to the offshore Gulf Stream waters.
Fishing Regulations
- Inland game fish may be taken only with hook and line; snagging unlawful.
- Possession: no more than 3 days' creel limit at any place.
- Mandatory harvest reporting for red drum, flounder, spotted seatrout, striped bass, weakfish from inland/joint waters (deq.nc.gov/report-my-fish).
- Roanoke River upstream of US 258 bridge: only single barbless hook (April 1 - June 30).
- No open season for sturgeon; any sturgeon caught must be released.
- Purchase and sale of inland game fish unlawful (except licensed commercial trout ponds).
19 species limits are shown per spot in the CatchTales app.
Pick a region below to explore its fishing spots.
Charlotte Metro
Lake Wylie, Lake Norman, Mountain Island Lake, Jordan
40 spots
Coastal Plain & Inner Banks
Albemarle Sound, Pamlico Sound, Roanoke River, Jordan
40 spots
Mountains & Asheville
Great Smoky Mountains, Davidson River, Nantahala River, Jordan
40 spots
Outer Banks & Coast
Cape Hatteras, Oregon Inlet, Cape Lookout, Jordan
40 spots
Piedmont & Central
Jordan Lake, Falls Lake, High Rock Lake, Lake Norman
40 spots
Sandhills & Southern
Lumber River, Sugarloaf Lake, Lake Tillery, Jordan
40 spots
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