NC Fish eye news NC DNR

[Fishing Report]

How to Fish Responsibly for Spotted Seatrout

By Kelly Odom
Fish Eye News

MOREHEAD CITY – Spotted seatrout season is set to reopen June 15, and as the day approaches and water temperatures warm, anglers are sure to get excited about catching a keeper.

While the season is closed, many anglers may be practicing catch-and-release, which makes it the perfect time to brush up on fishing techniques that will give released fish the greatest possibility of surviving.

“Of all the fish we deal with, speckled trout is one of the most important to take great care with when releasing,” said Louis Daniel, director of N. C. Division of Marine Fisheries.

There has been an increase in the recreational fishing effort in recent years, and the number of recreational discards has increased since 2003. Fisheries managers are concerned with these increases because the recreational fishery tends to harvest small, young fish and there is a 10 percent discard mortality rate for recreational fishing.

An increase in the minimum size limit from 12 inches to 14 inches and reduction in bag limit from 10 fish to 6 fish was designed to allow more of these fish to live to spawning age. But Daniel said he would still like to see that 10 percent release mortality rate reduced.

That’s where ethical angling comes in.

When fishing for spotted seatrout, and especially when sitting on a school of small fish, anglers need to be diligent in using proper precautions in an effort to release the fish alive and increase their chances for survival.

According to Daniel, the most devastating practice when fishing for speckled trout is to use live shrimp on small gold treble hooks because the fish tend to swallow these lures. When the angler tries to remove the hooks, the angler can cause internal damage to the fish and give the fish less chance for survival. Anglers should avoid using treble hooks on small fish and tailor the lure for the least amount of harm to the fish.

Captain Gary Dubiel, owner of Spec Fever Guide Service in Oriental, does quite a bit of speckled trout fishing in the spring, early summer and fall. A significant portion of his clients practice catch-and-release regardless of whether there is a keeper season or not.

“I do a fair amount of teaching trips where I instruct them on how to appropriately hold the fish, do hook removal and then release, as well,” Dubiel said. “I think that is very important.”

Dubiel does all the fish handling for folks who aren’t on a teaching trip. He encourages anglers that catch and release large fish to take photographs in a reasonable amount of time. Cameras need to be ready to go before the fish is dehooked. He instructs the angler on the appropriate way to hold the fish so the fish is not stressed. Large fish shouldn’t be held strictly by the head. One hand should be used to support the belly while placing two fingers underneath the jaw and one finger on the exterior lip. This will give the angler good control of the head so the fish can be supported, they can get a quick photograph, and then put the fish back in the water, make sure it rights itself and release it. It should take off.

The style of hook Captain Dubiel uses is a shorter shank and has a wider gap which has a tendency to hook the trout more in the jaw than deep hook the trout. It’s not a bad idea to make a jig hook barbless if you are strictly in a catch-and-release mode, Dubiel said.

Dubiel almost always uses circle hooks for live bait fishing. Some think circle hooks will not catch a speckled trout as well as other hooks, but that is not the case, he said.

Because a speckled trout has a relatively light strike compared to other fish, some people incorrectly feel that the fish just picks at the bait, Dubiel said. With its anatomy of eyes far forward on the head and a large mouth, speckled trout attack the bait, but you are not going to feel a hard strike because he is not swimming away with the bait.


Captain Gary Dubiel, owner of Spec Fever Guide Service.

Dubiel said when the speckled trout will make a short controlled strike, his mouth opens and acts like a vacuum cleaner where the bait is sucked in; he is not burning any extra energy to swim off with the bait. It’s not that the bait isn’t in his mouth; at that point, the bait is completely immersed in the back of his throat in a relatively small pressure plate. Trout are a sensitive to the resistance of live bait or the taste of metal in their mouths, and they will open their mouths and expel the bait.

Trout that are hooked in the external, soft part of their mouth typically are a result of people waiting too long to set the hook. Anglers mistakenly think that they are hooking the fish that way because the fish isn’t eating the bait, but the reason is completely opposite. With a speckled trout, if they eat a live minnow or shrimp on a circle hook, then try to expel the hook, it will hook them in the jaw and usually in the more muscular part of the jaw. For this reason, you will seldom miss a fish when fishing with live baits on circle hooks, Dubiel said.

“There shouldn’t be a concern with the use of circle hooks when speckled trout fishing,” Dubiel stated.

Dubiel said that from a guide’s point of view, one of the hardest things that he has to overcome with a client is having them recognize the bite and then appropriately set the hook.

“Folks that I would typically use live bait to fish with may not always be the most skilled angler, so they are going to have the most difficult time with that,” Dubiel said.

Going to circle hooks is not only a good thing for the fish, it improves the percentage of fish these people catch since they are not required to set the hook, he said. If the line gets tight, all they need to do is start reeling in because the fish is hooked. If they are using live shrimp on a cork and the cork goes under, they can start reeling because the fish is hooked.

“Circle hooks not only improve the survival of the fish, they improve the amount of fish that you will catch,” Dubiel said.

If you are using a circle hook for fishing for speckled trout, you will want a light wire, wide gapped circle hook which is appropriate for a lot of inshore fishing, according to Dubiel. Unless you are using live shrimp, there is no need to have a barb on the circle hook, he said.

Fish have a very difficult time shaking free from a circle hook. Barbless makes it easy to back that hook out of their jaw and release the fish quickly. The only reason to leave a barb on a circle hook would be when using shrimp as bait since the shrimp has a tendency to kick.

“He’ll kick off if there isn’t a barb there,” Dubiel said.


N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries - 3441 Arendell Street - Morehead City, NC 28557 - (252) 726-7021 or 1-800-682-2632

[Fishing Report]

Tips for Ethical Angling

Learn and obey the rules
From time-to-time regulations change, so it is important to keep updated. The best place to find current size and bag limits is on the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries website at www.ncdmf.net.

Report violations
Just as you would report someone breaking into a car, call the N.C. Marine Patrol at 1-800-682-2632 to report violations of fisheries regulations. The fisheries resource of North Carolina belongs to everyone. Take ownership in it

Know your fish
Become familiar with species commonly caught in North Carolina waters so that regulations can be properly applied.

Practice catch-and-release
Don’t take up to your bag limit of fish just because it is legal to do so. If you’ve already got more fish than you know you will eat, let the others go when you catch them. Studies have shown that many released fish survive to be caught another day. This goes for by-catch – what many people call trash fish – too. Many non-targeted species serve as a food source for other fish.

Do not high-grade
No matter how tempting, it’s a waste of fish. High-grading is when you take a previously-caught legal sized fish out of the hold and discard it so that you can keep another, bigger and still remain within the bag limit.

Know how to properly handle fish
Learn how to catch-and-release a fish in a way that gives the fish the best chance of survival:

Keep the fish out of water for as little time as possible and handle it as little as possible.

Prevent the fish from thrashing around and hurting itself by confidently, but gently gripping its body, keeping your fingers away from the gills. Use a pair of long-nose pliers to grip the middle of the bend of the hook and gently pull the hook free.

Do not try to twist the hook free. If the barb has gone through the fish’s mouth, cut it off and pull the remainder of the hook free.






Use a soft, wet towel to hold the fish. This protects the fish and protects your hand from the sharp dorsal fin.

If the fish has swallowed the hook, cut the fishing line. Sometimes a fish can survive with a hook inside its stomach.

Use circle hooks to help prevent the fish from swallowing the hook.

Participate in fisheries management
Report any tagged fish you catch and cooperate with authorities conducting surveys. Attend public meetings related to marine fisheries issues.

Respect the environment
Never throw trash, like plastic six-pack drink yolks or fishing line, overboard or dump pollutants such as gasoline and oil into the water. Damaging the water damages the fish.

[Fishing Report]

Anglers Should Note Changes to Coastal
Recreational Fishing Regulations

MOREHEAD CITY – Recreational fishing season is fast upon us, and fishermen should be aware of new size and bag limits and seasons that have gone into effect for North Carolina coastal waters since last summer.

Flounder
On Feb. 21, the minimum size limit increased to 15 inches and the daily bag limit decreased to six fish per person in all coastal waters of the state.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission agreed to the change after a 2009 stock assessment found that while the southern flounder stock has improved since 2005, further harvest reductions are needed to end overfishing.



Spotted Seatrout
Spotted seatrout season closed Jan. 14 due to multiple cold stun events, and the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission extended the closure to June 15 through the height of the spawning season.

When the season reopens, a new daily bag limit of six fish per person will be in place. No more than two of the six fish may be longer than 24 inches total length. This change took effect Nov. 30 after a 2009 stock assessment found that spotted seatrout is overfished. The 14-inch size limit, which went into effect Oct. 5, 2009, remains in place.



Hogfish (Hog snapper)
At the request of the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries implemented a 5-fish per person daily bag limit on hogfish (hog snapper) Aug. 20.

The federal 12-inch size limit remains in effect. This regulation applies to the offshore reef fish, not pigfish (which are sometimes called hogfish).



Black sea bass
The South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council has closed the recreational black sea bass fishery south of Cape Hatteras until June 1. When the season reopens, black sea bass caught south of Hatteras will be under a new daily bag limit of five fish per person.

The season for black sea bass caught north of Cape Hatteras is closed until July1. When it reopens, the size limit will increase to 13 inches. The 25-fish-per-person daily bag limit will remain the same.

Deep water closure (federal waters)
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has established a prohibition on the harvest and retention of speckled hind and warsaw grouper in federal waters of the South Atlantic. The council also prohibits the harvest and retention of snowy grouper, blueline tilefish, yellowedge grouper, misty grouper, queen snapper and silk snapper at depths of 240 feet or greater in federal waters of the South Atlantic.
Size and bag limits and seasons for coastal fishing are subject to change, so anglers should always check the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries website at http://www.ncfisheries.net for up-to-date regulations.

[Fishing Report]

Navigating the Maze of Fisheries Agencies

Figuring out what fisheries agency is responsible for what fishing regulation can sometimes be confusing to the public. Here’s a short primer to help untangle those regulatory lines:

N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission is a nine-member board appointed by the governor, to three-year terms. The purpose of the Marine Fisheries Commission is to manage, restore, develop, cultivate, conserve, protect and regulate the marine and estuarine resources of the state.

Coastal waters of the state include saltwater rivers and sounds and the ocean out to three miles from shore.

By law, the commission consists of three commercial fishermen, with one of those being a licensed dealer, processor or distributor; three recreational fishermen, with one of those being involved with the sports fishing industry; one fisheries scientist; and two at-large. There are also residency requirements and earned income thresholds set out in the statute.

The commission meets at least four times a year to debate and vote on fishing rules and other management decisions. Issues are vetted through a fishery management plan process that includes extensive review by advisory committees and ample opportunity for public comment.

The commission has the authority to delegate decisions on opening and closing fishing seasons, size and harvest limits and gear requirements to the director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. The commission has delegated this authority on many species, but retains the right to overrule the director’s decisions.

N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is the state agency that collects and analyzes data necessary to recommend management actions to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission. The agency then implements the rules and policies passed by the Marine Fisheries Commission.


The division is comprised of nine sections that collectively work together to accomplish this task. Staff duties include researching the stock status of species and recommending fisheries management actions, selling fishing licenses and analyzing statistics, enforcing fisheries rules, educating the public about fisheries issues, reviewing environmental permits for impacts to fisheries, building artificial reefs and other resource enhancement projects and monitoring fisheries for interactions with protected species.

The director of the Division of Marine Fisheries has authority to open and close fishing seasons and set size and harvest limits and gear requirements for many species. However, the Marine Fisheries Commission may overrule the director’s decisions.

N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission oversees freshwater fishing in inland waters. The Division of Marine Fisheries and the Wildlife Resources Commission jointly regulate brackish waters of the state. Maps of boundary lines can be found at ncfisheries.net/maps/coastal_inland/index.html.

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) regulates federal ocean waters between three miles and 200 miles from shore. Regional councils develop fishery management plans for NMFS. North Carolina sits on two.

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) is a NMFS council that focuses on species primarily associated with waters south of Hatteras.

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) is a NMFS council that focuses on species primarily associated with waters north of Hatteras.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is a federally mandated cooperative that coordinates fisheries management in state waters between the East Coast states.

Who to Contact About Fishing in North Carolina
WATERS STATE AGENCY STATE COMMISSION INTERSTATE / FEDERAL AUTHORITY
Saltwater rivers,
sounds, creeks and
ocean out to 3 miles
from shore N.C. Division of
Marine Fisheries
P.O. Box 769
3441 Arendell St.
Morehead City, NC 28557
(252) 726-7021
1-800-682-2632
ncfisheries.net/ N.C. Marine Fisheries
Commission
P.O. Box 769
3441 Arendell St.
Morehead City, NC 28557
(252) 726-7021
1-800-682-2632
ncfisheries.net/mfc/index.html Atlantic States Marine
Fisheries Commission
1444 Eye St., NW
6th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 289-6400
asmfc.org
Freshwater lakes,
rivers and creeks N.C. Wildlife
Resources Commission
1751 Varsity Dr.
NCSU Centennial Campus
Raleigh, NC 27606
(919) 707-0010
ncwildlife.org U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1849 C St., NW
Washington, DC 20240
1-800-344-9453
fws.gov
Ocean, beyond 3 miles from shore, species predominantly
caught north of
Hatteras Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council
Suite 2115 Federal Building
300 S. New St.
Dover, DE 19904-6726
(302) 674-5399
mafmc.org
Ocean, beyond 3 miles from shore, species predominantly
caught south of
Hatteras South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council
4055 Faber Place Dr., Suite 201
North Charleston, SC 29405
(843) 571-4366
safmc.net
Highly Migratory
Species such as billfish, tuna and dolphin
Highly Migratory Species Division
National Marine Fisheries Service
1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 713-2347
nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms

[Fishing Report]

Fisheries’ Aging Lab Has Bones Coming out the Ears

By Patricia Smith
Fish Eye News

MOREHEAD CITY – Every fish ear bone tells a story, and Randy Gregory knows how to read it.

He takes a slither of ear bone, mounts it to a glass slide and places it under a microscope. An image pops up on a computer screen – gone are the days of peering through an eyepiece – and he begins to read . . . or count, to be more accurate.

“One, two, three, four, five,” Gregory said, as he pointed to distinct rings, called annuli, one for each year of the fish’s life. Because the ear bone he is looking at came from a red drum caught after its assigned birthday of Sept. 1, he adds one more year, making it age six.

This is how he reads a fish ear bone, also called an otolith. He does the same thing with fish scales.

“Both put down a growth pattern,” said Gregory, who is the Aging Lab coordinator for the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. “All of it is very similar to looking at growth rings on a tree.”

Gregory can tell the years when a fish has its biggest growth spurts (usually its first years of life). With American shad, he can even tell at what age the fish spawned.

Make no bones about it, this is important work.

The age and maturity data collected by the Aging Lab helps stock assessment scientists determine the health of fish stocks in North Carolina.

Otoliths taken from fish at fish houses and fishing tournaments show the ages generally caught by the commercial and recreational fishermen, said Laura Lee, senior stock assessment scientist with the Division of Marine Fisheries.

The Aging Lab also samples otoliths taken from fish caught when biologists sample the waters.

“These samples, together, give us a good picture of the age composition that is out there,” Lee said.

“It also gives us a better understanding of the dynamics of the population,” Lee said. “And the better we understand the dynamics of the population and how it responds to fishing pressure, the better we can manage it.”

Otoliths are a calcium carbonate structure, and they are pretty essential to fish.

“They sit in a membrane at the base of the skull and they act as the fish’s inner ear,” Gregory said.

There are small hairs in the membrane that the fish uses for balance, Gregory said. The fish also uses the inner ear to sense vibrations that alert it to predators.

Otoliths are also pretty important to those who study fish, as well.

Where scales from different fish can be similar, otoliths are very distinct, Gregory said. When biologists look at the stomach contents of a fish to study its diet, they look for the otoliths of the eaten fish, which take longer to digest than other parts of the meal, he said.

“Some of the biggest fish have the smallest otoliths,” Gregory said.

For instance, the otolith of a marlin is about the size of a pin head. The otolith of a red drum is the size of a quarter.

But then a red drum is called a drum because it makes a noise, and it needs to be able to hear the noises other red drum make.

There are two methods of removing otoliths from a fish, said Aging Lab Technician Kevin Aman. The easier method is to slice the fish’s head off, but at tournaments and fish markets, it’s better to go in through the gills so that the fish remains intact, he said.


fish scale viewing

MORE THAN LINES: Aging Lab Coordinator Randy Gregory reads the growth pattern on fish scales

Most of the otoliths that come to the Aging Lab, come from various division sampling programs with a form that lists the species, length, weight and sex of the fish.

Aging Lab technicians use a rock cutting saw with a diamond saw blade to grind to the middle otolith, called the focus. They use UV glue to mount the grinded side to a glass slide.

“Then you grind in a different direction to the other side of the focus until it is paper thin and can read through it,” said Aging Lab Technician Jacob Boyd.

The division has been aging fish since the late 1980s, but the Aging Lab did not form until 1995. By centralizing the operation, the division was able to concentrate all its aging equipment into one place and hire staff who specialize in this area.

“The Aging Lab does the bulk of the aging for the division,” Gregory said.

Funded by a federal Sport Fish Restoration Fund grant, Aging Lab staff age 14 different species, all recreational fish. From 2006 to 2010, the Aging Lab aged 27,572 fish of all ages up to a 43-year-old red drum.

“Red drum are the oldest ones that we age,” Gregory said.

The Aging Lab also has a Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN) grant from NOAA Fisheries Service to conduct length and age sampling of the commercial snapper/grouper fishery.

Aging Lab Technician Garry Wright is using a computer program to compare shapes of otoliths to identify different sub-stocks of vermillion snapper.