Inland Fishing Regulations AND INFORMATION
Species Prohibitions It is unlawful to transport, purchase, possess or sell any live individuals or stock any private or public waters of North Carolina from the following species: • African longfin eel ( Anguilla mossambica ) • Amur sleeper ( Perccottus glenii ) • Applesnail (any species of genus Pomacea ) • Asian swamp eel, swamp or rice eel ( Monop- terus albus ) • Australian red claw or red claw crayfish ( Cherax quadricarinatus , or other species in the genus Cherax ) • Bigclaw crayfish ( Faxonius placidus ) • Bighead carp ( Hypophthalmichthys nobilis ) • Black carp ( Mylopharyngodon piceus ) • Brown hoplo ( Hoplosternum littorale ) • Chinese mysterysnail ( Cipangopaludina chinensis ) • Creole painted crayfish ( Faxonius palmeri creolanus ) • Crucian carp ( Carassius carassius ) • European eel ( Anguilla anguilla ) • European minnow ( Phoxinus phoxinus ) • European perch ( Perca fluviatillis ) • Japanese mysterysnail ( Cipangopaludina ja- ponica ) • Marbled crayfish or Marmorkrebs ( Procam- barus virginalis or Procambarus fallax f. virginalis ) • Olive mysterysnail ( Viviparus subpurpureus ) • Oriental weatherfish ( Misgurnus anguillicau- datus ) • Piranha (any species of the genera Pristobry- con, Pygocentrus, Pygopristis, or Serrasalmus ) • Prussian Carp ( Carassius gibelio ) • Quagga mussel ( Dreissena rostriformis bugen- sis ) or any mussel in the family Dreissenidae • Red shiner ( Cyprinella lutrensis ) • Red-rim Melania ( Melanoides tuberculatus or Melanoides tuberculate ) • Redtail catfish ( Phractocephalus hemioliopterus ) • Round goby ( Neogobius melanostomus ) • Rudd ( Scardinius erythropthalomus or Scar- dinius erythrophthalmus ) • Ruffe ( Gymnocephalus cernuus or Gymno- cephalus cernua ) • Silver Carp ( Hypophthalmichthys molitrix ) • Snakehead (from the Family Channidae , for- merly Ophiocephalidae ) • Tubenose goby ( Proterorhinus marmoratus, Proterorhinus semilunaris, and Proterorhinus semipellucidus ) • Virile crayfish ( Faxonius virilis ) • Walking catfish (any member of the genus Batrachus ) • White amur or grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon Idella; certified triploid grass carp may be bought, possessed and stocked with a permit from the Wildlife Resources Commission.) • Yellow bass ( Morone mississippiensis ) • Zebra mussel ( Dreissena polymorpha ) • Rusty crayfish ( Faxonius rusticus ) • Shortfin eel ( Anguilla australis )
Fishing Activity Prohibitions It is unlawful to do the following:
Lake Phelps and Scuppernong River, public lakes, ponds and other impounded waters. » Wayne: March 1 – April 30 with bow nets in Little River, Mill Creek and Neuse River. » Wilkes: July 1 – June 30 with traps in Yadkin River below W. Kerr Scott Reservoir; and with gigs and spear guns in all public waters, except Public Mountain Trout Waters. » Wilson: July 1 – June 30 with gigs in Con- tentnea Creek (except Buckhorn Reser- voir), including unnamed tributaries be- tween Flowers Mill and S.R. 1163 (Deans) bridge. March 1 – April 30 with bow nets in Contentnea Creek below U.S. 301 bridge and in Toisnot Swamp downstream from the Lake Toisnot Dam. » Yadkin: July 1 – June 30 with gigs in all public waters, and with traps in the main stem of Yadkin River. Fishing on Game Lands • A game lands license is not required to fish in any waters on game lands. • All game lands are open to public fishing with the following exceptions: » Re-stocked ponds when posted against fishing. » Grogan Creek, Cedar Rock Creek and John Rock Branch in Transylvania County, which serves as a fish hatchery and water supply. » Hunting Creek Swamp Waterfowl Refuge in Davie County. » Private ponds where fishing may be pro- hibited by property owners. • In all game lands ponds, channel, white, and blue catfish may be taken only by hook and line, and the daily creel limit is seven channel catfish and 10 white catfish. • The use of special fishing devices, includ- ing crab pots, is prohibited in designated waterfowl impoundments located on game lands. Exception: Nongame fish may be tak- en year-round with archery equipment (see page 54) from waterfowl impoundments lo- cated entirely on game lands other than the impounded waters on the Sandhills Game Land and Public Mountain Trout Waters. • Blue crabs may be taken recreationally from designated waterfowl impoundments on game lands with hand-held lines with sin- gle baits and a collapsible crab trap with a maximum opening of 18 inches. The limit is 50 crabs per person, per day or 100 per vessel per day with a minimum carapace width of five inches (point to point). State Fish Hatcheries It is unlawful to fish at any time in the waters or on the property of any state fish hatchery, including Bones Creek from the Lake Rim Dam to the U.S. 401 Bypass (Raeford Road). You may fish on McKinney Lake Reservoir at McKinney Lake State Fish Hatchery.
• Fish by any method (Mar. 1 - May 31) in re- stored floodplain sloughs connected to French Broad River and Mud Creek (Henderson Co.): » Slough 1 at 35.403661 N, 82.531964 W » Slough 2 at 35.398380 N, 82.528750 W » Slough 3 at 35.396449 N, 82.525462 W » Slough 4 at 35.298446 N, 82.584666 W • Possess, transport or release live Alewife or Blueback Herring in the Little Tennessee River Basin in and upstream of Lake San- teetlah and Cedar Cliff Lake including all tributaries and impoundments. • Possess, transport or release live White Perch in waters in and west of Haywood, Buncombe, and Rutherford counties. • Take or possess any state or federally desig- nated endangered, threatened, or species of special concern, including sturgeon from the inland waters of North Carolina. • Stock fish into public fishing waters without a permit from the Wildlife Resources Com- mission (Fish Stocking Permit applications are available at ncwildlife.org , or for more infor- mation about applying, call 919-707-0220). Fishing Access Area It is unlawful to: • Use any public fishing area for purposes other than fishing, except where facilities are pro- vided and approved uses are posted. All other uses—including the following are prohibited. » Swimming » Sunbathing on piers or decks » Launching or mooring jet skis or boats » Skiing » Building fires » Operating concessions » Any other activities not directly associated with fishing • Possess a loaded firearm other than a hand- gun possessed pursuant to a valid concealed handgun permit on those public fishing areas where concealed carry is allowed by the land- owner. Carrying any loaded firearm, including concealed handguns, is prohibited on public fishing areas at the following: » Bladen Lakes State Forest Game Land » Buckhorn Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land » Chatham Game Land » DuPont State Forest Game Land » Harris Game Land » Hyco Game Land » Jordan Game Land » Kerr Scott Game Land » Lee Game Land » Mayo Game Land » Pee Dee River Game Land north of U.S. 74
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North Carolina Inland Fishing, Hunting & Trapping Regulations
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