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Casting About

July 1 at a cost of $35 for state residents and allows recreational fishermen to use limited amounts of commercial gear to catch fish or seafood for their personal consumption. Seafood harvested under this license cannot be sold. Fishermen using the RCGL will be held to recreational size and possession limits, if on a boat, the number of possession limits allowed is equal to the number of RCGL holders aboard that boat.

Authorized RCGL Gears
Spears, which include Hawaiian slings or similar devices, when used in state waters.  Gigs Gill Nets:  With or without a boat - No more than 100 yards of gill nets with a stretched mesh length 2 ½ inches or larger; fishermen must stay within 100 yards of their gill nets at all times; or no more that 100 yards of gill nets with a stretched mesh length 5 ½ inches or larger; fishermen must stay within 100 yards of their gill nets from one hour after sunrise to one hour before sunset (no night time attendance required. One shrimp trawl with a headrope up to 26 feet in length per vessel. Mechanical methods for retrieving the trawl cannot be used. Five crab, eel, fish, or shrimp pots in any combination, but only two of the five may be eel pots. A single crab pot attached to a shore or pier per person may be used without a license. One multiple hook or multiple bait trotline up to 100 feet in length. One seine 30 feet or over in length with a mesh length less than 2½ inches. Mechanical methods for retrieving the seine cannot be used. Seines less than 30 feet do not require a license.

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Harvest Limits - Implementation of a year-round commercial daily trip limit of 100 pounds with a 250,000 pounds annual quota.
Red drum have a long life span and can live up to 60 years. Unlike many fish that reproduce at an early age, red drum do not reach spawn and reproduce until they are approximately 4-years-old and 27 to 30 inches long. The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries' most recent stock status report identified a dramatic decline in the number of red drum reaching maturity and listed the fish as "stressed-declining." A stock is considered to be in trouble if there are not enough mature fish to continue producing young fish at a consistent level.

Recreational fishermen are now allowed to keep up to 10 weakfish, or gray trout, each day, but the fish must be 14 inches or larger.
The new limit went into effect April 5.The old harvest limits were four fish a day at 12 inches, but those limits were changed based on comments from the recreational fisherman who said they were willing to have an increased size limit, if they could catch more fish.
The weakfish management plan for the Atlantic Coast allows for various size and bag limits that achieve equal conservation goals. Because a 14 inch weakfish has spawned at least twice, more of that size fish can be harvested and still maintain a healthy population.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission in January set temporary rules on the types and amounts of gear that will be allowed under the Recreational Commercial Gear License (RCGL).
The 1997 Fisheries Reform Act created this new license, which goes into effect

Recreational fishermen are now allowed to keep up to 10  gray trout each day, but the fish must be 14 inches or larger.