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Fishing regulations at Drum Inlet, NC
Disclaimer: Always check local fishing regulations, water access rights and land ownership before fishing, regardless of any catches logged in that area by the Fishbrain community. Fishbrain has mapped millions of acres of government-owned land across the USA to help you identify potential fishing access, but you are responsible for ensuring compliance with all legal requirements.
Fishing regulations in North Carolina can change throughout the year. Make sure to check this page before fishing for the most up to date rules and regulations for the current season. Local regulations govern when you can fish, the max size of the fish you can keep, how many fish you can keep, and more.
Below you will see fishing regulations for catching Summer flounder as of April 2nd, 2026. To view regulations for a different fish species, please click on your preferred species in the drop-down.
Seasons
Bag limit
Min size
Measurement
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Marine Fisheries today announced that the 2025 recreational flounder season will open in Coastal and Joint waters of the state Sept. 1 at 12:01 a.m. and close Sept. 14 at 11:59 p.m.
The two-week season will open with the following provisions for both the recreational hook-and-line and gig fisheries:
- A one-fish per person per day creel limit.
- A 15-inch total length minimum size limit (from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail).
Harvest of flounder with a Recreational Commercial Gear License will be prohibited.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's season will be open Sept. 1-14 as well, so the season, size limit, and daily creel limit will be consistent across jurisdictions.
The season, size and creel limits comply with provisions of the N.C. Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3, which specifies that season and possession limits be set annually to keep the fishery within the recreational quota. The current 2025 recreational quota under Amendment 3 is 212,941 pounds, or 40% of the overall quota.
For more specifics on the recreational flounder season, see Proclamation FF-25-2025.
The commercial flounder season for internal Coastal and Joint Fishing Waters (rivers, creeks and sounds) will be announced in the coming weeks through a separate news release and proclamation.
Regulations for
FAQ about Drum Inlet fishing
- Summer flounder - 3 members reported to have caught this fish
- Bluefish - 2 members reported to have caught this fish
- Red drum - 1 members reported to have caught this fish
- @chris.diven reported a nice Northern puffer.
- @PhishInABarrel reported a nice Red drum.
- @PhishInABarrel reported a nice Red drum.
- @PhishInABarrel reported a nice Bluefish.
- @PhishInABarrel reported a nice Summer flounder.
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