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  4. Flounder fishing in North Carolina

Flounder fishing in North Carolina

North Carolina is home to excellent flounder fishing in coastal waters, bays, and nearshore areas where this species is commonly found.

Types of Flounder in North Carolina

Best baits and lures for Flounder in North Carolina

According to catch data from over 20 million anglers on Fishbrain, these are the best baits used to catch Flounder.

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Biggest Flounder catches

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Latest Flounder fishing reports in North Carolina

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Summer flounder

Topsail Beach

length · weight

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Summer flounder

Carteret County Coast

length · weight

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Summer flounder

Pender County Coast

9 in · 6 oz

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Summer flounder

New Hanover County Coast

length · weight

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Summer flounder

Pamlico Sound

length · weight

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Summer flounder

Cape Fear River

length · weight

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Regulations for Flounder in North Carolina

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 6th, 2026. To view regulations for a different fish species, please click on your preferred species in the drop-down.

Summer flounder

Seasons

Closed

Bag limit

1

Min size

15"

Measurement

Total Length
Eligible for NC Saltwater Fishing Tournament managed by Division of Marine Fisheries.

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. 

Excellent

Regulations for

35°10′13.9″N 79°51′40″W
Regulations in the map
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