Outer Banks Fishing Regulations 2026

NC size limits, creel limits, and season windows for saltwater fishing from the Carova surf to the Gulf Stream edge off Hatteras. Two things make this coast different: seasons here move byDMF proclamation, sometimes with days of notice, and the rules change between the sound, the beach, and federal water. Read this table, then check proclamations the night before you fish.

What's open this month?

Set the month of your trip and the table below filters to what's in season on the Banks.

Month of trip:

Pick a month to plan your trip.

Every Species, Side by Side

In the print dialog choose "Save as PDF" and keep a copy on your phone — it works with no signal at Ramp 44.

Species	Guide	Minimum size	Upper slot	Daily creel	Open season	Status	Outer Banks notes
Cobia	Full guide →	36" fork	—	1/person/day	May–Sep	Restricted	Season closes by DMF proclamation — check the morning you trailer to Hatteras. June fish show at Cape Point and the Oregon Inlet buoy line.
Red Drum	Full guide →	18"	27" (slot)	2/person/day	Year-round	Open	18"–27" slot; one over-27" fish inside the 7/day aggregate. The fall Point run — Cape Point and the South Beach sloughs — is the OBX rite of passage.
Flounder (Summer)	Full guide →	16"	—	4/person/day	Seasonal (check current)	Restricted	The open window is set each year by DMF proclamation and can shift with short notice — verify the current dates before keeping a flattie from the Roanoke Sound.
Speckled Trout	Full guide →	14"	—	4/person/day	Year-round	Open	14" total length; no closed season, though a hard cold-stun winter can trigger an emergency shutdown. Hatteras marshes and the Oregon Inlet sloughs hold big specks all winter.
Bluefish	Full guide →	12"	—	3/person/day	Year-round	Open	Three fish over 12" per angler per day; snapper blues under 12" are unlimited. October choppers at the Avalon Pier rail are an Outer Banks tradition.
Spanish Mackerel	Full guide →	12" fork	—	15/person/day	Year-round	Open	Measured to the fork of the tail. In July the Nags Head and Jennette's pier crowd limits a gotcha plug and moving water.
Striped Bass	Full guide →	28"	—	1/person/day	Jan–Apr (ocean)	Restricted	Ocean season only; the Albemarle and sound fisheries are proclamation-set and separate. Winter rockfish run the Duck and Kitty Hawk beach when the water is in the 40s.
King Mackerel	Full guide →	24" fork	—	2/person/day	Year-round	Open	24" fork length. Fall kings come tight to the beach — live-bait slow-trolling off Jennette's and the nearshore wrecks is how it's done here.
Mahi-Mahi	Full guide →	None	—	10/person/day	Year-round	Open	No size requirement; 10 fish per angler. Oregon Inlet boats find them stacked on the Gulf Stream weed lines June through August.
Yellowfin Tuna	Full guide →	27" curved FL	—	None (check federal)	Year-round	Open	Federal water, federal rules — HMS permit required. The Oregon Inlet and Hatteras fleets run to the 100-fathom drop for them.
Wahoo	Full guide →	None	—	2/person/day	Year-round	Open	No size requirement; two per angler. Hatteras Inlet boats find them along the shelf edge on the spring push of blue water.
Marlin (Blue)	Full guide →	99" LJFL	—	1/boat/trip	Year-round (federal)	Open	Measured lower-jaw-to-fork; one per boat per trip, not per angler. Practically every blue marlin hooked off the Outer Banks gets tagged and released at the transom.
Sea Mullet (Kingfish)	Full guide →	8"	—	Unlimited	Year-round	Open	8" total length. The Corolla-to-Hatteras surf fishery runs on them — fresh shrimp on a two-hook bottom rig from any beach ramp.
Spot	Full guide →	None	—	50/person/day	Year-round	Open	No size requirement. The fall spot run packs the Avalon and Outer Banks piers — bring a cooler and plan a fried-spot dinner.
Croaker	Full guide →	None	—	50/person/day	Year-round	Open	No size requirement. The Croatan and Roanoke sounds are the local croaker factory from late spring through summer.
Gray Trout (Weakfish)	Full guide →	None	—	1/person/day	Year-round	Open	No size requirement, but the stock keeps the creel at one fish — the honest advice is to enjoy them as a bonus bycatch, not a target.
Black Drum	Full guide →	14"	25" (slot)	1/person/day	Year-round	Open	14"–25" slot, one per day. Big spring drum root along the pilings of the Washington Baum and Basnight bridges over Roanoke and Croatan sound water.
Sheepshead	Full guide →	10"	—	8/person/day	Year-round	Open	10" total length. Shell-crackers work the bridge pilings and inlet rocks around Oregon Inlet all summer — bring an extra rig, they win more than you do.
Pompano	Full guide →	None	—	None	Year-round	Open	No size or creel rules apply. July pompano running the Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills surf bar are the beach's best panfish bonus.
Spadefish	Full guide →	None	—	20/person/day	Year-round	Open	No size requirement. Spades stack on the tower and wreck marks off Oregon Inlet in June — small pieces of clam on light jigheads do the damage.

Open all year Seasonal / proclamation-dependent Closed

Licenses on the Banks

Anyone 16 or older needs aNorth Carolina Coastal Recreational Fishing License (CRFL)to fish the sounds, the surf, or the ocean inside three miles. One license covers the whole coast — buy it atGoOutdoorsNorthCarolina.combefore your trip and it's valid from Carova to Ocracoke and out to the three-mile line.

The exception is the pier rail. Avalon, Nags Head, Jennette's, Outer Banks, and Avon piers all carry blanket pier licenses — your pier admission covers the license while you're on the boards. Walk down the beach to the first slough and you need your own CRFL, even on the same tide. Juniors under 16 fish free, and a few exemptions (including certain disabled veterans) apply.

Full License Guide →

Creel and size rules track the stock, not the calendar. TheDMF recreational size & bag limits pageis the authoritative list, and signed proclamations post there first.

Updated Oct 30, 2026