Limits & Quick Reference Guide - Outer Banks Surf Fishing Species
What fish did I catch? How big does it have to be to keep? What bait works best? Learn more about the fish of the Outer Banks and the Surf Fishing restrictions!
Image | Name(Alt. Names) | Preferred Bait(Tips) | In Season(Limits) |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Atlantic Spadefish | Use tiny hooks baited with shrimp or jellyfish. | None |
| (Angelfish) | (Peaks feeding midday.) | (20/day) | |
 | Black Drum | Rarely caught with artificial lures. Use cut mullet, menhaden, shrimp, or blood worms. | March - May Sept. - Dec. |
| (Drum) | (Bottom rig with sinker or single hook with no sinker.) | (None) | |
 | Bluefish | Cut baits fished on the bottom, or casting or trolling artificial lures, such as metal spoons, bright-colored popping lures, jerk jigger style baits and lead-headed plastic grubs. | March - Nov. |
| (Blues, Snappers, Choppers, Taylor Blues) | (Bluefish have razor sharp teeth; handle with care.) | (15/day, only 5 great than 24") | |
 | Cobia | Hunts by sight. | April - Aug. |
| (Ling, Lemonfish) | (Most are caught around the inlet on the tide line.) | (33" min, 2/day) | |
 | Florida Pompano | Bottom fish with natural bait such as sand fleas, cut bait, fiddler crabs, and shrimp. | Later summer |
| (Pompano) | (Often caught in the surf just behind the breakers. They love warm, clear water.) | (None) | |
 | Gulf Flounder | Use live and artificial finger mullets. | June - Dec. |
| (Flounder) | (Use hook and line or bottom rig.) | (15" min, 6/day) | |
 | King Mackerel | Live menhaden and cigar minnows, or dead ribbonfish seem to have the best result, but spoons and jigs also works. | April - June Sept. - Dec. |
| (King, Kingfish, Snakes, Smokers) | (Catch off the end of a pier using a slow reeling technique.) | (24" min, 3/day) | |
 | Kingfish | Shrimp, mole crabs, blood worms, or squid. Some success with jigs or spec rigs. | April - Nov. |
| (Sea Mullet, Whiting, Virginia Mullet, Roundhead) | (Use a two hook bottom rig with live bait.) | (None) | |
 | Northern Puffer | Shrimp, blood worms, or squid. | None |
| (Swell Toad, Puffer, Blowfish, Blow Toad, Toadfish, Sea Squab) | (Use a two hook bottom rig with live bait.) | (None) | |
 | Pigfish | Shrimp, blood worms, or squid. | None |
| (Hogfish, Grunt) | (Use a two hook bottom rig with live bait. Fish near a structure or rough bottom.) | (20/day) | |
 | Pinfish | Shrimp, blood worms, or squid. | None |
| (Sea Brim, Pin Perch, Sand Perch) | (Use a two hook bottom rig with live bait.) | (None) | |
 | Red Drum | Cut bait, shrimp, or live bait. | March - June Sept. - Dec. |
| (Channel Bass, Redfish, Puppy Drum, Spottail Bass) | (Surf fishing or spot fishing.) | (18" min, 27" max, 1/day) | |
 | Sheepshead | Fiddler crabs, barnacle, oysters, clams, crabs, or shrimp. | None |
| (Convict) | (Difficult to hook because they take the bait fast.) | (None) | |
 | Silver Perch | --- | None |
| (Sand Perch) | (Often caught unintentionally and used as live bait for bluefish, mackerels, and striped bass.) | (None) | |
 | Southern Flounder | Use live and artificial finger mullets. | June - Dec. |
| (Flounder) | (Use hook and line. Often caught under bridges and docks.) | (15" min, 6/day) | |
 | Spanish Mackerel | Use any tiny, shiny metal lure or jig. | May - Sept. |
| (Spanish) | (Retrieve quickly.) | (12" min, 15/day) | |
 | Spot | Shrimp, blood worms, or squid. | None |
| (Yellow Belly) | (Use a two hook bottom rig with live bait.) | (None) | |
 | Spotted Seatrout | Shrimp or minnow. | May - Dec. |
| (Speckled Trout, Southern Spotted, Weakfish, Speak) | (A popular method is to suspend bait from a float.) | (14" min, 4/day) | |
 | Striped Bass | Attacks nearly anything. | Oct. - April |
| (Rockfish, Rock, Striper) | (Cast or jigging with artificial bait. Surf fish with spoons or heavy lures. Float or bottom fish with natural bait.) | (See below*) | |
 | Summer Flounder | Cut bait, shrimp, or live minnows. Bucktail lures and jigs. | May - Dec. |
| (Fluke, Flounder) | (Use a bottom rig.) | (15" min, 6/day) | |
 | Weakfish | Attacks nearly anything. | Oct. - Feb. |
| (Grey Trout, Trout) | (Weakfish have a soft mouth. Keep the line tight, but don't pull hard because the hook could rip through the lip.) | (12" min, 1/day) | |
 | White Perch | Live minnows or small artificial baits. | None |
| (Gray Perch, Blue-Nosed Perch, Silver Perch, Sea Perch) | (Use drift fishing with minnows and casting with jugs and spoons.) | (None) |
