4 Best Boat Fishing Spots in North Carolina
North Carolina is home to many beautiful natural locations, whether you’re headed to the beaches or enjoying the mountains. The diverse ecosystem not only gives you many selections for a boat fishing adventure, you also have the opportunity to catch a wide range of fish. The lakes and oceans of North Carolina are home to more than 30 different species of sport fish, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The state has more than 500 fishing spots available, with quite a few you have to put on your fishing bucket list.
Lake James State Park
Photo by twbuckner via Flickr
Looking for a largemouth bass spot? The Blue Ridge Heritage area is home to many mountain lakes and streams, with Lake James State Park offering a 6,510-acre park filled with natural beauty. It has 150 miles of shoreline in total and welcomes boat fishers. It’s located in Nebo, NC, which is near Marion, NC.
Pirate’s Cove Marina
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North Carolina’s lakes are exciting, but the coastal fishing gives you plenty of great boat fishing opportunities as well, whether you stick to the coastline or go farther afield. The Pirate’s Cove Marina has 195 slips in total, as well as access to 21 sport fish boat charters if you don’t own your own fishing boat. It has a fuel dock for boats, in-slip fueling, fishing tournaments, a store and even fish cleaning houses so you aren’t making a mess on your boat. The dockage rates cost $2 per foot daily plus electric costs, or $25 per foot monthly. This marina is located in the Oregon Inlet, in Roanoke Sound. Some fish you’ll find in North Carolina ocean waters include blue marlin, bluefin tuna, mahi mahi, and king mackerel.
Cape Hatteras
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Another great fishing spot in the Oregon inlet area is Cape Hatteras. Game and Fish magazine particularly recommends it during January for the striped bass season. It has more than enough access points on the beach to get you out to sea, so you can enjoy fishing without being frustrated with logistics.
Randleman River Reservoir
Spring fishing takes you to Randleman Regional Reservoir for largemouth bass fishing and bluegills. The lake is 3,007 acres total and open to 100 powerboats in the 2,000 acre northern area of the lake at a time, with non powered boats restricted to the other 1,000 acres. The marina fees at the Reservoir cost $15 per day for gas boats, $7 per day for electric boats and sailboats and $5 per day for non-powered boats.
Legalities
North Carolina requires proper licensing for your fishing adventure. The first step is getting the fishing license that matches the type of fishing you’re planning on. Coastal fishing requires a separate license from in-land fishing and you have different lengths of licenses to choose from. For example, annual licenses, 10-day licenses and lifetime licenses are available for coastal fishing. Motorized boats must be registered with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission for a North Carolina boat license so you can legally use the marinas and boat launching locations in the state. Any boat operators under the age of 26 must complete boating education courses before they are allowed to publicly operate a boat.
