North Carolina State Record Speckled Trout

The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) recently announced the certification of a new state record speckled trout (Cynoscion nebulosus).

Todd Spangler, of Merritt, caught the 12-pound, 8-ounce fish in the lower Neuse River in Pamlico County on Feb 9, 2022.

The previous state record speckled trout weighed 12 pounds, 4 ounces and was caught off Wrightsville Beach in 1961.

The International Game Fish Association All Tackle World Record spotted seatrout stands at 17 pounds, 7 ounces, and was caught in 1995 off Ft. Pierce Fla.

Spangler’s fish measured 33.5 inches total length (from the tip of the snout to the tip of the compressed tail) and had an 18-inch girth.

He caught it with a Daiwa Procyon reel and custom-built spinning rod. He used a dark purple Z-Man jerk shad soft plastic bait with a 20-pound braid.

Along the Mid Atlantic coast, speckled trout, also known as spotted seatrout, are one of the most popular saltwater species for recreational anglers. Speckled trout are identified by a pattern of dark spots along their backs, flanks, and tail.

For more information on state record fish, go to the division’s State Saltwater Records webpage or contact the North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Tournament staff at saltwater.citations@ncdenr.gov.

source: North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries

North Carolina Spotted Seatrout Harvest Moratorium Due to Cold Stun Events

North Carolina will close all coastal waters to commercial and recreational spotted seatrout harvest for an indefinite period beginning at noon Friday, January 14, 2011.

N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Director Louis Daniel issued a proclamation on January 12 implementing the closure, after consulting with N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission Chairman Rob Bizzell.

The action is being taken in response to recent cold stun events in Rose Bay, Juniper Bay, Pungo River, Campbell Creek, Turnigan Bay, Spooners Creek and other waters. The intent of the closure is to prevent the harvest of vulnerable cold stunned fish, which may recover with warming temperatures.

"On the heels of two cold stun events, one in 2010 and now in 2011, and pretty large commercial and recreational catch rates in 2009, I believe this is the best thing for the fishery," Daniel said.

In approving the Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan in November, the Marine Fisheries Commission authorized Daniel to temporarily close harvest in the event of a cold stun event. The commission will review the closure and consider extending it at is Feb. 11 meeting in Pine Knoll Shores.

For more information, contact division biologist Beth Burns at (252) 473-5734, extension 221, or Beth.Burns@ncdenr.gov

source: N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries