The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will open a two-week…
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will open a two-week, spring recreational Gulf Flounder season in ocean waters off the central and southeastern parts of coastal North Carolina.
Dates: March 9–22, 2026
Location: Ocean waters only, from north end of Portsmouth Island (south of Ocracoke Inlet) to the South Carolina line.
Gear: Recreational hook-and-line only
Bag Limit: One fish per person per day
Size Limit: Minimum 15-inch total length
For more specific information, see Proclamation FF-13-2026.
The Gulf Flounder has the same, familiar flat, rounded body and olive-brown color of other flounders that can change shade depending on the color of the bottom. It has three prominent, ocellated dark spots arranged in a triangle on its eyed side. One spot is above and one is below the lateral line, while the third is in the middle of the line towards the tail, forming a triangle. The spots may become obscure in larger fish.
Information on how to identify a Gulf Flounder from a Summer Flounder and a Southern Flounder can be found on the Division’s Flounder Identification webpage. Other information can be found on the Spring Gulf Flounder Season Frequently Asked Questions page.
If there is incidental harvest of Southern Flounder during spring 2026, it will count against the
For more information, contact Patricia Smith at (252) 515-5500.
