New NC Green Sunfish Record - 1 Pound 14 Ounces

When Wake county angler Sean Vanderburg hooke d this fishe he thought he had a largemouth bass on the line. Instead to his surprise he had a new North Carolina State Record Sunfish. That my friends makes for a big fish sandwhich.

Vanderburg, an avid hunter as well as fisherman, says he fishes this pond quite a bit, which is located on the same property where he hunts. He catches mostly smallish largemouth bass, and the occasional bluegill. On this particular day, he thought he had hooked a nice-size largemouth bass, maybe a 4-pounder, and was shocked to find what he thought might be a pumpkinseed — albeit a giant one — dangling on the end of the line.
“I’d never seen a sunfish that big before, so I had a little freak-out moment,” Vanderburg said. After he pulled himself together, he began calling friends to see what the state records were for all the sunfish species found in North Carolina. He then contacted Corey Oakley, a fisheries biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, to find out exactly what he had reeled in.

Link the the NCWRC press release. Photo from the release.

NC Mt. Heritage Trout Waters Program

The Asheville Citizen Times announced that Richland Creek in Waynesville, NC has been designated NC Mountain Heritage Trout Waters. This means that both resident and non-resident anglers can purchase a special three day permit and fish these waters for only $5.

Important note: The Mountain Heritage Trout Water license can only be purchased online or by calling the toll-free number above. Wildlife Service Agents do not sell this license.

Follow this link for more information about the program.

NCWRC Defines Artificial Lures

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has approved changes to fishing regulations that will in effect prohibit the use of scented "power" type baits on Delayed Harvest streams which are limited it fishing with artificial lures only.

Wildlife Commissioners also approved a fishing regulation, applying to public mountain trout waters, that defines natural bait as any living or dead organism or prepared substance designed to attract fish by taste or smell, while artificial lures are defined as bait that neither contains nor has been treated with any substance that attracts fish by the sense of taste or smell.

”This rule clarifies what kinds of lures are allowable when trout fishing on waters that require anglers to only use artificial lures,” Curry said. “With new attractant lures coming on the market every year and no definition of what comprised natural bait and artificial lures in the NC Statutes or regulation digest, anglers have had a lot of questions.

Stay tuned for more information on the regulation changes.