Boaters Beware!

Fishing Topsail Message Board
Topsail Area Charter Boats
2009 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

Hello from Topsail Beach. A notice from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission follows.

[quote]Boating:

Be prepared for the 2010 boating season.
As of May 1, anyone younger than 26 operating a vessel powered by a 10-horsepower or greater motor on public waterways must have successfully completed an approved boating safety education course or otherwise be in compliance with General Statute 75A-16.2. Visit our Web site for course availability or call (919) 707-0030.

Also, check your vessel registration before hitting the water. Call 1-800-628-3773, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit a wildlife service agent to renew your vessel registration.

Fishing

Spring is here — time to make plans to go fishing.

For trout anglers, hatchery-supported waters open Saturday, April 3, at 7 a.m. When fishing hatchery supported waters, you can keep a maximum of seven fish per day, with no minimum size limits or bait restrictions. Hatchery-supported trout waters and regulation information, as well as trout maps are available on our Web site.

For striped bass anglers, the harvest season on the Roanoke River Management Area, Tar-Pamlico River between Rocky Mount Mill dam and the N & S Railroad Bridge at Washington, and on the Neuse River between Milburnie dam and the Southern Railroad Bridge at New Bern is open until April 30. The daily creel limit is two striped bass with a minimum length limit of 18 inches. No striped bass between 22 and 27 inches can be possessed at any time and, on the Roanoke, only one fish in the daily creel can be larger than 27 inches. Find places to fish on the Roanoke River, useful hints, and regulations currently in effect by visiting the Roanoke River Fishing Report, posted on our Web site every Thursday afternoon until mid-May.

Before heading out to your favorite fishing spot, make sure your fishing license is valid. Purchase a license https://www.ncwildlife.org/Apps/Purchase/LicenseSelection1.asp, from a wildlife service agent, or by phone at 888-248-6834, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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Till next time....
tight lines!
Johnny