The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission voted to adopt a temporary rule for sheepshead harvest in Inland Fishing Waters and by hook-and-line in Joint Fishing Waters. The daily creel limit for sheepshead is now five fish and the minimum size limit is 14 inches. There is no closed season, and sheepshead shall not be sold.
Enacting the temporary rule, which will take effect May 8, to align with the recent proclamation of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) to enact similar creel and length limits for sheepshead in Coastal Fishing Waters.
“The Wildlife Resources Commission implemented temporary rulemaking to provide regulatory consistency and avoid angler confusion across Inland, Joint and Coastal waters,” said Inland Fisheries Division Assistant Chief Ben Ricks.
