April 14, 2016 — Striped bass regulations vary according to the body of water across North Carolina, including five distinct areas along the coast.
Stripers moving up the Roanoke River to spawn must come in from the Atlantic Ocean Management Area and pass through the Albemarle Sound Management Area before reaching the Roanoke River Management Area. These fish are subject to different regulations as they journey from the ocean to the spawning grounds near Weldon.
The Albemarle Sound Management Area begins at Oregon Inlet and extends inland to the mouths of the Roanoke, Cashie, Middle and Eastmost Rivers near Plymouth. This includes the northern end of the Pamlico Sound, Roanoke Sound, Croatan Sound, Currituck Sound and Albemarle Sound. It also includes all rivers and creeks feeding into these sounds inland to Edenton. Effective Jan. 1, striper season in the ASMA is open all year unless the annual quota of 68,750 pounds is caught. Eighteen inches is the minimum size, and fishermen may keep two per day.