www.oceancrestpier.net Backend en-us www.oceancrestpier.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=21 2008 NORTH CAROLINA SALT WATER FISHING TOURNAMENT MANAGED BY NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES The Tournament begins January 1, 2008 and ends Midnight, December 31, 2008. TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN AWARD, ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY JANUARY 15, 2009. Everyone is eligible except a charter boat captain or a crewman of a for-hire boat or anyone who offers fish for sale. Weighmasters or their employees are eligible for awards, provided a witness signs verification. Eligible waters include all North Carolina sounds, estuaries, surf, and the Atlantic Ocean. No registration fee is required. Certificate qualifications: All fish must be caught on hook and line and landed or brought to gaff or net by the angler. No electric or hydraulic equipment is allowed. Fish must be weighed by an authorized weighmaster (or his/her representative: at an official weigh station. Each fish must be recorded on an official application form, signed by the angler and by a weighmaster. Snagged, mutilated, scaled, speared, frozen, or shot fish are not eligible. The weighmaster reserves the right to cut, open, or mark the fish after it has been weighed. Release rules: Angler or mate must touch the fish or the leader. Application must be completed with exception of length and weight (amberjack, bluefin tuna, cobia, king mackerel, striped bass and red drum must have the length recorded). A witness must sign application. The Official 2008 North Carolina Sal*****er Fishing Tournament Minimum Weights Albacore, False RELEASE ONLY (E) Amberjack 50 lbs (H) Atlantic Bonita 8 lbs (B) Barracuda Release ONLY (G) Bass, Black Sea 4 lbs Bluefish 15 lbs Cobia 40lbs (D) Croaker 3 lbs Dolphin 35 lbs Drum, Black 35 lbs (F) Drum, Red RELEASE ONLY (F) Flounder 5 lbs Grouper 20 lbs Jack, Crevalle RELEASE ONLY (C) Mackerel, King 30 lbs (G) Mackerel, Spanish 6 lbs Marlin, Blue 400 lbs (A) Marlin, White RELEASE ONLY (A) Mullet, Sea 1 ½ lbs Pompano 2 lbs Red Porgy (Silver Snapper) 4 lbs Sailfish RELEASE ONLY (A) Shark 150 lbs (I) Sheepshead 8 lbs Snapper, Red 10 lbs Spot 1 lb Striped Bass 35 lbs (G) Tarpon RELEASE ONLY (A) Tilefish, Grey 10 lbs Triggerfish 5 lbs Trout, Gray 5 lbs (B) Trout, Speckled 5 lbs (B) Tuna, Bigeye 100 lbs Tuna, Blackfin 20 lbs Tuna, Bluefin 80 lbs (A) Tuna, Yellowfin 70 lbs Wahoo 40 lbs A = Award for live release of fish, regardless of size B = Award for live release of fish, 24 inches or longer C = Award for live release of fish, 32 inches or longer D = Award for live release of fish, 33 inches or longer E = Award for live release of fish, 34 inches or longer F = Award for live release of fish, 40 inches or longer G = Award for live release of fish, 45 inches or longer H = Award for live release of fish, 50 inches or longer I = Award for live release of fish, 80 inches or longer For more information on the NC Sal*****er Fishing Tournament contact Carole Willis or Partha Howell with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries at 800-682-2632 or 252-726-7021. Or Contact them via e-mail Carole.Y.Willis@ncmail.net | Partha.Howell@ncmail.net NC Division of Marine Fisheries - 3441 Arendell Street - Morehead City, NC 28557 - 252-726-7021 or 800-682-2632 Ocean Crest Pier is an Official Citation Award Weigh Station for the North Carolina program here on Oak Island. We are proud to offer visiting anglers the service once again during the 2008 fishing season. Please present your catches to any pier staff member who will complete the weigh-in process and the required applications. If you have any questions as to what species of fishes meets state tournament requirements we will be glad to answer those as well determine if your catch qualifies as an entry. Dave OCP/LLC> Official Program Weigh Master. www.oceancrestpier.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=20 Contact: Patricia Smith Date: Jan. 7, 2008 Phone: (252) 726-7021 TIME TO RENEW RECREATIONAL FISHING LICENSES MOREHEAD CITY – Before casting a hook and line or jabbing a gig, fishermen should take a moment to pull their Coastal Recreational Fishing Licenses from their wallets or tackle boxes to check the expiration dates. The annual recreational licenses expire one year from the date of purchase, so those who bought one in January 2007 may need to renew it before going fishing. “Our commercial licenses and permits all expire on June 30 of each year, and we want to make sure people don’t get these dates confused,” said Marine Patrol Col. Rex Lanier. This is particularly important since a yearlong grace period, in which Marine Patrol handed out warning tickets to first offenders, is over, Lanier said. In 2007, Marine Patrol handed out more than 2,800 warning tickets but only 25 actual citations for fishing without a Coastal Recreational Fishing License. Now, however, those caught fishing without a license will get a ticket that carries a fine and court costs of $155. The state sold 470,400 Coastal Recreational Fishing Licenses in 2007, and 25,591 of those were purchased in the first four weeks of the year. Most of the licenses sold were annual resident licenses. The license requirement pertains to anyone age 16 or older fishing in coastal waters of North Carolina, except those who held a Lifetime Sportsman or Lifetime Comprehensive Fishing license issued by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission prior to Jan. 1, 2006. An annual license costs $15 for residents and $30 for non-residents. Ten-day licenses and a variety of lifetime licenses are available, as well. For more information on the types of licenses available, view the DMF Web site at www.ncdmf.net. Licenses may be purchased or renewed at Wildlife Resources Commission licensing agents, which include most bait and tackle shops and all DMF license offices. They may also be purchased online at www.ncwildlife.org, or by calling 1-888-2HUNTFISH (1-888-248-6834). Now of course if your just visiting the Oak Island area and intending on pier fishing at Ocean Crest Pier our NC Coastal Salt Water Pier Blanket License will surfice on its own. Once you've purchased your daily, multi day, weekly or seasonal pier passes you're good to go! No further license possessing requirements" must be meet by pier anglers once having done so. Children under the age of 16 are not required to possess fishing license's in NC. All other catch and bag limit requirements do apply while on the pier. Please abid by the rules and regulations. A copy of these are available in the tackleshop. They are free for the asking! Please do and please remember by purchasing an Ocean Crest Pier fishing pass your covered as an individual angler under our blanket license. Any angler who doesn't pay to fish our pier and forgets the rules or just decides to sneak out with fishing gear, is not only subject to eviction from our privately owned property but approach by NC Marine Fisheries Officers who will require proof that the individudal has in thier possession an individual NC CRFL license...........Dave OCP/LLC.