The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has suspended the season for harvesting striped bass by hook-and-line in the Roanoke River Management Area, which runs from March 1 through April 30, 2025. This includes the Roanoke River and its tributaries from Roanoke Rapids Dam downstream to the mouth of the river at the Albemarle Sound, as well as the Cashie, Middle and Eastmost rivers.
Despite reductions in harvest over the past three years, the Roanoke River striped bass population has shown little improvement. In 2024, NCWRC biologists observed a continuance of the declining trend in abundance of striped bass during the spawning grounds survey. Low abundance and the impacts of high mortality have resulted in poor spawning success over the past seven years, even when Roanoke River conditions were considered optimal for spawning.
NCWRC is working closely with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) to address declines in the Roanoke River and Albemarle Sound striped bass stock.
“I grew up on the Roanoke River chasing striped bass, and the reductions in this population are concerning,” said Ben Ricks, NCWRC’s Coastal Region fishery supervisor. “We are working to understand the mechanisms that have led to the decline in the striped bass populations in the Roanoke River and Albemarle Sound. We will also continue to stock striped bass this year in the lower Roanoke River and Albemarle Sound in cooperation with the DMF. We will assess stocking efficacy as striped bass return to the spawning grounds over the next three-to-five years.”
All striped bass caught in inland and joint waters of the Roanoke River Management Area, regardless of condition, shall be immediately returned to the waters where taken. From April 1 through June 30 in the Roanoke River upstream of U.S. Highway 258 Bridge, only a single barbless circle hook may be used when fishing with live or natural bait, and only a single barbless hook (either no barb or barb is bent downward) may be used with other tackle.
NCWRC will assess the next striped bass harvest season prior to the March 1, 2026 opening. For more information, visit NCWRC’s striped bass species web page.