Wilmington Reds

First stop Wilmington! North Carolina represents a mixed bag when it comes to redfish. On one hand North Carolina is home to a thriving sport fishing industry and culture, but on the other it is one of the last states to allow gill nets and trawling in and around its marshes. Gill netters, although small in number and economic importance, have a powerful stranglehold on North Carolina fisheries policy. Study after study shows that sport fishing generates far more income than commercial fishing, yet gill netters are still allowed in the marshes where they kill far more fish than targeted species such as mullet. The nets by-catch includes birds, endangered turtles, and yes, sport fish such as redfish,  a lot of redfish. North Carolina has the marsh habitat to become a world class redfish fly fishing destination, but nets and commercial interests continue to degrade the resource. However, even with the nets I saw plenty of reds with guide Seth Vernon and even managed to catch a few. We both wondered out loud how great the fishery would be if the gill nets were permanently removed.