Rules & Regulations
Cast net laws in North Carolina
Legal with restrictions (bag limits, no size cap)Informational only — this is not legal advice
Fishing regulations change, sometimes with little notice, and can vary further by county, water body, or season within a state. This page is a starting point for research, not a substitute for the law. Always verify current rules directly with your state's fish & wildlife agency or TakeMeFishing.org before you fish. BasicGear is not responsible for citations, fines, or gear seizures resulting from reliance on this page.
Last verified: 2026-07-08 — regulations are re-checked periodically; see the date above before assuming this is current.
Summary
There's no regulated diameter or mesh size for cast nets in NC coastal waters — the restrictions are on what you keep (shrimp bag limits), not the net itself.
Size, mesh & licensing
- Max size
- Not specified — NC DMF states there is no size cap for cast nets
- Mesh
- None — no minimum or maximum mesh size regulated
- Water type
- Saltwater/coastal primarily; limited inland use for nongame fish
- License
- Coastal Recreational Fishing License (CRFL) required to keep any finfish caught by cast net; not required to keep shrimp recreationally
Recommended BasicGear net
Cast Net — Basic Series — No size cap — the Basic Series or Pancake Gold/Blue both work well; the real limits are the shrimp bag limits (48 qt heads-on per person/vessel/day).
Official source
NC Division of Marine Fisheries — "Using a Cast Net"↗
High confidenceLast verified: 2026-07-08
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