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Spots Are Running

Text and photos by Ray Linville

“They’re running” is a phrase that you hear often. It could be at the start of a NASCAR race in Charlotte, a 10K run in the Triangle, or a warning about bulls charging in Pamplona, Spain, but right now it’s a phrase referring to a seasonal phenomenon on the coast.

The fishing pier at Carolina Beach is lined with hopeful anglers who want to take home a few spots.
The fishing pier at Carolina Beach is lined with hopeful anglers who want to take home a few spots.

For many coastal areas in North Carolina at this time of year, “they’re running” means that spots are running near the shore and it’s time to head to a fishing pier. The spot is one of the most popular fish caught on rod and reel. It is caught not only from piers but also from bridges, jetties, and small boats as well as the surf. When this small panfish is running along the N.C. shore, the fishing piers are hopping with activity. The spot is usually traveling in schools, and filling a cooler doesn’t take very long.

If you don’t catch spots yourself, a seafood market such as Blackburn Brothers has them available.
If you don’t catch spots yourself, a seafood market such as Blackburn Brothers has them available.

According to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, spots are “hot” to catch from August through October. During that time, they transit our shores as they head down to southern U.S. coasts and the Gulf for winter. In fact, when I was at Blackburn Brothers Seafood in Carolina Beach, an employee said that spots are always running when Major League Baseball’s World Series is being played.

The spot is easily recognized—it has a distinctive, large black spot near the gill opening and 12 to 15 dark, angled bars across its back. It may grow to 14 inches in length and weigh up to almost half a pound. Because of its small size (the largest one ever caught weighed only 2½ pounds), the spot is typically prepared whole and is rarely filleted. The spot’s sweet, distinctive meat makes it a favorite at many restaurants and seafood markets in coastal areas. The spot has a mild flavor with a medium-dense texture.

The front door of the restaurant Something Fishy lets everyone know that spots are running.
The front door of the restaurant Something Fishy lets everyone know that spots are running.

The spot is celebrated not only at the dinner table but also in local culture. Just north of Wilmington in Hampstead (Pender County), the N.C. Spot Festival is held annually in late September. Spot dinners are served throughout the festival that features music, arts and crafts, and other activities.

The streetside sign of Boathouse Restaurant in Wilmington simply says, “Spots.”
The streetside sign of Boathouse Restaurant in Wilmington simply says, “Spots.”

Elsewhere along the coast, restaurants that serve locally caught fish feature spots when they are running. Because I’m not talented at fishing, I pull into a locally owned restaurant in the Wilmington area when I see a sign that says, “Spots.”

Because this fish is popular with recreational anglers, almost 3 million are caught each year (another ½ million are caught by commercial fishermen). In fact, N.C. recreational anglers catch more spot than any other variety. If you plan to fish, make sure that you have a N.C. coastal recreational fishing license, which can be purchased on a 10-day, annual, or lifetime basis (anyone younger than 16 years old is exempt).

The menu board at Gulfstream Restaurant has three spots on the plate.
The menu board at Gulfstream Restaurant has three spots on the plate.

Fishing is not only entertainment, but it has also provided needed food for many families. For many years, coastal fishing has been an important source of food for poor families, particularly during the system of farm tenancy, as Marcie Cohen Ferris explains in her book The Edible South. Because rent for small tracts of land required most of what families made from cotton, peanuts, and sweet potatoes, and the soil was depleted after generations of planting tobacco, many families depended on coastal fishing to provide food for their tables.

A plate of spots usually comes with two sides, such as collards and black-eyed peas.
A plate of spots usually comes with two sides, such as collards and black-eyed peas.

When spots are running, many memories are evoked—some good such as family fishing adventures, some sad such as struggles to place food on a family table. Whether a spot dinner is enjoyed at a restaurant or after a day of fishing, now is the time to celebrate this fish’s role in our food culture.

Little is left on a plate when someone arrives hungry for spot.
Little is left on a plate when someone arrives hungry for spot.

Resources

Coastal Recreational Fishing Licenses and Permits

http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/recreational-fishing-licenses-and-permits

N.C. Coastal Recreational Angler’s Guide

http://towndock.net/pdf/NC_Anglers_Guide.pdf

N.C. Fishing – What’s Hot and When

http://portal.ncdenr.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=6089f8b5-db7a-4c9e-9dbf-e4f263415cd1&groupId=38337

N.C. Spot Festival

http://www.ncspotfestival.com/about-us.html

Related

Filed Under: Destinations, Eastern NC, Food, Uncategorized Tagged With: angler, Carolina Beach, coast, community, East, fish, Hampstead, spot, Wilmington

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Terri a Stone Overton says

    March 26, 2019 at 12:54 am

    Its been a long while but i wanted my 7yr old to experience the excitement of spot fishing i know about fall but i thought thete was a Spting run as well…i cant find it though

    Reply
  2. Willie b gaddie says

    May 23, 2019 at 7:45 pm

    I WILLIE G love my self some spot fish so I just want to know how long I just can’t wait.

    Reply
  3. Robert Spain says

    September 12, 2019 at 4:44 am

    Y”ALL ARE MOST LIKELY RIGHT? DORIAN BLEW JUST ENOUGH IN THE BAY TO CHASE THEM FELLOWS DOWN YOUR WAY.
    I HAVE TRIED AND TRIED TO CORRECT Y’ALL ABOUT THAT SPOT NO MATTER THE NUMBER ONLY HAVE ONE “S” IN THE SPELLING, JUST LIKE DEER HAVE NO “S”.
    NOW I SEE ANOTHER OF MY PET PEEVES PICTURED IN THIS EMAIL? YOU GOT TO KNOW THAT YOU COOK SPOT WITH THEIR HEADS ON, JUST CUT THE GILLS OUT AND COOK THE HEAD WITH THE BODY, AND FOR THE SAKE OF THE FISH, FRY THEM IN CRACKER MEAL, NOT CORN MEAL AND FOR GOODNESS SAKE NEVER IN PANCAKE BATTER

    Reply
  4. Bill English says

    October 1, 2019 at 3:21 am

    I’m gonna go this weekend! Some of my fondest memories as a kid was of pulling in spots, 2 and 3 at a time! Great fun!

    Reply
  5. Mike ward says

    November 29, 2020 at 5:20 am

    I been living in hampstead nc for almost all my life every year I head out in the waterway in October to fish for spots to stock up for the winter too fill my small freezer up I recommend everyone do this the fish markets have jack up the price for spots $4.99 a pound buy your salt water fishing license and go have fun catching spots best tasting fish in the ocean

    Reply
  6. Gray says

    October 15, 2022 at 2:22 am

    Few years back me and my boss took the company on a fishing trip we ended up at long beach at barnacle bill’s pier we didn’t know spots were running and we ended up with 85 within 2 hours. Hell of a fish fry

    Reply

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