Science and action are amazing things. Where once there was a dearth of many saltwater game fish species because of overharvest situations, fishery management plans at the national and state levels have blended scientific research with action to restore many species to abundance.

Red drum are increasing in size and numbers year by year. King mackerel populations continue to remain on sound footing. Some flounder populations have been troubled, but fishery managers are making great strides to bring them back to abundance. Spotted seatrout have always been fickle fish this far north. But the North State has had back-to-back banner years for specks. Cobia are now as ever a viable catch for those that know how and where to look, and anglers are become more adept at catching them with each passing season.

Here's a look at what anglers need to know before heading out after these fabulous five -- our best-to-catch saltwater game fish.

FLOUNDER
There are three flounder species commonly caught by North Carolina anglers. The southern flounder is the most popular because it is caught from all inshore waters. The summer flounder is the second most popular because it inhabits the nearshore ledges and reefs from the inlets out to about 10 miles offshore. Gulf flounder are more rarely caught, comprising less than 5 percent of the total catch. They are fish of the offshore waters and are usually caught by anglers seeking summer flounder. Summer flounder and Gulf flounder can be caught from the same ledges, but Gulf flounder like sandy bottoms, while summer flounder prefer hard structure. Southern flounder can confound the identification process because they also may be caught at inshore ledges and reefs.

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The good news is that summer flounder have recovered from past abuses and anglers can catch limits of them at nearshore ledges by using live minnows as bait. Feeding the fish is what it takes, since pinfish, seabass, bluefish and other species steal baits intended for summer flounder. When fishing offshore ledges and reefs, anglers can figure on using 20 baits per hour per angler when the fishing is hot.

Hot offshore fishing begins in April and continues into November. Reefs and ledges off Southport, Wrightsville Beach, Bogue Banks and Morehead City have seen some truly hot action the past couple of seasons.

Southern flounder have become the subject of more intense regulation. A catch reduction of 50 percent has been identified by fishery managers as the way to bring the population of fish back up to where it should be. This has resulted in the state's first bag limit for inshore waters. However, the good news is that for the first time in many years, the inshore and offshore bag limits are the same at eight fish per day, with a minimum length of 14 inches.