Coastal NC Fishing Report: Light winds, mixed bags, and tips for inshore & offshore success

Artificial Lure coming to you on this fine Sunday, September 28, 2025, with your coastal North Carolina Atlantic fishing report! Winds this morning are easy, coming out of the south at 5 to 10 knots with seas around 2 to 4 feet—pretty comfortable for most small- to mid-sized boats. There’s a light chop in the sounds and rivers, and we’ve got a front stalled just offshore, bringing a steady chance of showers and a rumble or two of thunder as the day rolls on, so pack your rain gear. Expect east winds to pick up later, with rougher surf into the week thanks to lingering long-period swells from Hurricane Humberto, so keep an eye out for marine advisories, especially by Sunday night and into Monday, when things will get choppier per the National Weather Service Marine Forecast.

Tide runners, here’s your setup for the day out of Atlantic Beach: Low tide rolls in at 4:22 AM, first high tide tops out at 10:34 AM at a hair under 4 feet, then a modest low tide at 4:43 PM before the second high at 10:47 PM. Tidal coefficients are on the low side, meaning the current’s gentle and the water won’t swing too wild between high and low. That usually means quieter action on the big predators but steady enough for your bread-and-butter inshore game, which lines up real nice for the kayak crowd and those working the piers. Sunrise hit at about 7:07 AM, with sunset expected around 6:59 PM, giving you nearly twelve hours of light.

The water temps are holding steady in the low 80s, and clarity’s fair inshore—plenty of mullet and glass minnows schooling tight. Recent catches have been a solid mix: slot drum are moving up into the creeks, scattered speckled trout showing up on popping corks and soft plastics, and flounder are still turning up around docks and pilings—though remember, state regs may be limiting your keeper count. King mackerel have picked up on the slow troll off the beach around ARs and the 'Sea Buoy' line, with a few solid Spanish in the mix, especially early and late. Nearshore reefs have also been producing some quality black sea bass and the odd cobia for those dropping cut bait or vertical jigs.

Best baits right now are live mullet and menhaden if you can catch ‘em—cast net the tidal creeks before the boat ramps get busy. On the artificial side, Strike King’s Swim’n Caffeine Shad or Bass Assassin Sea Shads are putting in work for trout and drum, especially bounced slow around oyster beds and marsh points. For flounder, a bucktail tipped with Gulp! curly tails or strip bait remains the classic. Offshore, troll with Drone Spoons, Blue Water Candy lures, and Clarkspoons for mackerel, particularly with a bit of wire to avoid bite-offs. Locals are swearing by natural colors and smaller profiles given the lighter water movement.

For the pier and surf folks, sand fleas and shrimp have been bringing in mixed bags of pompano, blues, and even a few late spot runs. At night, try cut mullet for bigger blues or the odd red drum coming through just off the bar.

Two hot spots worth mentioning: the Fort Macon jetty and the nearshore structure off Wrightsville Beach—both have been steady for mixed bags, especially at first light or falling tide. Don’t overlook the marshes around Masonboro Sound for a solid shot at specks or upper-slot reds pushing bait against the grass.

Thanks for tuning in to your Atlantic North Carolina report with Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss tomorrow’s bite. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI