BackWhat's biting

October on this coast

Ranked by what is normally around now and whether the water is the temperature they want. The size and bag limits beside each one are North Carolina's current rules.

SouthportWilmingtonWrightsville BeachSurf CitySwansboroBeaufort
Water temperature
78°F

Full summer. Spanish and kings are in, and the sounds fish best at first light.

Measured at NDBC 41110 · Masonboro Inlet · 76 min ago
EverythingInshoreInletsStructureSurf & piersNearshoreOffshore

Out to about 20 miles — reefs and live bottom

Confirm before you keep anything.

These limits are copied from the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries table effective July 1, 2026, last checked August 22, 2026. Several species are governed by proclamations that change mid-season, and this app is not the authority. Check the current DMF table or call 252-515-5500.

Worth going for right now

Bluefish

Blues, choppers
InletsSurf & piersNearshore
OpenPeak now
You may keep them within the limits below.
Limit
3 per person per day on a private boat; 5 per person per day on a for-hire vessel

The creel is set by proclamation and changed in January 2026 — check before you go.

Peak month, and 78°F is right in their band.

Wire leader or you lose everything. When they blitz on the beach you can catch one on every cast for twenty minutes and then they are gone.

Casting metalTrolling small spoonsCut bait in the surf
Normally 58–84°FGear list →

King mackerel

Kings, smokers
NearshoreOffshore
OpenPeak now
You may keep them within the limits below.
Size
24" fork length
Limit
3 per person per day

Peak month, and 78°F is right in their band.

The nearshore reefs in Onslow Bay hold them through late summer and autumn. A big one is usually caught close in, not far out.

Slow-trolling live menhaden on stinger rigsDead bait on a downriggerAround nearshore reefs and wrecks
Normally 68–86°FGear list →

Black sea bass

NearshoreOffshore
OpenPeak now
You may keep them within the limits below.
Size
13" total length
Limit
7 per person per day (south of Cape Hatteras)

North of Cape Hatteras the limit is 15 per day and the season runs May 1 to Dec 31.

Peak month, and 78°F is right in their band.

The dependable bottom fish over the artificial reefs. Bring a descending device — it is required.

Squid on a two-hook bottom rigJigs over live bottom and the artificial reefs
Normally 55–80°FGear list →

Snapper and grouper

Bottom fish
OffshoreNearshore
Set by proclamationPeak now
Rules change through the season — check before you go.

The whole snapper-grouper complex runs on proclamations and federal seasons that open and close through the year. Red snapper, Nassau, Goliath, Warsaw grouper and speckled hind are prohibited outright. Check the current proclamation for everything else.

Peak month, and 78°F is right in their band.

The most regulated fishing you will do here, and the rules genuinely change mid-season. A descending device and a dehooking tool are legally required.

Bottom rigs over live bottom and ledgesVertical jigging
Normally 62–84°FGear list →

Spanish mackerel

Spanish
NearshoreInletsSurf & piers
Open
You may keep them within the limits below.
Size
12" fork length
Limit
15 per person per day

Around now, and 78°F suits them.

Show up when the water crosses about 68°F and leave when it drops back through it. Look for birds working just off the beach — often within sight of the inlet.

Trolling Clark spoons behind planersCasting metal into breaking fishSmall live baits
Normally 68–86°FGear list →

Around, but not their season

Shown so you know what you are holding when one turns up anyway — and what the rules are for it.

Weakfish

Gray trout
InshoreInletsNearshore
Open
You may keep them within the limits below.
Size
12" total length
Limit
1 per person per day

A one-fish limit — the stock is in poor shape.

Around in October, but 78°F is above the 75°F band they normally hold in.

Nothing like the numbers the old-timers describe. Treat a keeper as a bonus, not a target.

JiggingSoft plastics deepAround the inlets on moving water
Normally 52–75°F

Tarpon

Silver king
InshoreInletsNearshore
Release only
Unlawful to possess at any time.

Unlawful to possess. Catch and release only.

Not normally around in October. They turn up again around June.

They are here in high summer and most people never know it. Keep them in the water for photographs — a hundred-pound fish held up by the jaw usually dies.

Live menhadenCut bait on the bottom in the soundsSight fishing rolling fish
Normally 75–90°F

Cobia

Ling, lemonfish
NearshoreInlets
Set by proclamation
Rules change through the season — check before you go.

Size, bag and season are set by proclamation each year and change. Check the current cobia proclamation before you go.

Not normally around in October. They turn up again around May.

A May and June fishery here. They come up the beach with the warming water and cruise on the surface — somebody stands on the tower and looks.

Sight casting to fish on the surfaceLive eels or menhadenBucktails
Normally 68–84°F
Size and bag limits — N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, effective 2026-07-01. Water temperature — NDBC buoy observation. Seasons and temperature bands are local rule of thumb, not regulation.

A licence is required to fish in coastal waters. Fish do not read calendars — the months and temperatures here are what normally happens on this stretch, not a promise. If you catch something that is not on this list, put it back until you know what it is and what the rule for it says.