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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 · 75 min ago
EverythingInshoreInletsStructureSurf & piersNearshoreOffshore

Bridges, docks, jetties and wrecks

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

Red drum

Redfish, puppy drum, spottail
InshoreInletsSurf & piersStructure
OpenPeak now
You may keep them within the limits below.
Size
18" total length to 27" total length
Limit
1 per person per day

A slot: under 18" or over 27" goes back. Cannot be gigged, speared or gaffed.

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

The one fish you can catch here every month of the year. Autumn is when the big schools push through the inlets and along the beach.

Cut bait on the bottomSoft plasticsTopwater at dawnLive mullet
Normally 55–88°FGear list →

Spotted seatrout

Speckled trout, specks
InshoreInletsStructure
OpenPeak now
You may keep them within the limits below.
Size
14" total length to 20" total length
Limit
3 per person per day

A slot, but one fish over 26" is allowed per person per day.

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

Gets good as the water cools and stays good into winter. A hard freeze can kill them off in the creeks and set the fishery back a couple of seasons.

Soft plastics on a jigheadLive shrimp under a corkTopwater at first light
Normally 50–82°FGear list →

Flounder

Southern flounder, doormat
InshoreInletsStructure
ClosedPeak now
Unlawful to possess right now.
Size
15" total length (during the open window)
Limit
1 per person per day (during the open window)
Season
Sept 1 at 12:01am to Sept 14 at 11:59pm, 2026

Closed and unlawful to possess outside that fourteen-day window. Applies to Coastal and Joint Fishing Waters; the Wildlife Resources Commission sets separate rules inland.

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

You will catch them all summer. You may only keep them for two weeks in September. Everything else goes back in the water.

Live mud minnows or finger mulletGulp on a jigheadDrifting the inlet
Normally 60–80°FGear list →

Black drum

InshoreStructureInlets
OpenPeak now
You may keep them within the limits below.
Size
14" total length to 25" total length
Limit
10 per person per day

One fish over 25" is allowed per person per day.

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

Reliable when nothing else is going. Sits tight to structure and eats shrimp on the bottom.

Fresh shrimp on the bottomCrabAround pilings and bridges
Normally 50–85°FGear list →

Sheepshead

Convict fish
StructureInlets
OpenPeak now
You may keep them within the limits below.
Size
14" total length
Limit
5 per person per day

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

Bites like a thief. You set the hook when you think they are about to bite, not when you feel it. Bridge pilings, jetties, anything crusted with barnacles.

Fiddler crabsSand fleasScraping barnacles off pilings to draw them in
Normally 62–84°FGear list →
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.