UTERThe Outer Banks fishing season peaks twice: in spring (April and May) when big red drum and chopper bluefish hit the surf at Cape Point and the inlets, and in fall (October and November) when the drum, the blues and false albacore come back behind the northeasters. Summer belongs to the sounds and the Gulf Stream: spawning drum in Pamlico Sound, cobia off the beaches, and mahi, tuna and billfish offshore of Oregon and Hatteras inlets. Winter is speckled trout in the creeks and sea bass on the wrecks.
The National Park Service puts it plainly for Cape Hatteras National Seashore: the best fishing is in spring and fall, with offshore fishing strongest in midsummer. Here is what that looks like month by month, from the season calendar Fish Scouter runs on for the Outer Banks.
Outer Banks fishing calendar
| Month | Headline | Main targets |
|---|---|---|
| January | Sea bass on the wrecks; bluefin some winters | Black sea bass, specks, occasional ocean stripers |
| February | The quiet month | Specks and puppy drum in deep sound creeks |
| March | Tautog on the bridge; first blues and drum | Tautog, black drum, bluefish |
| April | Spring drum and chopper blues at Cape Point | Red drum, bluefish, black drum, gray trout |
| May | Gaffer mahi, spring drum, first cobia | Mahi, yellowfin, red drum, cobia, specks |
| June | Cobia off the beaches; blue marlin offshore | Cobia, Spanish mackerel, fluke, blue marlin |
| July | Spawning drum gather in Pamlico Sound | Red drum, tarpon, Spanish, mahi, sailfish |
| August | Peak Pamlico drum and tarpon; white marlin start | Red drum, tarpon, white marlin, fluke |
| September | White marlin peak; drum leave the sound | White marlin, red drum, flounder, kings |
| October | The fall surf run: drum, blues, albies | Red drum, false albacore, specks, gray trout |
| November | Northeaster drum and blues; trout in the creeks | Red drum, bluefish, specks, spot, yellowfin |
| December | Trout in the creeks; yellowfin offshore | Specks, yellowfin, sea bass, bluefin |
Spring: Cape Point wakes up (March to May)
March
The season starts at the Oregon Inlet bridge, where anglers fish crab tight to the rubble for tautog. The first black drum and bluefish reach Cape Point late in the month.
April: the spring drum run
The spring run of big "old" red drum hits the Hatteras surf in April: Cape Point and the Ocracoke beaches, cut mullet or menhaden on a fish-finder rig. Chopper bluefish arrive at Cape Point and Oregon Inlet the same month. Bring wire leaders and metal. Big black drum work the surf and inlets with the reds, best on clam fished on the bottom, and gray trout show in the sounds in less than six feet of water, mixed with specks.
May
The spring blitzes peak in the Hatteras surf, drum are still on the beaches, and puppy drum work the sound-side marsh. Offshore of Oregon Inlet and Hatteras, May is gaffer mahi and yellowfin month. The first cobia show off Hatteras and in Pamlico Sound near Ocracoke, and speckled trout move up onto the sound grass beds, with topwater at dawn. Pompano run the Hatteras surf.
Summer: the sounds and the Gulf Stream (June to September)
June
Cobia peak: sight-cast them off the beaches and the inlets with live eels or bucktails. Spanish mackerel run the Hatteras and Nags Head beaches, fluke take bucktails in the inlets, and specks spawn on the sound shoals (night fishing under lights works). Offshore, blue marlin season is on.
July and August: drum in Pamlico Sound
The adult red drum leave the ocean and gather in Pamlico Sound to spawn. Work the sloughs and shoals at dusk with big popping corks. August is the peak on the western Pamlico and the lower Neuse (Maw Point, Brown's Shoal), with the fish feeding on bait balls. Tarpon roll on the slicks, Spanish feed at the piers and inlets at dawn on Gotcha plugs, and white marlin start showing off Oregon Inlet. Sand tigers hold on the Hatteras wrecks and in the inlets; they are release-only.
September
White marlin peak offshore. The big drum leave the sound through Hatteras and Ocracoke inlets, and the surf starts to come alive again. Southern flounder harvest has been limited to a short window in recent years; check NCDMF before you keep one.
Fall: the run everyone waits for (October and November)
October
The fall surf run: big drum at Cape Point and the inlets, puppy drum in the sloughs, and the false albacore off Hatteras Inlet and the Cape Point shoals. Albies are a light-tackle and fly fishery: small metal, epoxy jigs and fast retrieves into the busting fish. Pompano come back with the mullet run. Specks and gray trout move into the sound creeks, black drum work the Oregon Inlet bridge, and wahoo are offshore.
November
November is northeaster season, and the best fishing happens behind each blow. The last of the bull drum and fall bluefish blitz the surf after the storms. Speckled trout peak in the creeks and canals from Manns Harbor to Hatteras, gray trout leave the sounds for the ocean, the spot run, and the yellowfin bite offshore can be excellent on the right days. Our fall fishing guide by region puts the Outer Banks next to the rest of the coast.
Winter: specks, sea bass and the odd giant (December to February)
Specks hold in deep creeks and canals through December. A hard freeze can cold-stun trout, and North Carolina has closed the season after cold-stun events before. Offshore it is yellowfin, black sea bass on the Hatteras wrecks, and in some winters giant bluefin. Ocean striped bass reach Oregon Inlet only in the coldest winters (most years they stay off Virginia), so watch the inlets when the ocean drops into the mid-40s. See our striped bass migration guide for where the fish are instead.
Reading Cape Point and the surf
Cape Point sits where the beaches turn and the shoals (Diamond Shoals) run out to sea, which is why the drum and blues stack there in spring and fall. A few things decide your day:
- Wind: a northeaster stirs the surf and moves bait. Fish the first fishable days after it, when the water is still rough but clearing.
- Sloughs and bars: drum feed in the deeper sloughs between bars and at the edges of the point. Read the water at low tide before you set up.
- Water temperature: Fish Scouter treats 65 to 82°F as ideal for red drum and 62 to 74°F for bluefish. When the fall surf falls through the 60s, both get busy.
- Access: much of the best surf, Cape Point included, is reached by driving the beach under the National Seashore's off-road vehicle rules. Check the NPS pages for permits and closures before you go.
Licenses and rules
North Carolina sets saltwater rules through the Division of Marine Fisheries, and they change often: red drum slot rules, flounder seasons, speckled trout closures after cold stuns, and striped bass in the Albemarle and Roanoke. We don't print limits; check NCDMF's current rules and proclamations before every trip.
Fish the Outer Banks with Fish Scouter
We think Fish Scouter is the best way to know what is biting on the Outer Banks, because it reads what the guides read. Tap Cape Point, a sound-side creek or an inlet and it ranks red drum, blues, albies, specks and the rest for that hour, with the NOAA tide, the live water temperature, the wind and the next seven days scored, so you can see which day after the northeaster is the one to fish. Open the Outer Banks red drum guide, then try Fish Scouter free.