Best Times & Seasons to Fish Carolina Beach, NC (Full Guide)
The waters around Carolina Beach offer some of the best angling opportunities in the nation. Knowing the best time to fish here in these rich waters will make a huge difference in your success rates.
The best time to fish Carolina Beach waters is between the months of May and September offshore, with mahi mahi, wahoo, and yellowfin tuna being just a few of the fish you can expect to catch, while inshore fishing is best from July to December.
| Fish Species | Best Times to Fish Near Carolina Beach |
| King Mackerel | September & October are the two best months for king mackerel near Carolina Beach. |
| Spanish Mackerel | The peak season is April through October in Carolina Beach coastal waters. |
| Flounder | May through October is the peak fishing season in Carolina Beach. |
| Sailfish | The best season for sailfish is January through May in local waters. |
| Mahi Mahi | The peak fishing season is May through September for local dolphin. |
| Tuna | June through November is the peak fishing season in Carolina Beach. |
| Redfish | May & June are the peak months but good fishing lasts until October |
| Spotted Seatrout | November through March is the peak fishing season in Carolina Beach. |
| Snook | The best season for snook is May through September. |
Carolina Beach is in North Carolina’s Cape Fear region and offers some of the best fishing in North Carolina. Locals and tourists alike enjoy the beaches in this area. While many people like strolling along the boardwalk or hiking on Flytrap Trail, the water remains the major draw.
Carolina Beach is well-known for its outstanding fishing options. Fishing is popular all along the Cape Fear River, but Carolina Beach fishing is particularly great. The location is well-developed for fishing excursions.
Fish Species: Best Times & Seasons to Fish Carolina Beach
King mackerel
Fishing for king mackerel (kingfish) in Carolina Beach changes little throughout the year. June through September are the peak months. January to April is considered the slow season. There is no closed season for the kingfish. If you are going after a monster king, most of the local anglers will recommend that you try and use live bluefish.
You can even go up to five or six pounds. Thread-fin herring works great in March and April when their numbers are down. Silver mullet can be your go-to for hooking up with the big mack in the winter months.
Sea bass
Sea bass is a scavenger who eats on the fly. They eat a wide variety of baitfish and crustaceans. Sea bass will bite a big strip or chunk of squid without hesitation.
Shrimp also perform well for sea bass. They can be utilized live, freshly dead, or frozen. They don’t stay on the hook as well as some sliced baits, but they are very effective, anyway.
Fresh-cut fish is ideal when the currents are strong or when the crabs are a nuisance. April is an excellent month for catching a trophy sea bass near Carolina Beach. Nevertheless, sea bass is regularly caught throughout the fall and well into winter.
Bluefish
In the waters surrounding Carolina Beach, you have superb access to world-class blue fishing. Any angler can expect to land a bluefish with little effort. The season starts in May and fizzles out in late October. You will find the bluefish at their peak numbers in September.
Use wire leaders to keep the bluefish from cutting your lines with their sharp teeth. Plastic swimbaits and lead-headed plastic baits can work well with blues.
Surf fishing on Carolina Beach with squid can yield excellent results also. When using light gear, this fish really can give you a run for your money, making blues an excellent sports fishing target.
Pompano
Pompano feeds on small crustaceans washed up on the shore and delivered to the fish by the waves. You will have your best chance at big pompano early on in the season from May through April. Anglers who prefer to fish from the beach or a pier will find them easily accessible.
The most popular and efficient artificial lure for pompano is the jig. The technique is to drag and bounce the jig off the bottom, so when your jig whips up sand as it bounces, it is simulating a fleeing crab or shrimp, their ideal food source. that being said, many locals will tell you that sand fleas are the absolute best and only way to reel in a good size pompano.
Cobia
Carolina Beach is one of the best choices on the Atlantic Coast for spring cobia fishing. When the water reaches a temperature of around 68 degrees, you know the cobia has already arrived on the scene. The peak season is from mid-May to mid-June.
The locals in Carolina Beach prefer a cobia jig, it consists of a long bucktail jig that weighs 4 to 8 oz and comes in any color you can think of, Bait the cobia jig with herring and you are off to the races, you are in for a fight.
Red Drum
The Red Drum, aka redfish, or just Reds, is a game fish that can be found from Massachusetts to Florida. Their greatest numbers are in September, although they have been caught throughout the winter months.
Drifting or still fishing on the bottom is a great method for fishing reds. Red drums can be found on the flats in this region. Crabs, shrimp, jigs, plugs, and strip bait are some of the baits and lures used for the best results.
Spotted Seatrout
In and around Carolina Beach, the spotted seatrout, known as speckled trout, is a common fish. The months of April and May are ideal for catching spotted trout.
The fishlike lures are best used in the cooler months, although they can be used at any time with moderate success. They’re particularly good when fished using slow movements in chilly weather.
Speckled trout fishing is usually done in the evening. However, the best results are most likely to be found early in the morning or late at night, between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
The most common and efficient bait is shrimp. Other popular baits include artificial lures, peeler and soft crabs, shrimp, and live minnows.
Black Drum
The Black Drum is a saltwater fish that is related to the red drum. In Carolina Beach waters they can be found in large numbers from February through April. Drums like to mouth the bait first, so use circular hooks and don’t set the hook. They will hook themself if you just reel them in.
Selecting a site with a sandy bottom or oyster bed where food is plentiful is ideal. Any time of day with some tidal movement is recommended.
Black drums over are relatively easy for children to catch because they are not particularly shy and do not easily come off once hooked.
Summer Flounder
The Summer Flounder is especially abundant in Carolina Beach’s surrounding waters. The best catch rate is August but, they can be caught throughout summer and into spring.
Flounders migrate offshore to breed during the colder months, so they’ll be more plentiful at the beach as they transition from inshore estuaries to deeper sea.
Local anglers typically fish from the shore or while drifting in a boat, employing several methods such as live or cut baits on a bottom rig, artificial lures, or weighted jigs tipped with strip baits.
Locals say they are also caught while chumming at anchor, or casting from the beach or pier. Shark, fluke menhaden, herring, porgy, or sea robin strips, as well as a piece of blue crab, are all proven effective baits.
Spanish Mackerel
Spanish Mackerel can be found in Carolina Beach beginning in April through September, numbers peaking in late August. This is a fantastic game fish that responds well to a variety of lures and baits.
Nylon jigs are one of the most effective lures, especially when retrieved quickly with an occasional jerk of the rod tip to create a darting motion. Minnows and live shrimp are the best natural baits. To catch these fast-moving fish, you’ll need to use fast lure retrieves.
I recommend this Penn Pursuit Spinning Rod & Reel combo (available on Amazon) for inshore and nearshore fishing. It can handle everything from redfish to snapper and king mackerel. The Penn Battalion Series Spinning Rod and the Penn Battle Spinning Reel are fantastic if you want to create your combo.
Recommended Fishing Charters Near Carolina Beach
These Carolina Beach-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.
| Recommended Fishing Charters | Type of Fishing Offered |
| Fin Reaper Fishing Charters (Carolina Beach) | Reef, Inshore, Nearshore & Offshore |
| Grandslam Inshore Fishing Charters (Carolina Beach) | Reef, Inshore, Nearshore & Offshore |
| Fillet And Release Fishing Charters (Carolina Beach) | Reef, Inshore, Nearshore & Offshore |
| Xcessive Risk Sportfishing (Carolina Beach) | Reef, Inshore, Nearshore & Offshore |
| S. S. Fish Witch II Charters (Carolina Beach) | Inshore, Nearshore & Offshore |
| Grandslam Inshore Fishing Charters (Carolina Beach) | River, Flats & Inshore |
| Fish Whistle Chartering (Carolina Beach) | Reef, Inshore, Nearshore & Offshore |
| Tail Chaser Charter Fishing (Carolina Beach) | Backcountry, Inshore & Offshore |
| Musicman Charters Sportfishing (Carolina Beach) | Reef, Wreck, Nearshore & Offshore |
Best Times to Fish Carolina Beach
If inshore fishing is what you want to do, any of the flats, beaches, or piers in the Carolina Beach area will serve you well. The state record flounder, weighing 20 pounds and 8 ounces, was caught here.
The NC state record is also held by an 8-pound Florida pompano caught just off Carolina Beach. Red drums and black drums are also popular targets for anglers. bluefish, blowfish, pompano, cobia, and false albacore are among the other fish species found in these waters.
Even tarpon has been seen in this location. King mackerel and Spanish mackerel can be caught around Carolina Beach, with large numbers of macks calling near-shore wrecks home.
Snapper and grouper fishing is fantastic in these waters, a couple of North Carolina record groupers have been landed here, a yellowfin grouper weighing almost 43 pounds and a red grouper weighing almost 36 pounds.
For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish the Cape Fear coast, please check out this helpful guide. For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish in Beaufort, please check out this helpful guide.
For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish the Outer Banks, please check out this helpful guide. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Topsail Beach, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
Climate & Temperature for Best Fishing in Carolina Beach
With an average high temperature of 90.4°, July is the hottest month on Carolina Beach. The months of October, May, and April are the most pleasant at Carolina Beach 65-85° average.
September is the wettest month in Carolina Beach, while April is the driest. With an average overnight temperature of 34.7°, January is the coldest month for Carolina Beach.
Can’t make up your mind about when to go fishing? A fall trip is a good option. This is an excellent season for anglers on Carolina Beach since the fishing is excellent and hotel and vacation rental prices are lower than during the peak summer months.
Night fishing Carolina Beach
Night fishing is a terrific opportunity to avoid the weekend crowds and have a prize fishing area all to yourself. While most North Carolina beaches do not allow camping on the beach, setting up the fishing gear and staying out late is generally acceptable.
You will find the waters off most of the piers very active at night. Eel is a choice bait for night fishing if you ask any of the local Carolina Beachers.
Try your luck with a simple 6-ounce diamond jig set up and two strips of eel. The night fishing here is sure to yield ample amounts of summer flounder.
Kure Beach Pier is a well-known night fishing spot by the local anglers, with reports of whiting, flounder, and even some small shark species. Shore casting at night two hours before tide anywhere on the Carolina Beach shore is highly recommended.
Carolina Beach Fishing Overview
With so many types of fish and so many options to access them, Carolina Beach is a real treasure. For many, visiting anglers and locals alike.
Carolina Beach’s favorite sport is fishing, and for good reason. There are prime locations to be discovered in every direction, thanks to the area being surrounded by water.
With so many options, you can fish the deepest waters of the Atlantic Ocean or one of the many local rivers, inlets, piers, and sounds. It is easy to understand why fishing is a way of life around here.
Fling your bait out and enjoy the open water for the true flavor of what Carolina Beach has to offer. There is always an opportunity for any angler to catch a fish.
Whether you plan a day-long trip into the open ocean or a brief visit to the local pier, rest assured Carolina Beach has you covered. After a few days fishing here in you’ll be hooked.
Best Locations to fish around Carolina Beach
Federal Point/Buzzards Bay
Known by locals for being a great place to cast your line in at sunset from the shore or using the boat ramp. This is a great spot when targeting summer flounders.
It can be a bit sketchy if you are piloting these waters on your vessel. As always, it is recommended to take someone with you that knows the area. The wind and current can be dangerous here.
Carolina Beach State Park
Carolina Beach State Park is a surf caster’s dream with a variety of fish to target most common species here are Flounder, sheepshead, and speckled trout all thou king mackerel and Spanish mackerel, drum, mullet, bluefish, croaker, and blowfish can be caught here. These waters are particularly active in the fall months.
Trails End Park
Trails End Park is a tiny but scenic park on the Intra coastal Waterway, also known as the (ICW) that is ideal for fishing enthusiasts who wish to explore these active estuary waters.
This park has earned a reputation as one of the best “still secrete” fishing and boating locations in the Carolina Beach area. Perfect for beating the crowds on a busy summer day.
River Road Park
The River Road Park is tucked away on the bank of the Cape Fear River, just a few miles south of Carolina Beach. Anglers will enjoy catching bass, bluegill, and catfish in the stocked pond. Try your luck on the pier for great summer flounder fishing.
For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Emerald Isle, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Atlantic Beach, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in North Carolina, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to catch tuna in North Carolina, check out this guide.
