Fishing in Atlantic inlets

A cobia is boated off the North Carolina coast.

Saltwater fishing in North Carolina is divided by Diamond Shoals. This 12-mile-long sandbar marks the meeting place of the cold Labrador Current from the north and the warm Gulf Stream from the south. The merger of these produces excellent fishing, but also treacherous conditions that cause it to be referred to as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” The shoals that extend seaward from Capes Hatteras, Lookout, and Fear, are littered with broken, rusted skeletons of ships wrecked by storms or sunk by enemy torpedoes, and they also possess artificial reefs.

Waters to the north of Diamond Shoals tend to be colder and harbor fish more common to the north Atlantic, while waters to the south are warmer and hold fish more common to the south Atlantic. Fish such as yellowfin tuna, dolphin, blue marlin, and white marlin are found along the edge of the Gulf Stream on both sides of Diamond Shoals.

Proximity to the Gulf Stream means that the offshore waters harbor lots of white marlin and record-size blue marlin. In fact, the waters off North Carolina can lay claim to having the best potential in the coastal U.S. for catching a grander, if not an all-tackle record.

Oregon Inlet has been the port of record for several Atlantic blue marlin granders. Others have been registered at Hatteras and Morehead City. A 1,142-pounder taken in August of 1989 at the 80-fathom mark northeast of Cape Lookout is a former all-tackle world record holder, and a 1,128-pounder caught in June of 1975 held the 80-pound line class world record until replaced in 1993 with a fish from the Azores.

While there is opportunity for large blue marlin out of any of the major coastal ports, the area to the northeast of Oregon Inlet has been especially productive in modern times. In the late 1980s, there were four blue marlin caught in a three-day span off Oregon Inlet that each weighed over 800 pounds.

The marlin season off North Carolina generally begins earlier than it does further north, thanks to the warm Gulf Stream influence, and this brings northern boats down for the June and July action. Hatteras often produces well in the beginning of the summer, and then the attention in August and September shifts more to the Oregon Inlet waters.

As for white marlin, the offshore waters have plenty in season. It has been called the best white marlin fishery in North America, and in a productive year the action can border on the unbelievable at times. Locals still talk about the phenomenal catch and release of 108 white marlin made in a single day in 1983 by one sportfishing boat, and that during a tournament.

Certainly that was a blitz, but in a good day a boat here might see upwards of 15 fish. Pods of white marlin are a frequent sighting, especially when they’re chasing bait in the fall. These fish aren’t large, with 45 to 60 pounds being average size. There are no record-makers here, but they provide good light-tackle action, as well as opportunities for casting a fly or using spinning tackle. The problem, however, with white marlin fishing here is that it occurs offshore where the big blue marlin roam as well, meaning that there are many times when the bigger blues hit a small bait meant for whites and a great tackle mismatch can occur.

Of course, coastal North Carolina is also noted for other species, particularly channel bass and bluefish. Most of the biggest, and record-setting, bluefish caught in North America have come from coastal North Carolina, including the 50-pound line-class and all-tackle record of 31 pounds 12 ounces. That particular trophy was garnered in 1972, when bluefish reappeared here in great numbers. They had been missing for several decades prior to that.

Virtually all of the monster fish have been taken between November and January in their respective years, which is fitting. The bluefish blitzkrieg in the fall on the Outer Banks is renowned, and as long as the bluefish population—thought by some to be cyclical—remains at a high level, the fall action will be excellent.

Nevertheless, small blues are available here all season long. Bluefish provide surf casters and inshore boaters with a good level of action in the fall, so good, in fact, that using light tackle, including a fly rod, is feasible. However, the bigger blues do not always migrate into the surf for the shore fishermen, nor do they necessarily stay long when they come in, so sometimes there will be light action off the beach while a good mass of fish is offshore.

Outer Banks blues average about 12 pounds in the spring prior to their northward migration, and 15 in the fall. They winter off the various capes and generally provide the best fishing in the months of May and November. The Nag’s Head–Oregon Inlet area is one of the better locales, as is Cape Hatteras.

When the blues aren’t the quarry, big red drum (also called channel bass) can fill the void. As with bluefish, North Carolina waters have produced a lot of record fish, at one point filling 15 of a possible 20 categories, including the all-tackle and 50 pound line-class record with a 94-pound 2-ounce monster. The hottest fishing is in November, with action all along the banks, but great activity in the surf at Cape Hatteras.

Oregon Inlet is the first opening to the sea south of the North Carolina/Virginia boundary. There are large charter fleets on Manteo Island, plus an excellent launch ramp and varied accommodations. The charter fleet here works the offshore waters on a year-round schedule. Yellowfin tuna are taken all year, with best fishing in the spring and fall. White marlin provide great action during the summer, with the occasional big blue marlin moving into the trolling spread for added excitement.

About 30 miles from Oregon Inlet, the Point is the center of all fishing activity. A very steep drop from 28 to 224 fathoms and another from 200 to 600 fathoms a few miles to the east draw bait and gamefish. The fleet may work north and south of the Point but this is the place where they are likely to begin the day.

Trolling with ballyhoo, mackerel, mullet, and squid is about the only technique used by the Oregon Inlet offshore fleet. A few lures find their way into the spread and chunking has found a few followers, but trolling some type of dead bait is the standard operating procedure.

Not every boat out of Oregon Inlet runs offshore. King mackerel and amberjack are caught over inshore wrecks and around the Navy Towers on live bait, plugs, and spoons. Spanish mackerel, big bluefish, and striped bass are taken on trolled plugs, spoons, and bucktails just beyond the surf line and over the shoals at the mouth of the inlet. Mackerel and amberjack are common in the summer, with the best bluefish and striper action in the spring and fall.

The next outlet to the sea is in the shadow of Diamond Shoals at Hatteras Inlet. Several marinas in the town of Hatteras Village offer charter boats, slips, and a launch ramp.

Hatteras is the nearest point—about 12 miles—to the Gulf Stream north of mid-Florida. Working along the edge of the Gulf Stream out of Hatteras Inlet produces yellowfin, blackfin, and bluefin tuna, as well as marlin, dolphin, and wahoo. The appearance of giant bluefin tuna during the winter has drawn anglers from all over the world and been the subject of a lot of publicity. Fish approaching 1,000 pounds are taken on dead bunker tossed out a few feet behind the boat. When the fishing is hot, and it often is, catches of 25 or more giants per boat per day are recorded. Due to federal regulations, most of these fish are released and many tagged; tagging data from released and recaptured tuna have been valuable to marine biologists.

In the fall, a run of big king mackerel develops over inshore wrecks and shoals. Slow-trolled live menhaden account for most of these big fish. Under favorable conditions the king mackerel run will carry into the winter, adding to the great fishing for giant bluefin.

The inshore grounds out of Hatteras Inlet produce Spanish mackerel, bluefish, red drum, and amberjack. Bottom fishing shows the influence of warmer southern waters, as grouper and snapper replace sea bass and tautog.

It’s a long way from Hatteras Inlet to Beaufort Inlet, which is the next major outlet heading down the Tar Heel coast. Barden Inlet behind Cape Lookout Lighthouse serves Harkers Island, but Beaufort Inlet carries the larger charter, private, and head boat fleet out of Morehead City and Atlantic Beach.

King mackerel are major players of the inshore fishery here. Trolling with live menhaden or with dead cigar minnows and ribbonfish has been raised to an art form along this stretch of the North Carolina coast. Small treble hooks and light wire leaders are hidden in the bait in an effort to fool the keen eyes of the mackerel. The big mackerel are played with a light drag to prevent pulling the small hooks out.

Offshore action centers on the Big Rock, an upwelling close to the 100-fathom drop that produces tuna, dolphin, wahoo, and marlin. Big blue marlin show up in late spring to get the offshore season off to a fast start. Several head boats fish the waters near the Gulf Stream for grouper, snapper, triggerfish, amberjack, and African pompano. The boats run all year and most schedule 18- or 24-hour trips at least once a month.

Masonboro Inlet serves the charter and private boat fleet running out of Wrightsville Beach. New Topsail Inlet to the north serves a smaller fleet at Topsail Beach. Both inlets are serviced by several launch ramps and marinas.

King mackerel provide most of the inshore fishing excitement, with yellowfin tuna the major focus on the offshore grounds. Live bait is used for the kings, and trolled rigged ballyhoo for the yellowfins. Bottom fishing for grouper, snapper, triggerfish, and other deep water species is done from both head boats and charter boats. Natural rocks and artificial reefs attract bottom fish and king mackerel.

The Cape Fear River empties into the ocean at Bald Head Island creating shoals that attract numerous species. Anglers troll or drift live baits along the edge of the shoals or at the color change where the turbid water from the river meets the cleaner water of the ocean. This is a good area to find big king mackerel and cobia. There’s a marina on the south side of the Cape Fear River at Southport, and a boat ramp on the Intercoastal Waterway at Dutchman Creek.

There are several more inlets between the Cape Fear River and the South Carolina line at Little River Inlet. Lochwoods Folly, Shallotte, Tubbs, and Mad Inlets provide passage to the ocean, but all are a bit dangerous due to shifting sandbars that can change the channel overnight. Boat ramps and marinas are located behind the barrier islands on the Intercoastal Waterway.