North Carolina Fishing Calendar

North Carolina fishing, month by month

January

Bluefin Tuna, Striped Bass

February

Black Drum, Sheepshead, Bluefin Tuna, Striped Bass

March

Redfish, Speckled Trout, Black Drum, Sheepshead, Bluefin Tuna, Striped Bass, Yellowfin Tuna, Trout, Largemouth Bass

April

Redfish, Bluefish, Mahi-Mahi, Speckled Trout, Spanish Mackerel, Black Drum, Sheepshead, Wahoo, King Mackerel, Cobia, Striped Bass, Yellowfin Tuna, Weakfish, Trout, Largemouth Bass

May

Redfish, Bluefish, Mahi-Mahi, Marlin, Speckled Trout, Sailfish, Spanish Mackerel, Black Drum, Wahoo, Grouper, King Mackerel, Black Sea Bass, Cobia, Yellowfin Tuna, Amberjack, Shark, Weakfish, Trout, Largemouth Bass

June

Mahi-Mahi, Marlin, Sailfish, Spanish Mackerel, Grouper, King Mackerel, Black Sea Bass, Cobia, Amberjack, Snapper, Shark

July

Mahi-Mahi, Marlin, Sailfish, Grouper, Black Sea Bass, Amberjack, Snapper, Shark, Tarpon

August

Redfish, Mahi-Mahi, Marlin, Sailfish, Grouper, Black Sea Bass, Amberjack, Snapper, Shark, Tarpon

September

Redfish, Flounder, Speckled Trout, Sailfish, Spanish Mackerel, Wahoo, Grouper, King Mackerel, Black Sea Bass, Amberjack, Shark, Weakfish

October

Redfish, Bluefish, Speckled Trout, Sailfish, Spanish Mackerel, Black Drum, Sheepshead, Wahoo, Grouper, King Mackerel, Black Sea Bass, Yellowfin Tuna, Albacore, False Albacore, Weakfish, Trout, Largemouth Bass

November

Redfish, Bluefish, Speckled Trout, Black Drum, Sheepshead, Wahoo, King Mackerel, Striped Bass, Yellowfin Tuna, Albacore, False Albacore, Weakfish, Trout, Largemouth Bass

December

Speckled Trout, Sheepshead, Bluefin Tuna, Striped Bass, False Albacore

Before you book

• Flounder: North Carolina opens flounder harvest only Sept 1 to 14 (1 fish, 15 inches). The rest of the year it is closed.
• Speckled Trout: After cold winters North Carolina can close seatrout harvest into June, as it did Feb 6 to Jun 30, 2026.
• Grouper: Shallow-water grouper is closed January through April in the Atlantic.
• Striped Bass: North Carolina closes or limits river striped bass seasons by year. Roanoke fish were catch and release only in spring 2026.
• Albacore: Charters here that list albacore usually mean false albacore ("albies"), a fast inshore fish, not albacore tuna.
• Snapper: Red snapper is only open for a few days in summer. Other snappers fish longer.
• Weakfish: Weakfish stocks are depleted, so the limit is 1 fish.

How this calendar is built

The charter counts are live from the Unreel directory: each one is a North Carolina charter that lists that fish as a target. A fish only appears here if at least three local charters target it.

The shaded months are general peak windows for the South Atlantic coast, not fishing regulations. For ocean species, the spawning, migration and federal closure notes were checked against NOAA Fisheries species profiles, and for inshore and freshwater species against state wildlife agency guidance and rules. Seasons, closures and limits change every year and can differ by water, so check North Carolina's current regulations and ask your captain what is running before you book.