Fishing guides › North Carolina
FISHING GUIDE · NORTH CAROLINA
Oregon Inlet and the Northern Outer Banks Fishing Guide
Oregon Inlet is the jumping-off point for one of the biggest charter fleets on the East Coast, with Gulf Stream trips for tuna, billfish, mahi and wahoo. Inshore, the sounds, surf and piers produce red drum, speckled trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and cobia.
📍 Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, Marc Basnight Bridge, Pea Island, Bodie Island
📅 North Carolina Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
Open the full North Carolina map →
Quick facts
- Oregon Inlet Fishing Center sits at the north end of the Marc Basnight Bridge, about 8 miles south of Whalebone Junction on NC 12, inside Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
- The Marc Basnight Bridge over Oregon Inlet opened to traffic on February 25, 2019, replacing the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge.
- The fishing center lists bluefin tuna peak as November-March and blue marlin peak as June-September.
- Oregon Inlet shoals often; the Coast Guard has closed or re-marked the channel at times because of shoaling.
What you can catch
- Bluefin tuna
Winter giants, peak November-March. - Yellowfin tuna
Year-round; peak March-November. - Blue marlin
Peak June-September. - White marlin and sailfish
White marlin peak July-October; sailfish May-October. - Mahi (dolphin)
Peak June-September. - Wahoo
Peak June-September. - Red drum
April-November in the surf, sound and inlet. - Cobia
May-June. - Bluefish and Spanish mackerel
Big blues spring and late fall; Spanish May-September.
Month by month
| January | Giant bluefin tuna offshore (peak January-March per the fishing center). |
|---|---|
| February | Bluefin; big bluefish start to show. |
| March | Bluefin winds down; yellowfin and billfish season starts. |
| April | Yellowfin; red drum and big bluefish in the surf. |
| May | Yellowfin, mahi, first sailfish; cobia nearshore; Spanish mackerel arrive. |
| June | Blue marlin, mahi, wahoo, yellowfin; cobia. |
| July | Billfish peak begins; white marlin; mahi and wahoo. |
| August | Blue and white marlin, sailfish, mahi. |
| September | White marlin, wahoo; flounder open Sept 1-14 (2026); red drum in the surf. |
| October | Yellowfin, king mackerel, big bluefish return; red drum fall run. |
| November | Bluefin arrive; red drum and speckled trout in the surf and sound. |
| December | Bluefin tuna; big bluefish. |
Tips
- Oregon Inlet's bar and channel shift often. Follow the current Coast Guard buoys, check local notices, and avoid the inlet in strong wind against the tide.
- North Carolina rules apply here, not Virginia's. Get a NC Coastal Recreational Fishing License if you are 16 or older.
- Private boats need a NOAA HMS Angling permit for tuna and billfish; check whether the bluefin fishery is open and the current size-class limits before you go.
- Red drum over 27 inches must be released; NC does not allow gigging, spearing or gaffing red drum.
- Every flounder kept in NC must be reported to the Division of Marine Fisheries.
Rules and license
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) · Official rules page ↗
- License: anglers 16 and older need a NC Coastal Recreational Fishing License (CRFL): $20 resident / $40 non-resident per year, or $9 / $15 for 10 days.
- Red drum: slot 18-27 inches; 1 per person per day; no gigging, spearing or gaffing.
- Spotted seatrout (speckled trout): 14-20 inch slot plus 1 over 26 inches; 3 per person per day (limits effective Sept 2, 2026).
- Flounder: 2026 season was only Sept 1-14 in all NC waters; 1 fish, 15 inches minimum; every kept flounder must be reported to DMF.
- Cobia: season May 1-Dec 31; 36 inches fork length; 1 per person; private boats max 2 per boat May 1-June 30, then 1 per boat; for-hire boats up to 4. Check the latest DMF cobia proclamation.
- Striped bass, Atlantic Ocean state waters: slot 28-31 inches, 1 per day. Federal waters (3-200 miles) are closed to striped bass. Albemarle Sound season is closed.
- Black sea bass north of Cape Hatteras: 13 inches; 15 per person; open May 1-Dec 31.
- Dolphin (mahi): 10 per person, no more than 54 per boat. Wahoo: 2 per person. King mackerel: 24 inches fork length, 3 per person. Spanish mackerel: 12 inches fork length, 15 per person.
- Federal (NOAA) tuna/billfish: private boats need an HMS Angling permit (charter boats need HMS Charter/Headboat). Yellowfin 27 inches, 3 per person; bluefin limits change during the season and 1 trophy (73 inches+) per boat per year; blue marlin 99 inches and white marlin 66 inches (lower jaw fork length). Report all billfish, swordfish and bluefin landed within 24 hours at hmspermits.noaa.gov.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 26 boat ramps and 2 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Boat ramp near Clarks Bay
- Boat ramp near Lighthouse Bay
- Boat ramp near Manns Harbor
- Boat ramp near Midgett Cove
- Boat ramp near Motts Creek
- Boat ramp near Wreck Creek
- Brier Hall Access
- Camp Hatteras Marina
- Mashoes Boat Ramp
- Milltail Creek
- Stumpy Point Access Area
- Wanchese Marina
Sources
- https://www.oregon-inlet.com/
- https://www.oregon-inlet.com/species-fished/
- https://www.oregon-inlet.com/winter-bluefin-tuna-fishing-at-oregon-inlet-the-bite-heats-up-when-the-water-cools/
- https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-03-07-basnight-bridge.aspx
- https://www.carolinasportsman.com/?p=99529
- https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/marine-fisheries/rules-proclamations-and-size-and-bag-limits/recreational-size-and-bag-limits
- https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/marine-fisheries/licenses-permits-and-leases/recreational-fishing-licenses
- https://coastalreview.org/2026/06/sept-1-14-is-recreational-flounder-season-for-all-nc-waters/
- https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management/cobia-fmp-update-2026/open
- https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3/2026-02/HMS-Recreational-Compliance-Guide-2026-020325-Final.pdf
- https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/atlantic-striped-bass
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.