North Carolina is a great state for fishing and there are some really outstanding vacation destinations here. There are some very good mountain destinations where anglers target trout, muskie, smallmouth bass and more. North Carolina is also home to some incredible saltwater fishing. To learn more, take a look below at our featured fishing destinations in North Carolina.
Featured Destinations – Quick Links
| Blue Ridge Mountains | New River |
| Brunswick Islands | Outer Banks |
| Crystal Coast | Smoky Mountains |
| John Kerr Reservoir | Wilmington, NC |
Learn more about our featured fishing destinations below.
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are part of the larger Appalachian Mountain Range and they run from northern Georgia to southwest Pennsylvania. The majority of the mountain range is found in northern Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. There are so many places to visit in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Anglers experience good fishing for a variety of fish species that are found in large lakes, small lakes, rivers and streams. From trout to bass, there is a lot to fish for in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Brunswick Islands, NC
The Brunswick Islands is a great beach vacation destination with some awesome fishing available too. This area has plenty to offer for a vacation, but don’t expect to find the crowded beaches like you will find in some of the other popular beach vacation destinations.
There are a lot of fishing opportunities in this area. Fish from shore with the miles of beaches or from the many fishing piers in the area. Inshore, anglers fish the rivers for redfish, trout, flounder and more. Offshore, you can a lot of options to fish for so many different fish. You will find plenty of fishing charters in this area as well.
Crystal Coast, NC
The Crystal Coast is located along North Carolina’s southern outer banks. This area is known for its pristine beaches, good weather and tons of recreational opportunities. It’s a great family vacation destination. The Crystal Coast offers anglers a lot of fishing opportunities. Whether you fish from shore, inshore or offshore, there are so many species of saltwater fish that you can catch in this area. Most anglers stay inshore or fish from the beaches, but there are plenty of charters that take anglers offshore as well.
John Kerr Reservoir
John H. Kerr Reservoir is also known as Kerr Lake & Buggs Island Lake. For the lake with many names, it is a large reservoir that covers nearly 50,000 acres and is home to some excellent fishing for a variety of fish species. Most anglers come here to fish for largemouth bass and crappie, however, you can also catch striped bass, white bass, catfish, white perch and other fish too.
New River
The New River covers about 360 miles and it flows through the states of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia before joining the Gauley River to then form the Kanawha River at the town of Gauley Bridge, West Virginia. The river is home to a variety of fish species. Depending on what part of the river you are fishing will dictate the fishery, but some of the species you may catch are smallmouth bass, muskie, walleye, trout, crappie, sunfish, catfish, carp and more. The New River is known for its excellent smallmouth bass fishing. On some parts of the river, you can catch large numbers of smallmouth bass with some big bass available too.
Outer Banks, NC
The Outer Banks is a chain of barrier islands located on the Atlantic coast in North Carolina. This region is a very popular beach vacation destination. Throughout the Outer Banks, you will find many places to stay, numerous restaurants and recreation activities for the entire family. Boating, fishing, golf and hanging out at the beach are just some of the things you can do while you are here.
You have so many options to fish here. Try fishing off one of the piers, in the surf or hire a fishing charter. There are plenty of fishing charters throughout the Outer Banks that fish inshore or offshore for a variety of saltwater fish.
Smoky Mountains
The Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border. There are several tourist destinations in this mountain range and some of them provide some very good fishing opportunities.
Home of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Smoky Mountains are home to some excellent fishing for rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, smallmouth bass and even some muskie. The many rivers and streams provide exciting fly fishing opportunities in Tennessee and North Carolina.
Wilmington, NC
Wilmington, NC & Its Beaches is a wonderful beach vacation destination with some outstanding inshore and offshore fishing. Whether you are looking to stay in the town of Wilmington or out on the beaches of Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach, you have plenty of options for lodging and recreation.
The Wilmington area offers anglers plenty of options for fishing. Stay in the river and target a variety of inshore species such as redfish, trout, flounder and more. Go out into the ocean and fish nearshore or offshore. The beaches provide some good shore fishing as well from the surf or from the piers.
