Fishing the Crystal Coast, NC in the Spring
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| March | 64° / 43° |
| April | 71° / 52° |
| May | 78° / 61° |
It takes a little while for the water temperatures to warm up in the spring, but as spring progresses, the fishing gets better and better. Whether you are fishing inshore, nearshore or along the beaches in the surf, there are plenty of fish to target along the Crystal Coast. Anglers target black sea bass, black drum, snapper, redfish, bluefish, triggerfish, whiting, pompano and more.
Fishing the Crystal Coast, NC in the Summer
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| June | 84° / 69° |
| July | 87° / 73° |
| August | 87° / 72° |
In the summer, the fishing heats up as the summer tourists start to fill up the area beaches. Anglers find tarpon along the beaches and in the inshore areas too. Redfish, trout, flounder and jacks are common inshore. Nearshore, anglers may find bluefish, cobia, tarpon, tripletail, Spanish mackerel and more. Offshore, anglers target grouper and snapper. The Gulf Stream is within reach from this area and you will have several offshore fishing charters available to target the gulf stream currents for billfish, wahoo, mahi mahi and tuna.
Fishing the Crystal Coast, NC in the Fall
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| September | 83° / 67° |
| October | 76° / 56° |
| November | 67° / 46° |
The fall is one of the best times to fish in this area since the fall mullet run will bring tons of migratory fish with them as they head through this area on their way down to southern Florida. The resident fish go a little crazy too as all this bait moves into the area. It’s one of the best times of year to target big tarpon and big redfish. Striped bass are feeding heavily in the lower part of the Neuse river in the fall. Offshore, the charter boats are still doing well fishing the reefs and wrecks for bottom fish as well as the Gulf stream currents for pelagic species.
Fishing the Crystal Coast, NC in the Winter
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| December | 60° / 39° |
| January | 56° / 35° |
| February | 58° / 37° |
The winter brings tougher fishing for many species of fish, but there are still some fish here to catch. There are plenty of cold fronts that bring plenty of wind to go along with their cold air temperatures, so there will definitely be days that you won’t want to be out on the water. Going offshore to fish the reefs and wrecks gets a little harder to do with the heavier winds. Inshore and nearshore, you aren’t going to find the migratory species that you found from spring through fall. However, a lot of fish will move back into the tidal creeks and rivers here, so it does make it a little easier to find fish concentrated in smaller areas. Sheepshead will save the day many times since they move inshore in big numbers and still feed well through the winter months. On the warmer days in between cold fronts, anglers usually do well with redfish, sea trout and flounder. Striped bass can also be found in the lower part of the Neuse river in good numbers until water temperatures get real cold.
