Fishing the Outer Banks in the Spring
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| March | 62° / 44° |
| April | 69° / 52° |
| May | 76° / 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 Outer Banks. Anglers target black sea bass, black drum, snapper, redfish, bluefish, triggerfish, whiting, pompano and more. Striped bass spawn into the rivers then move back out. Anglers can target them here and do pretty well.
Fishing the Outer Banks in the Summer
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| June | 83° / 69° |
| July | 86° / 73° |
| August | 86° / 73° |
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 Outer Banks in the Fall
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| September | 82° / 69° |
| October | 74° / 59° |
| November | 66° / 50° |
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 put on the feed bag 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. There are plenty of other fish to catch as well.
Fishing the Outer Banks in the Winter
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| December | 59° / 43° |
| January | 55° / 38° |
| February | 57° / 39° |
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 moving back into the rivers as they seek warmer temperatures during the winter. Good numbers of striped bass will stay in the rivers until they spawn in the spring.
