Deep Sea Fishing in North Carolina: What You Need to Know

The Outer Banks is the grandfather of them all when it comes to deep-sea fishing, especially tuna. It is considered the world capital of weevils, and the large number of sailfish, blue marlin and white marlin fish caught in this section of the coast in season is unparalleled. Fall is also a great time for fishing, as there are plenty of fish in their peak season during this time and fishing doesn't usually slow down until winter. Knowing the best times and seasons for marlin fishing in Cabo San Lucas can help anglers achieve success during their fishing trips. Some of the main ports of departure are Pirates Cove, Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, Hatteras Harbor, Hatteras Landing and OBX Marina.

This means that there are more fishing opportunities for a wider variety of species than in other destinations on the east coast, especially for the most prized species of big game, such as tuna and marlin. While places like Hatteras, on the north coast, are the center of tuna fishing routes and the setting for the television series Wicked Tuna, the central and southern coasts have their own appeal for different reasons. Fishing is usually excellent throughout the summer months, and some of the most popular species to catch during this time are redfish, parchment, sea bass and wahoo. If you book a fishing charter and don't show up (meaning that a deposit has been paid to guarantee a date and the trip is not canceled), your card may be charged for the full amount of the freight. Charter flights will normally have a fixed fare for a certain number of people and then an additional cost for each additional person.

The travel time for these trips is usually around an hour and a half, leaving you with at least 6.5 hours of fishing. The southern coast of North Carolina, which includes Pender, New Hanover and Brunswick Counties, lends itself to great deep-sea fishing opportunities but also to unique reef fishing opportunities that the northern areas do not offer. On board there are rockers, tugs and a live bait pit to ensure that your trolling goes smoothly so you can focus on catching the fish. Closer to the coast, fishing along this section of the coast is popular, making many anglers happy to catch sea trout and redfish. The warm waters of the Gulf Stream in this section of the coast make sport fishing for wahoo, dolphin, sailfish, marlin, tuna and amber very successful. Some charter flights have random groups of people who registered on the same day and the cost will be divided among all passengers on board.

Fishing tends to decrease during winter on the Outer Banks but there are still plenty of fish to catch.

Pamela Taschereau
Pamela Taschereau

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