Atlantic Coast Fishing Update - Reds, Trout, and Mackerel on the Bite

Artificial Lure here with your Atlantic Ocean, North Carolina fishing report for Sunday, October 26, 2025. The fall bite is settling in, and there's still plenty of action from Wilmington up through the Outer Banks as the water cools and the tides move.

Sunrise this morning hit at 7:26 a.m., with sunset set for 6:25 p.m. across most of the coast. We’ve got mostly clear skies, mild temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s, and a steady north wind at 5 to 10 knots, keeping seas running 3 to 4 feet, according to the National Weather Service out of Wilmington. That means solid conditions for surf and pier fishing as well as inshore and nearshore boating.

Tidal movement is always key—at Oak Island, high tide rolls in around 11:07 a.m. with 5.1 feet, then drops to low at 5:23 p.m. at 1.3 feet, based on tides4fishing.com. If you’re fishing Oceanana Pier near Atlantic Beach, look for low tide at 4:14 a.m. and a rising tide crests at 9:06 a.m., peaking at 4.2 feet, says Surfline. That’s a good window for both flounder on the bottom and red drum making their moves into the surf zone.

Recent catches have been right on pace for late October. Local anglers and PointClickFish.com report bull red drum cruising the beaches from Cape Lookout down to Topsail, taking cut mullet and menhaden chunks, as well as popping cork rigs drifted near structure. Flounder are active too with plenty of keepers showing up around inlets and deeper sloughs; best action is coming from live mud minnows or finger mullet nose-hooked and fished on Carolina rigs. Speckled trout are picking up as the water cools, with limits caught early and late on MirrOlure 17MRs and Z-Man soft plastics in “Electric Chicken” and “Opening Night.”

Offshore, boats working out of Oregon Inlet and Morehead City are seeing a solid king mackerel run, especially close to tide changes, using cigar minnows slow-trolled behind live-bait rigs and #6 treble hooks. Some stray mahi and a few blackfin tuna have been showing for the committed crowd, with Yo-Zuri deep divers or trolled small ballyhoo getting the nod.

Pier reports highlight good numbers of slot drum, croaker, and scattered grey trout at Oceanana and Avalon piers, especially at dawn and dusk. Shrimp on a double-drop rig is working well for panfish, while heavier setups baited with cut squid or fresh mullet are picking up drum and bluefish.

For surfcasters, I recommend a ¾ oz Hopkins or Kastmaster metal for blues and Spanish, and a Gulp! 4” Swimming Mullet in “Chartreuse Pearl” fished on a 1/4 to 3/8 oz jighead for flounder and trout. Topwater fans should keep a Spook Jr. handy for late afternoon trout and even hungry slot drum rolling the troughs.

Bait shops like Angler’s Pro Tackle in Wilmington and Hatteras Jack in Rodanthe report that mullet, menhaden, and local shrimp are moving well for cut and live bait needs. If you want to increase your odds for flounder, grab some live mud minnows, and for reds, stock up on fresh “finger” mullet.

Hot spots for today:
- Fish the surf at Fort Macon, especially near the inlet for reds and flounder on the rising tide.
- Try the Cape Lookout shoals for king mackerel, blues, and Spanish, especially with the cleaner water movement.
- Oak Island Pier and Oceanana Pier are both producing slot reds, trout, and panfish right now.

Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s fishing report—be sure to subscribe so you never miss a bite! This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Artificial war. Here with your Atlantic Ocean North Carolina Fishing
report for Sunday, October twenty six, twenty twenty five. The
fall bite is settling in and there's still plenty of
action from Wilmington up through the outer banks as the
water cools and the tides move. Sunrise this morning hit
at seven twenty six am, with sunset set for six

(00:21):
twenty five pm. Across most of the coast, we've got
mostly clear skies, mild temperatures in the upper sixties to
low seventies, and a steady north wind at five to
ten knots keeping seas running three to four feet. According
to the National Weather Service out of Wilmington, that means
solid conditions for surf and pure fishing, as well as

(00:43):
inshore and near shore boating. Tidal movement is always key.
At Oak Island. High tide rolls in around eleven zero
seven am with five point one feet, then drops to
low at five point twenty three pm at one point
three feet. Based on tides four fishing. If you're fishing
oceanan a pier near Atlantic Beach, look for low tide

(01:05):
at four to fourteen am and a rising tide crests
at nine zero six am, peaking at four point two
feet says surf Line. That's a good window for both
flounder on the bottom and red drum making their moves
into the surf zone. Recent catches have been right on
pace for late October. Local anglers and pointclickfish dot Com

(01:27):
report bull red drum cruising the beaches from Cape Lookout
down to topsail, taking cut mullet and men haden chunks
as well as popping cork rags drifted near structure. Flounder
are active too, with plenty of keepers showing up around
inlets and deeper sloughs. Best action is coming from live
mudminnows or finger mullet nose hooked and fished on carolina rigs.

(01:50):
Speckled trout are picking up as the water cools, with
womens caught early and late on near lure seventeen mrs
and Zmann Soft Plastics, an electric chicken and opening night
Offshore boats working out of Oregon Inlet and Moorhead City
are seeing a solid king macro run, especially close to
tide changes, using cigar minnows, slow troll behind live bait

(02:14):
rigs and number six treble hooks. Some stray mahi and
a few blackfin tuna have been showing for the committed
crowd with Jozeri deep divers or trolled small valley who
getting the nod. Peer reports highlight good numbers of slot drum,
croaker and scattered gray trout at Oceanana and Avalon piers,
especially at dawn and dusk. Trimp on a double drop

(02:37):
rig is working well for panfish, while heavier setups baited
with cut squid or fresh mullet are picking up drum
and bluefish. For surfcasters, I recommend to three quarter ounce
Hopkins or cast Master metal for blues in Spanish and
a gult four swimming mullet in Cartrew's Pearl fished on
a one quarter to three ahounced jighead for flounder and trout.

(03:01):
Top water fans should keep a Spook Junior handy for
late afternoon trout and even hungry slot drum rolling the troughs.
Bait shops like Angler's Pro Tackle in Wilmington and Hatteras
Jack and Rodenta report that mullet, men, hayden and local
shrimp are moving well for cut and live bait needs.
If you want to increase your odds, For flounder, grab

(03:24):
some live mugninnows and for reds, stock up on fresh
finger mullet hot spots. For today, fish the surf at
Fort Macon, especially near the inlet. For reds and flounder.
On the rising tide, try the cape lookout shoals for
king mackerel, blues and Spanish especially with the cleaner water movement.

(03:45):
Oak Island Peer and oceanan A Pier are both producing slot, reds,
trout and panfish right now. Thanks for tuning in to
artificial lures, fish and report. Be sure to subscribe so
you never miss a bite. This has been a quiet
please production. For more check out Quiet Please dot ai