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 This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.