NC Coast Fishing Report: Fall Action Ablaze with Drum, Trout & Albies

Morning folks, this is Artificial Lure with today’s fishing report for the Atlantic waters around North Carolina, Tuesday, November 4th, 2025. First, let’s cover the tidal news so you can plan your cast. Around Cape Lookout and Bogue Inlet, we’ve got a predawn high tide today at 5:05 AM and low at 11:12 AM, then another big high push rolling in at 5:32 PM and a low close to midnight. These tides are running strong, with the tidal coefficient up in the 80s, meaning hefty movement—prime for chasing active fish in both inshore and surf zones according to Tides4Fishing. Weather’s setting the fall mood: periods of rain with a stiff wind out of the northeast, so pack your foulies and keep a close eye on the squalls. The water temperature’s cooling off quick—now about 67°F by this morning’s read from Dr. Bogus on Bogue Inlet Pier, right in the sweet spot for sea mullet, drum, and specks. Sunrise hit at 7:03 AM, and sunset’s coming early at 6:45 tonight, so we’re working with shorter light. The solunar tables are calling for the best fish activity between about 9:15 and 11:15 this morning, and again after sunset, which lines up perfect with those evening high tides. Now for what’s biting: Cape to the Crystal Coast, fall action has been excellent. Over the weekend, Bogue Inlet Pier anglers hauled in black drum up to 12 lbs., albacore in the 7-pound class, plenty of sea mullet, spots, and a surge of speckled trout over 2 lbs. Spanish mackerel and bluefish are still showing up, but king mackerel season is tapering fast as water chills—the big kings have mostly run past, but some late bluefish are still coming over the rails. Evening and late-night hours have been best, especially for sea mullet and trout. For your best shot at a mixed bag, hit the following hotspots: - **Bogue Inlet Pier** — Steady catches of drum, mullet, and trout. - **Cape Lookout surf zone** — Drop-offs and sloughs near the lighthouse are producing specks and blues, especially with cut mullet or shrimp. - **Atlantic Beach and the eastern end of Emerald Isle** — Good for albacore and bluefish with metal lures or glass minnows. As for tackle: with the cool-down, downsizing pays off. Anglers are scoring with small jigs—think brown-and-orange finesse or Arkie-style jigs dragged slow near structure, as November’s fish get sluggish but aggressive at tide changes. Ned rigs and soft plastics tight to oyster beds and rock piles are hot for trout and drum. For surf work or covering distance, nothing beats a light bucktail jig tipped with shrimp or Gulp!. If the wind’s up, try a spoon or gotcha plug for blues and Spanish off the piers in the chop. Wired2Fish and Coastal Angler both call out buzzbaits and crankbaits in low-light and turbid water, but don’t overlook a classic jerkbait—chrome or bone colors are crushing hungry blowfish and late-season trout. For bait, it’s hard to top live finger mullet or fresh cut shrimp on a Carolina rig for drum and mullet. For albies and Spanish, flashy m This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.