Wilmington Fall Fishing Forecast: Trout, Reds, & Drums Reign as Tides Turn

Artificial Lure here with your Tuesday, November 18th, 2025, fishing report for Wilmington, North Carolina, and the waters that wrap around this coastal gem. Tides will play a big role today with a high tide rolling in at 6:07 AM, reaching about 5.1 feet, and a low tide set for 12:26 PM at 0.5 feet, according to Tide-Forecast.com. That means your best shots at surf and inshore action will come right after dawn as the water moves in and again in the early afternoon as it swings back out. Today's weather is classic late fall Carolina—clear, crisp morning near 40 and climbing to the low 60s with abundant sun. Winds out of the northwest at 5-10 mph won’t create too much chop, so the water should fish clean and manageable. No rain in the forecast and not much wind means light tackle will shine whether you’re working creeks, docks, or piers, as per the NWS marine forecast and local marineweather.net updates. Daybreak arrives at 7:01 AM; sunset is at 5:01 PM, so you’re looking at just about 10 hours to work the water. Major fish activity peaks are forecast from 4:24 to 6:24 AM and again from 4:52 to 6:52 PM, with minor periods near mid-day, making those windows prime for topwater hits or that magic hour dock bite from redfish and trout. Solunarforecast.com ranks today as a “Good” day, so action should be steady. Recent catches have been textbook November for these parts. Speckled trout numbers are strong—plenty of reports of limits coming from both Wrightsville Beach jetty and the Cape Fear backwaters, especially on moving tides. Shrimp-pattern soft plastics and MirrOlure 52M and MR17 suspending baits in natural or pink/white have been most productive, as relayed by the Atlantic Ocean, North Carolina Fishing Report Today podcast. Live shrimp under a popping cork will outfish most things if you can snag some. Red drum are still cruising the creeks and marsh edges, with several slot keepers reported around Masonboro Inlet. Quarter-ounce jigheads paired with Z-Man MinnowZ (electric chicken color) and Gulp! swimming mullet seem to be the ticket. For the bottom dwellers, sheepshead continue their run along bridge pilings and bulkheads—bring fiddler crabs or sand fleas for best results. On the surf, black drum, slot reds, and even some late-season flounder have been caught from Carolina Beach State Park access and the north end of Kure Beach. Fresh cut mullet, sand fleas, and Fishbites E-Z Shrimp have been effective. If you’re looking for hotspots today, don’t pass up the Wrightsville Beach south jetty for early trout and reds on the drop or slack tide. Hewitt’s Creek and Bradley Creek are holding trout and an occasional surprise flounder near creek mouths. If pier fishing is your game, Johnnie Mercers Pier has been steady for drum and the occasional striper this week. A quick equipment note: Casting spoons and switchblade lures have been producing for guys targeting Spanish mackerel and blues on any late-running baitballs, according to recent tackle This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.