Podcast Episode Details

Coastal Catches: Reds, Trout, and Offshore Excitement - Your Atlantic Beach Fishing Forecast for August 22, 2025

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Artificial Lure here with your Carolina coast angler’s report for Friday, August 22, 2025, covering all the hot Atlantic action from the Outer Banks down to Emerald Isle.

Let’s get started with today’s **tides around Atlantic Beach**: look for a low at 1:27 a.m. just past midnight, a solid high tide rolling in at 7:15 a.m., another low at 1:14 p.m., and a final high just before sunset at 8:25 p.m. The swings are making for dynamic inshore movement and prime windows for early and late fishing. **Sunrise** popped at 6:33 a.m. and you can keep lines wet until sunset around 7:44 p.m., maximizing those twilight bites. The weather’s warm, as inland highs touch the mid-80s to low 90s with humidity sticking around and only a breeze off the ocean—classic August stuff—so hit the water early and late to dodge the midday scorchers. National Weather Service warnings for those frequent afternoon pop-up storms mean keep a sharp eye on the sky and be ready to head for cover if thunderheads build.

**Inshore fishing is on fire**. The creeks, sounds, and estuaries are loaded with **Red Drum—locals just call them reds—plus Speckled Trout and flounder**. Reds are cruising the flats early and late, and falling tides are flushing bait out of the marshes; mullet, shrimp, and finger minnows are thick this week and the predators know it. Live baits are catching the most, but Gulp! and Z-man soft plastics in natural or pink on jigheads have landed some bruisers before lunch, especially around oyster bars and drop-offs. Flounder catches are steady on mud minnows and white Gulp! swimming mullets, especially as the tide starts dropping. Spotted seatrout are hitting popping corks and shrimp imitations at first and last light. According to Carolina Sportsman’s latest report, most action is before 10 a.m. or in the last couple hours before dark, as the heat pushes fish deep by midday.

Don’t overlook bottom fishing just outside the inlets—the nearshore reefs and wrecks are pumping out **keeper black sea bass, snapper, and grouper**. Cut squid and menhaden are the classic choices for these, but butterfly jigs are pulling up bigger fish for those willing to work ’em. Offshore, the **big pelagics** are still coming over the rails: King Mackerel are thick from 5 to 20 miles out, chasing live menhaden slow-trolled just outside the surf line. Farther out along weed lines and flotsam, mahi-mahi (dolphin) and wahoo are steady. Recent charters from Morehead City and Wrightsville Beach also reported a handful of sailfish and yellowfin tuna, especially when trolling ballyhoo and skirted lures deep in the blue water.

**Hotspots** today? Try Bogue Inlet, especially the western jetty at dawn for bull reds and flounder, and the surf near Emerald Isle pier at sunrise and sunset for specks and bluefish. Offshore, the AR-315 reef is the local favorite right now for a mixed bag, and the nearshore wrecks off Shackleford Banks are cranking out keeper sea bass and triggers. If you’re after quantity rather than trophies, cast under the Atlantic Beach bridge for pinfish and croaker—great for kids or stocking bait.

Local tackle shops say the top-sellers this week are live mud minnows, cut menhaden, and four-inch curly tail grubs in white and chartreuse. For hardware, silver spoons and Got-Cha plugs are landing Spanish mackerel along the piers, and a gold Johnson spoon will turn up a red’s nose in the sloughs.

Quick reminder: anglers 16 and up need a coastal fishing license unless you’re on a charter, and this fall there will be new harvest reporting rules for red drum, flounder, and trout, so keep an eye on North Carolina Wildlife Resources for upcoming changes.

Thanks for tuning in to today’s fishing report from Artificial Lure—remember 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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