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Fishing Report for North Carolina's Atlantic Ocean, 10/27/2025: King Macks, Trout, and a Building Storm
Good morning, anglers—this is Artificial Lure, bringing you today’s fishing report for Atlantic Ocean waters and the surrounding coast of North Carolina on October 27, 2025.
Sunrise this Monday was at 7:26 AM and sunset will be at 6:13 PM. We’re sitting right in prime fall conditions, with water temperatures dropping—recent reports off Bogue Inlet Pier showed the surf hovering around 74 degrees, excellent for both inshore and pier action. The weather is overcast with a stiff breeze building into gusts later today ahead of a coastal storm, so keep an eye on the clouds and expect patches of drizzle and a rising tide, especially into the afternoon, which can stir up bait and trigger feeding frenzies. Tidal charts say we saw low tide right around 5:12 AM, next high at 3:14 PM, and another low rolling in at 10:07 PM, according to NOAA.
Fish activity is on the upswing—local piers, especially Atlantic Beach, Bogue Inlet, and areas around Morehead City, have recorded steady catches of king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and sea mullet. This past week, anglers have landed king mackerel in the 25- to 46-pound range, with Spanish mack and blues coming in at 4–5 pounds. Speckled trout are showing up in decent numbers, 1–2 pounds apiece, with the bite best on outgoing tide and when the water’s moving. Spots and sea mullet are ramping up, great action for lighter tackle.
Red drum are starting to push through, especially after the weekend’s NCBBA Red Drum Tournament down Hatteras Island, with locals on the surf seeing more slot-size fish. There are hot rumors of early bluefin tuna spooking through Oak Island’s shoals—folks prepping for the December run are getting restless as a few fish have been sighted in shallow, but the main wave is still a few weeks out.
Best baits for this transition period: Gotcha plugs, live mullet, and fresh shrimp for pier and surf. If you’re chasing king mackerel, slow-trolled live menhaden or rigged cigar minnows are the standby. For trout, cast jigheads tipped with Gulp! shrimp or MirrOlure twitchbaits—chartreuse and pink are hot colors right now. Spanish and blues are smashing silver spoons and feather rigs off the ends of the piers. Drum are taking cut mullet and fresh shrimp in the troughs. If you’re working deeper structure, the Strike King Pro Model Series 5 deep diving crankbait and shad-color squarebills have been pulling in late-season stripers and blues—especially on outgoing tide as bait gets swept out.
Top lures: Besides your live and cut baits, frogs and popping soft plastics are top picks for exploring shallow marsh and grass around the sounds, especially as the post-spawn bass cling to cover, according to Bradley Roy on the Bass Pro Tour. Trolling stretches and Rapala X-Raps offshore can add variety to your spread and up your chances for mahi and late-season swordfish, as reported by boats running out of Morehead and Oak Island.
Today’s hotspots:
- Bogue Inlet Pier: consistent multi-species catches, especially on rising tide and dusk.
- Cape Lookout: solid slot drum, some trout, and mackerel near the jetty and soundside flats.
- Hatteras Surf: larger drum, trout, spots, and occasional pompano—check structure, especially as tide shifts.
Tournament season is in full swing. Atlantic Beach King Mackerel Saltwater Slam runs through October 25, and the Fall Brawl King Classic is just days away at Ocean Isle. These events are pulling in bigger, more competitive fish—now’s the time if you want a crack at the leaderboard.
Quick tips: Move around to find roaming schools, switch up lures if the bite slows, and watch that rising tide for bait movement. With the weather swinging, mornings and late afternoons as the tide pushes up are your best windows for active fish.
Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe for tomorrow’s update and keep those lines tight. This has been a Quiet Please
Published on 6 days, 3 hours ago