Ocean Isle Beach Fishing Report – August 2025

August 2025 has been one of the hottest months we’ve seen in years along the Brunswick County, NC coast. Morning water temps are already in the mid-80s, and afternoons have been over 90 degrees. Combined with heat indexes topping 110 degrees, it’s been a challenge for anglers and for the fish. Despite the hot and humid conditions, there’s still been plenty of action for anyone willing to adjust their tactics and focus on the best feeding windows.

Inshore Fishing Report

Despite the extreme heat this month, inshore fishing around Ocean Isle Beach has stayed productive for anglers who time their trips with the cooler parts of the day and moving tides. Early mornings and late afternoons have been best, with fish feeding around oyster beds, creek mouths, and hard structure. Live shrimp, finger mullet, menhaden, and cut bait are producing consistent action on red drum, speckled trout, flounder, black drum, and sheepshead, while artificials are still getting bites for those covering water.

• Red Drum are scattered throughout the waterway, with fish holding around oyster beds, grass banks, and creek mouths. Cut mullet, live menhaden, or live shrimp have been top producers. Topwater bites are strong early in the AM on lures like the MirroLure Top Dawg
• Speckled Trout are biting best on rising tides. Live shrimp under slip cork rigs have been the most consistent, with some fish also taking topwater plugs early in the day. Soft plastics like the Z-Man Trout Trick in the Tater Salad color work well.
• Flounder are everywhere — in creeks, around docks, along shell bottoms, and on nearshore reefs. Bigger baits like finger mullet or menhaden have produced the larger fish, as have soft plastics like the Z-Man Goat in white or watermelon colors.
• Black Drum are being caught around hard structure such as docks, bridges, and oysters. Fresh shrimp or crab chunks are the go-to baits.
• Sheepshead fishing has been steady, with live fiddler crabs or shrimp producing the best results near pilings and jetty rocks.

Inshore Gear Recommendations

Here’s the exact gear I use every day on my inshore fishing charters. It’s proven, reliable, and works well here along the Carolina coast.

• Rod / Reel: PENN Battle IV Fishing Rod & Reel Combo
• Fishing Line: Berkley X9 Braided Fishing Line
• Leader: Seaguar Red Label Fluorocarbon 20 lb test
• Slip Float: Betts Billy Boy Medium Slip Float
• Egg Sinker: 3/8 to 1/2 oz egg sinker - Use for cut bait, live bait, slip float rigs.
• Treble Hook: VMC 9651 X-Strong Short Round Bend Treble Hook #6 size - use for slip float rigs.
• Live Bait / Cut Bait Hook: 2/0 circle hook (Owner Mutu Light 5114)
• Sheepshead Hooks: VMC 9299 Octopus Hook 1/0
• Topwater Lures: MirroLure Top Dawg Jr
• Soft Plastics: Z-Man Trout Trick, Z-Man Goat, Berkley Gulp Swimming Mullet, Berkley Gulp Shrimp
• Jig Heads: Dr Fish 3D Eye 1/4 oz Jig Head
• Lure Colors: In the Summer I use a lot of white colored soft plastic lures for flounder and a range of colors for reds and trout. Any soft plastic that has a chartreuse tail also seems to work a little better. I also like rootbeer, new penny, and watermelon colors.

Nearshore Fishing Report

Nearshore fishing has offered a solid mix of species for anglers working from the beach out to local reefs and wrecks. Hot summer water, which is in the mid 80s, has made early morning trips and live baits the most reliable combination. Flounder, red drum, gag grouper, spanish mackerel, king mackerel, gray trout, black sea bass, and the occasional cobia have all been in the mix. Most fish are holding tight to structure such as reef edges, rocky bottoms, and ledges, with live menhaden, mullet, shrimp, or cut bait drawing the majority of strikes. Trolling has been slower in the heat, but anchoring or drifting natural baits over productive spots has kept rods bending.

• Jolly Mon Reef (AR 460), AR 455, and other nearshore structure and hard bottoms are producing niced mixed-bags on live baits.
• Spanish mackerel are concentrated heavily in the 15-20 foot depth range, just off the beaches in Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, and
• King mackerel are scattered but have been caught from the beaches out to the 65’ to 80’ range on live menhaden.
• Sharks of all sizes have been active nearshore, hitting live and cut baits such as croakers, larger pinfish, and bluefish. Drift fish near artificial reefs or anywhere in 20–40 feet of water. If the bite is slow around the reefs, slide in closer to the beaches, but avoid shark fishing anywhere near swimmers -especially if you’re chumming or tossing chunks or other dead baits into the water!

Offshore Fishing Report

Salty Dawg and Captain Harvey do not offer true offshore charters (I do inshore and nearshore only), for these charters, please contact some of the best offshore charters in OIB at either Ocean Isle Fishing Center or Follow Me Charters. However, I do keep up with what's happening offshore, and the fishing has been steady for bottom species, though trolling has slowed due to warm water temps. In 90+ foot depths, bottom fishing has produced consistent catches of snapper, triggerfish, porgies, and keeper grouper, with live pinfish and squid among the best baits. Deeper areas beyond 120’ have also been holding cobia and the occasional African pompano. While trolling has slowed in the heat, anglers are still finding king mackerel, barracuda, and scattered mahi, with sailfish and wahoo reported from the deeper bluewater grounds. Out at the Gulf Stream, amberjack and blackfin tuna have rounded out the mix.

• Bottom fishing in the 90–130’ range has been producing grouper, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, porgies, and grunts. Live pinfish and squid have been the top baits.
• Deeper areas (120’+) have yielded cobia and bonus African pompano when fishing live bait over structure.
• Trolling efforts are finding occasional king mackerel, blackfin tuna, wahoo, and the rare sailfish, especially around temperature breaks and structure.
• Amberjack are providing a serious fight for anglers targeting deeper wrecks and reefs.

Surf Fishing Report

Surf fishing in Ocean Isle has offered a classic summer mixed bag, with anglers catching whiting, croakers, pompano, and smaller sharks on cut bait, shrimp, or sand fleas fished in the sloughs. Early mornings or late evenings have produced the most consistent action before the heat drives fish deeper. Water clarity, tide changes, and finding areas with active baitfish have all been key to keeping rods bent along the beachfront.

• Whiting, croakers, pompano, and black drum are the mainstay catches, with a few flounder and redfish thrown in the mix.
• Sharks and stingrays are common, especially from dusk to dawn.
• Cut bait, shrimp, and sand fleas have been the top producers for most species.
• Fishing around sloughs, sandbars, and deeper troughs has produced more consistent action, especially when the tide is rising or falling.

Pier Fishing

Pier anglers have enjoyed a steady mix of summer action, with bottom fishing producing black drum, sheepshead, croakers, and keeper flounder on shrimp, fiddler crabs, and live bait fished tight to the pilings. Schools of spanish mackerel have occasionally pushed within casting range, striking Gotcha plugs and other flashy lures. Early mornings and late afternoons have been the prime windows, especially when baitfish are active around the pier.

• Bottom rigs with shrimp or cut bait are producing croakers, black drum, flounder, and sheepshead.
• Spanish mackerel are showing up when baitfish schools move in close, with Gotcha plugs and small spoons being the best choice.
• Speckled trout have been caught early in the mornings and evenings, especially when live shrimp are available -fish them on a popping cork or slip-cork rig.
• Fishing during moving tides has been key for most species, especially when baitfish are stacked around the pilings. If your schedule allows, target the early morning or late evening tide changes for the best action.

August fishing can be challenging in the heat, but with the right timing and bait choice, there’s still plenty of opportunity both inshore and offshore. Focus on cooler parts of the day, use fresh bait, and work the tide changes for your best shot at success.