September 2026 Ocean Isle Beach Fishing Report

September Fishing Around Ocean Isle Beach

September is one of those months when summer and fall overlap. Some of the fishing still looks a lot like August, but the days are getting shorter, temperatures are slowly coming down, and huge numbers of finger mullet are moving through the ICW, creeks, and marshes.

Right now, Flounder, Spanish Mackerel, and Sharks are probably the most dependable fisheries. Redfish are becoming more consistent, although we're catching a lot of smaller fish. Speckled Trout haven't really made their fall move yet, and I'm waiting for some cooler weather before I expect that bite to become much more consistent.

Nearshore, Spanish Mackerel remain thick in the 20–28 foot range, Sharks are feeding in many of those same areas, and the reefs continue to produce plenty of Black Sea Bass along with increasing numbers of Triggerfish and quite a few Barracuda.

The fishing is good now, but I'm more interested in what all this bait and slowly cooling water could mean over the next several weeks.

September Water, Weather and Bait Conditions

We're finally beginning to lose a little of the summer heat. Air temperatures are getting slightly cooler, and water temperatures have started dropping as well. It isn't a dramatic change yet, but we're beginning to see the first signs of the transition toward fall.

The real story right now is bait.

There are tremendous numbers of mullet in the ICW. I've seen more this September than I can remember seeing in quite a while. When we're throwing the cast net for finger mullet around the marsh, we're pulling in nearly as many shrimp as we are mullet. There's simply a tremendous amount of bait in the backwaters right now.

Just off the beaches, we're also seeing massive schools of menhaden, or pogies. They're so plentiful that I can typically leave the inlet and locate a school within a matter of minutes.

Between the finger mullet and shrimp throughout the marsh and ICW and huge schools of pogies just off the beach, there is no shortage of forage around Ocean Isle Beach right now. That's a good setup for everything from Flounder and Redfish inshore to Sharks outside the inlet — and eventually the Bull Redfish as we move farther into fall.

Spanish Mackerel

Spanish Mackerel fishing remains excellent and continues to be one of my most dependable options outside the inlet.

I'm finding Spanish thick in approximately 20–28 feet of water off the beaches, basically the same depth range that produced so well for us during August. When we locate the right school, the action can be extremely fast.

My primary setup remains a #1 Planer or #2 Planer followed by approximately 30 feet of 30-pound fluorocarbon leader and a size 00 Clarkspoon or Spoon-Squid in Silver/Pink, Silver/Chartreuse, or Gold.

September can also produce some better-sized Spanish as the season progresses. With the amount of bait around and water temperatures beginning to move in the right direction, I expect Spanish Mackerel to remain one of our most dependable nearshore options through much of the month.

Nearshore Reefs and Bottom Fishing

Black Sea Bass continue to provide plenty of action around the nearshore reefs and other hard structure. That's nothing unusual for this area, but we're also seeing more Triggerfish this month.

I continue fishing for Sea Bass with chicken rigs tied with 50–100 lb mono and 4/0 circle hooks, using shrimp, cut bait, squid, or live finger mullet depending on what I have available.

Barracuda are still hanging around as well. I've seen more Barracuda during 2026 than I can remember seeing in quite a while, and they're continuing to show up around the reefs and wrecks in September.

Once we get farther offshore, the mix begins to change. Grouper and Snapper become more likely once we make it at least about 10 miles offshore, along with the other bottom species using those deeper reefs, wrecks, and hard-bottom areas.

Barracuda and King Mackerel

Barracuda continue hanging around some of our local wrecks during September. I've seen more Barracuda in 2026 than I can remember seeing in quite a while.

When I specifically target them, I like to rig a very lively baitfish — usually a pinfish — on a weightless rig with a short section of 100-pound mono leader and toss the bait a few feet in front of the fish.

I'm not spending much time targeting King Mackerel yet. I'm waiting for some colder weather and the better fall King bite before putting much effort into them, and even when that happens my attention will probably be shifting toward Bull Redfish instead.

Shark Fishing continues to be excellent in September.

We're finding plenty of Sharks in approximately the same 20–28 foot depth range where we're catching Spanish Mackerel.

The inlets remain productive, but if the Shark bite around an inlet slows down, I can move toward the areas holding Spanish Mackerel and other concentrations of baitfish.

The massive schools of pogies sitting just off the beaches give us another obvious place to look. With schools generally easy to locate right now, finding fresh Shark bait usually doesn't take long.

Fresh Bluefish remains one of my favorite Shark baits, with fresh mullet and menhaden giving us additional options. I expect Shark fishing to remain productive through September before cooler fall water begins changing the fishery.

Flounder

Flounder fishing remains excellent, but the biggest change I've noticed in September is the size of the fish.

We're seeing bigger Flounder than we have at any other point this year, and more of those better fish are beginning to show up.

Creek mouths continue to be productive, along with docks on the ICW, grass edges, oyster areas, and other places where current carries bait past structure. The downstream side of docks has been particularly productive for us this summer.

For numbers of Flounder, one of my favorite artificial setups remains a Z-Man GOAT in Green Pumpkin on a 1/4-ounce Z-Man Redfish Eye jighead.

When I'm specifically looking for a larger bite, I like a Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ in Smelt color on a 1/4-ounce Texas Eye jighead.

I also continue using Pro-Cure Flounder Pounder scent on my soft plastics.

For anglers who prefer live bait, a finger mullet on a Carolina rig remains extremely effective, and we certainly don't have any shortage of finger mullet right now.

North Carolina's 2026 recreational Flounder season runs September 1–14. With the amount of fishing pressure Flounder receive during that short harvest window, I expect the local population to take a noticeable hit for a week or two afterward. We'll see how quickly the fishing settles back down once the season closes.

Redfish

Redfish are becoming more consistent as we get farther into September.

Most of the fish we're catching right now are underslot Reds, with a lot of fish in the 15–16 inch range. They aren't the bigger fall Redfish we're eventually looking for, but seeing more consistent action is a good sign after the scattered Redfish fishing we had through much of the summer.

I'm still approaching them much the same way I did in July and August. Covering water remains important. Grass banks, creek mouths, oyster areas, docks, and places with moving water and concentrations of bait are all worth checking.

Natural bait is also productive. Finger mullet, cut mullet, and shrimp all give us options, and there certainly isn't any shortage of those baits around the marsh right now.

When targeting Reds with artificials, one of my favorites remains the Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ in Smelt color on a 1/4-ounce Texas Eye jighead.

I also continue using the Strike King Redfish Magic when I want the added flash and vibration of a spinnerbait.

I expect the Redfish bite to continue improving as water temperatures fall and the huge amount of bait moving through the area keeps giving them plenty to feed on.

Speckled Trout

Speckled Trout are the fish I'm still waiting on.

We caught Trout through the summer, but they were scattered. When we found them, we could usually catch several, but they haven't reached the consistency I associate with our fall fishing yet. I'm waiting for some cooler weather and lower water temperatures before I expect that bite to really get going.

Most years I primarily target Speckled Trout with soft plastics. One of my favorite Trout setups remains a Z-Man Swimmin Trout Trick in Electric Chicken color on a Z-Man Trout Eye jighead in 3/16 oz size.

I also like the Z-Man PrawnStarZ Shrimp in Laguna Shrimp color, either fished by itself or under a popping cork.

For a spinnerbait presentation, the Strike King Speckled Trout Magic remains another lure I keep in the rotation.

This fall I'm thinking about changing things up a little and spending more time fishing live shrimp under slip floats. It isn't replacing soft plastics, but with the amount of shrimp in the marsh right now, I want to spend some time working live shrimp through deeper areas and around structure while controlling exactly where the bait sits in the water column.

Sheepshead remain available around docks, pilings, and other hard structure.

Fiddler crabs remain my bait of choice when I specifically target them.

I'm also continuing to learn more about using the Garmin Livescope forward-facing sonar around docks.

Rather than simply fishing every likely-looking section of a dock, I can use the forward-facing sonar to help determine whether fish are actually holding around individual pieces of structure before dropping a fiddler crab to them. That's something I expect to become even more useful as I spend more time with the system.

The amount of bait around Ocean Isle Beach right now is probably the biggest story of September.

There are tremendous numbers of finger mullet throughout the ICW and marshes. I've seen more mullet this September than I can remember seeing in quite a while.

Shrimp are just as noticeable. When we're throwing the cast net for mullet around the marsh, we're pulling in nearly as many shrimp as we are finger mullet.

Outside the inlets, massive schools of menhaden, or pogies, are sitting just off the beaches. They're so plentiful that I can typically run out of the inlet and locate a school within a matter of minutes.

Having that much natural forage gives us plenty of options. Finger mullet can be fished for Redfish and Flounder, shrimp give us another excellent inshore bait, and fresh pogies are difficult to beat for Sharks and the Bull Redfish that will begin getting more of my attention as fall progresses.

Between the mullet and shrimp inside and the huge pogie schools outside, there's no shortage of bait around Ocean Isle Beach right now.

Covering water remains important when looking for scattered Redfish. During the cooler early morning hours, I like to use a topwater lure such as a Whopper Plopper in Bone color to search productive banks and locate active fish. As temperatures continue cooling through the fall, topwater will become an increasingly useful part of my inshore fishing.

We're getting close to one of my favorite fisheries of the entire year.

Big Bull Redfish begin moving through the nearshore waters and around our inlets during the fall, following the concentrations of bait moving down the coast and out of the backwaters.

The exact timing changes from year to year, which is important if you're planning a trip specifically to catch one.

Late September is when I begin watching seriously for the first meaningful push of Bull Reds. They can show up during this period, but I don't consider late September as dependable as the heart of the season.

Early October is when I expect the fishery to become much more consistent.

Mid-October is right in the heart of the Bull Red season and is normally one of the most dependable periods.

Late October can continue producing excellent fishing. Weather, water temperatures, and the movement of bait eventually determine how long the strongest part of the run lasts.

November can still produce Bull Reds, particularly early in the month, but we're beginning to get outside the most predictable window.

That timeline is exactly why I offer my dedicated Bull Redfish Fishing Charters during October. Bull Reds can arrive in September and can remain into November, but if someone is planning a trip specifically to target these fish, I don't want to sell them on the edges of the season.

Nothing in fishing is guaranteed, but the entire month of October is a relatively safe bet and historically gives us the best combination of fish availability and consistency.

How I Fish for Bull Reds

My approach is usually pretty simple. Rather than constantly running around looking for individual fish, I often set up outside the inlet in an area where I expect Bull Reds to move and let fresh bait and scent do the work.

Fresh mullet or menhaden are my primary baits, and right now we have plenty of both available.

I'll normally fish multiple baits at different depths. Some go directly on the bottom, while others are suspended just off the bottom. There have been plenty of days when the suspended baits have actually produced more fish than the baits sitting directly on the bottom, so I generally want both presentations in the water.

Current can be substantial around the inlets, so the amount of weight has to match the conditions well enough to keep the bait where I want it.

These are large fish, and the goal isn't just hooking one. I use tackle heavy enough to land them efficiently, get a few pictures, and get the fish released in good condition.

Kids fishing continues to provide plenty of opportunities to keep younger anglers involved and catching fish.

These trips aren't about chasing one trophy fish. They're about keeping kids involved and giving them plenty of opportunities to catch something.

Whiting, Croakers, Black Drum, juvenile Sharks, and a variety of other smaller inshore species can all provide action.

For younger anglers, catching several different species during the same trip can be every bit as exciting as catching one big fish — and sometimes considerably more fun. Learn more about my Kids Fishing Charter.