The Cape Fear River pours past Wilmington into a maze of spartina creeks, ICW docks and inlet bars between Wrightsville Beach and Bald Head Island. North Carolina’s southern corner — reds year-round, a proper fall trout run, flounder culture deep in the bones.
Region: Southeast Atlantic · NC. Coordinates 33.9000, -78.0200.
This zone reads from NOAA CO-OPS tide station 8659084 — Southport, NC — for tide predictions and observed water level, with wind, gusts, air temperature and marine warnings from Open-Meteo and the National Weather Service. Station 8659084 carries no water-temperature sensor, so water temp comes from the nearest station that does: Wilmington, NC (8658120), about 23 miles away.
Every reading is fetched when you open the page, so nothing here is a published forecast: the tide timeline covers the next 48 hours with highs, lows and moon phase, and the bite outlook scores the current tide stage, water temperature, wind and pressure for the species you pick. Open the console to watch this water on one screen, or see it in context on the coastal map.
For recreation only — not for navigation. In an emergency call 911 or hail the Coast Guard on VHF 16.
Catalog species that hold in this zone: Speckled Trout, Redfish (Red Drum), Southern Flounder, Sheepshead, Black Drum, Spanish Mackerel, Florida Pompano.
| Season | Species present |
|---|---|
| spring | Redfish (Red Drum), Speckled Trout, Black Drum, Sheepshead, Southern Flounder |
| summer | Redfish (Red Drum), Speckled Trout, Southern Flounder, Spanish Mackerel, Florida Pompano |
| fall | Redfish (Red Drum), Speckled Trout, Southern Flounder, Black Drum |
| winter | Redfish (Red Drum), Speckled Trout, Sheepshead |
Regional targets beyond the catalog: Bluefish.
What to tie on: 29 lures and baits in the lure & bait database are proven for the species that hold in Cape Fear (Wilmington & Southport), and the smart lure tool narrows them to today's conditions on this water.
Winter schools reds on the clear shallow flats — long leaders, slow days, big numbers. Spring brings sheepshead to the docks and the first Spanish up the beach. Summer is flounder on every creek mouth (mind the season), reds in the flooded grass and pompano in the surf. Fall is speck season proper: October fronts fire the trout run through the inlets, with bull reds off the Cape Fear shoals.
Base camps and launch areas inside this zone:
Running these waters? Pull the official NOAA chart before you go — it opens centered on this zone. Check the regulations for Cape Fear (Wilmington & Southport) for current size and bag limits, and run the launch-prep checklist before you leave the ramp.
No listed charter calls Cape Fear (Wilmington & Southport) home port yet — the charters & guides directory covers nearby waters, and captains who run this zone can list their business.
The what's-biting report and the angler reports on this page are sample content, clearly labeled as a demo in the app — posting and replies activate with the community account system. Live tide, water temperature, wind and warning data are real and pull from NOAA and Open-Meteo on every visit.