Cast Your Line in the Crystal Coast Waters!

By Captain Rob Koraly, Sandbar Safari

Just after dawn, in a calm, shallow bay surrounded by bright green marsh grass, a hungry redfish mistakes a topwater lure for a finger mullet and explodes on the water’s surface. 

Kicking water and boiling the soft mud with its big, spotted tail, the drum takes off across the shallows, making the drag sing and the angler smile.

The morning sun rises further into the clear blue sky, glittering across a nearshore reef and revealing the nervous baitfish trolling along the surface to the school of prowling king mackerel below. The biggest mack in the group looks up and, in a split-second of silver flash and teeth, its airborne! The folks onboard contemplate how unusual it is to look up at a fish instead of down. The big king hits the water with a splash and shows its impressive speed, ripping the line off the reel trying to outrun the sting of the treble hooks.

Beyond the horizon of the reef, 50 miles offshore, a sport-fisher trolls the deep blue water of the Gulf Stream. Eight trolling skirts and ballyhoo perform a delicately orchestrated dance of color, bubbles and flash behind the boat. Green and yellow streaks suddenly interrupt the dance as a pack of mahi race in to start a show of their own. Crossing lines and cart-wheeling through the air, the lit-up fish test the boat’s ability to organize the chaos of multiple hookups.

This is fishing on the Crystal Coast! Our area is home to some of North Carolina’s most exciting and diverse saltwater fishing opportunities. The Crystal Coast prides itself on having a wide range of fishing options year-round in an unspoiled and beautiful environment. To enjoy salt-water fishing anywhere in North Carolina, you need a recreational fishing license which can be purchased inexpensively and easily online at www.ncwildlife.org.

The spring season begins with red drum, and speckled trout beginning to ease their way out of the rivers and estuaries toward the sound. At the same time, sea mullet, grey trout, bluefish, black drum and bonita are moving inshore and just off the beach, as the water temps break 70 degrees. Further into the Atlantic Ocean, fishing for tuna, kingfish and wahoo heats up in the Gulf Stream, while bottom fishing for grouper, snapper, sea bass and triggerfish is on fire along deeper structure.

During the summer, the Crystal Coast is an angler’s paradise. Those fishing in the sound and estuaries inshore can expect to find redfish, flounder, speckled trout, sheepshead, bluefish and more feeding on the masses of shrimp and mullet that fill up the creeks and bays in the summer months. Those venturing offshore in the summer will be wise to go early in the morning or late in the afternoon to capitalize on the best bite for mackerel, cobia, amberjack, grouper, mahi, billfish and more.

As the fall approaches, all of these fish get bigger, more plentiful and more aggressive. Schools of baitfish and shrimp flood out of the marshes and rivers and concentrate the redfish, trout and flounder in the channels inshore. Many pelagic fish move closer to the beach and the inlets as the bait floods out into the ocean. Mackerel, grouper, bottomfish and others invade the reefs and bait schools to fatten up for the winter.

In the winter, cold temps slow down the bite some, but there are some excellent opportunities for catching in the cold. Redfish and trout will be huddled up in the creeks inshore, feeding slowly but surely. Offshore, bottom fishing and wahoo fishing can be fantastic during the winter as long as good weather offers a day to get out there. Bluefin tuna will be showing up in the winter as well. These giants can test the limits of what can be caught on a rod and reel.

The Crystal Coast is definitely fishing friendly. There are several fantastic marinas, tackle shops, oceanside piers, public beach accesses, public boat ramps, state parks, public docks and other ways to explore and enjoy this fishery. These can all be found easily online. If you want to get out on the water but don’t have your own boat, there are many local fishing guides and charter boats that can put you on the fish year-round, both inshore and offshore. 

As you can see, the Crystal Coast is a premier saltwater fishing destination. There are so many different species to catch year-round and that an truly offer anglers of any age or experience level a chance to catch a big one! Now stop reading and go fishing!

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