What fish can you catch at Bogue Inlet?

Striped Bass, Bluefish, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Weakfish, Tautog (Blackfish), Black Drum, Red Drum (Redfish), Sheepshead, Spotted Seatrout (Specks), Black Sea Bass, Scup (Porgy), Northern Kingfish and 2 more. Each has its own season, preferred tide and water-temperature window at Bogue Inlet.

When is the best time to fish Bogue Inlet?

June has the most species in season (12 of 14) — Striped Bass, Bluefish, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Weakfish, Black Drum, Red Drum (Redfish), Sheepshead, Spotted Seatrout (Specks). Seasons shift by a few weeks in a warm or late year.

Is there anything biting at Bogue Inlet in winter?

January, February, March are the quiet stretch — none of the species we track are in their window then. The bite picks back up in April.

What tide is best for fishing Bogue Inlet?

11 of the 14 species here feed best on moving water. Moving water is what pulls bait through the mouth, so the hours either side of a tide change usually beat dead slack.

Which wind is bad for Bogue Inlet?

Open water lies to the east, so an east wind is onshore — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes dirty water inshore. A west wind flattens and cleans it up.

Do migrating fish run past Bogue Inlet?

Yes — Striped bass (northbound Mar–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov); Bluefish (northbound Apr–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov); Weakfish (northbound Mar–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov); Bonito (northbound Apr–Jun · southbound Sep–Oct); False albacore (southbound Aug–Nov · northbound Apr–May); Spot (northbound Apr–May · southbound Sep–Nov). These travel the coast with the seasons rather than living here year-round.

Where are the tides for Bogue Inlet measured?

NOAA CO-OPS station TEC2837, at 34.6500, -77.1000. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.

Bogue Inlet Fishing Report — Species & Bite Guide

🎣 See today's live bite forecast for Bogue Inlet →

Species at Bogue Inlet

Striped Bass
Spring/fall migration; feeds hard on moving water 50-68F
Season: Apr–Jun, Oct–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 50–68°F
Bluefish
55F triggers gator blitzes on bait in spring and fall
Season: May–Jun, Sep–Nov · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 55–72°F
Summer Flounder (Fluke)
Ambushes bait swept through inlets on current; 68F sweet spot
Season: May–Sep · Tide: moving water · Light: bright daylight · Water: 58–75°F
Weakfish
Spring spawn run; bites near 60F at first light on outgoing
Season: May–Jun, Sep–Oct · Tide: the outgoing tide · Light: low light · Water: 58–68°F
Tautog (Blackfish)
Cooling water packs tog on structure; bite best near slack
Season: Apr, Oct–Dec · Tide: slack water · Light: bright daylight · Water: 45–58°F
Black Drum
Big spawners flood Delaware Bay at dusk on max current
Season: Apr–Jun · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 55–68°F
Red Drum (Redfish)
Bull schools roam lower-bay shoals; bite from 58-60F up
Season: May–Jun, Sep–Oct · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 58–78°F
Sheepshead
Picks crabs off pilings as water warms past mid-60s
Season: Jun–Oct · Tide: moving water · Light: bright daylight · Water: 65–80°F
Spotted Seatrout (Specks)
Roams grass and creek mouths; fall bite peaks as bait stages
Season: May–Jun, Sep–Nov · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 60–80°F
Black Sea Bass
Stacks on inshore structure in spring and pre-migration fall
Season: May–Jun, Sep–Nov · Tide: slack water · Light: bright daylight · Water: 48–68°F
Scup (Porgy)
Schools inshore over structure once water clears mid-50s
Season: Jun–Oct · Tide: moving water · Light: bright daylight · Water: 55–77°F
Northern Kingfish
Summer's warmest water pulls kings into surf and bay sloughs
Season: Jun–Sep · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 68–80°F
Atlantic Croaker
Bottom-feeds bay flats and channels through warm months
Season: Jun–Oct · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 60–78°F
False Albacore (Albie)
Cooling 72-to-64F bait migration sparks blitzing albies
Season: Sep–Oct · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 64–72°F

What's biting at Bogue Inlet, month by month

January	Off-season — nothing on the roster is in its window.
February	Off-season — nothing on the roster is in its window.
March	Off-season — nothing on the roster is in its window.
April	Striped Bass, Tautog (Blackfish), Black Drum
May	Striped Bass, Bluefish, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Weakfish, Black Drum, Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout (Specks), Black Sea Bass
June	Striped Bass, Bluefish, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Weakfish, Black Drum, Red Drum (Redfish), Sheepshead, Spotted Seatrout (Specks), Black Sea Bass, Scup (Porgy), Northern Kingfish, Atlantic Croaker
July	Summer Flounder (Fluke), Sheepshead, Scup (Porgy), Northern Kingfish, Atlantic Croaker
August	Summer Flounder (Fluke), Sheepshead, Scup (Porgy), Northern Kingfish, Atlantic Croaker
September	Bluefish, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Weakfish, Red Drum (Redfish), Sheepshead, Spotted Seatrout (Specks), Black Sea Bass, Scup (Porgy), Northern Kingfish, Atlantic Croaker, False Albacore (Albie)
October	Striped Bass, Bluefish, Weakfish, Tautog (Blackfish), Red Drum (Redfish), Sheepshead, Spotted Seatrout (Specks), Black Sea Bass, Scup (Porgy), Atlantic Croaker, False Albacore (Albie)
November	Striped Bass, Bluefish, Tautog (Blackfish), Spotted Seatrout (Specks), Black Sea Bass
December	Striped Bass, Tautog (Blackfish)

Typical seasons for this stretch of coast — a warm or late year shifts them by a few weeks. The live forecast scores today's actual conditions.

Coastal runs that pass Bogue Inlet

These species travel the coast with the seasons, so they show up on a schedule rather than living here year-round.

Striped bass

the fall run south is the event of the year — the most reliable cascade signal in the NE

Timing: northbound Mar–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: water temp (55–68°F); follows bunker & sand eels · Pace: ~50–100 mi/week along the surf; ~1,000 mi in 6–8 wks
Bluefish

blitzes alongside the stripers

Timing: northbound Apr–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: temp + bunker/herring · Pace: fast, tracking the bait
Weakfish

stock is depleted — a historic cascade that reports rarely light up now

Timing: northbound Mar–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: warming water; bunker, silversides, shrimp · Pace: moderate; into the bays ahead of summer heat
Bonito

Atlantic bonito — erratic year to year; NC spring blitz + NE summer

Timing: northbound Apr–Jun · southbound Sep–Oct · Driven by: sand eels, anchovies, butterfish · Pace: moderate; often just ahead of the albies
False albacore

false albacore — fall cascade Nantucket→Cape Cod→NJ→NC; the Cape Lookout run is famous

Timing: southbound Aug–Nov · northbound Apr–May · Driven by: temp (75–86°F); bay anchovies, silversides · Pace: very fast — NC→Keys in ~23 days, ~50 mi/day
Spot

Chesapeake/VA panfish + a fall bait; keyword collides with generic "spot" — needs phrase context

Timing: northbound Apr–May · southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: temp; tidal creeks · Pace: big fall schools through the inlets
Redfish (red drum)

bull-red fall surf run cascades by latitude: Mid-Atl Sep–Oct → FL Oct–Nov → Gulf Nov–Dec

Timing: southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: falling temps trigger the nearshore spawn run · Pace: cold-front-latency tide more than fish-following-fish
Cobia

SE-Atlantic stock — winters off S.FL/Keys, sight-fishing run up the beach; no clean fall cascade (disperses offshore)

Timing: northbound Mar–Jun · Driven by: warming water; rides with cownose rays & bunker, near the surface · Pace: ~6-wk spring run; arrives NC May–Jun, Chesapeake late May
Spanish mackerel

Atlantic stock — strong cascade up the SE coast in spring

Timing: northbound Feb–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: glass minnows & scaled sardines · Pace: tracks the 68–70°F water; ~2–3 wk lag SC→NC
Mullet bait run

the fall mullet run — the stripers & blues pile on it

Timing: southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: falling temps + photoperiod · Pace: the famous fall mullet run, S down the FL east coast; peak Sep–Oct
Bunker (menhaden) bait run

bunker/pogies — the stripers & blues are right under them

Timing: northbound Mar–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: temp + plankton blooms · Pace: huge schools shift the coast; the #1 trigger for the fall striper/blues blitz

How Bogue Inlet fishes

Open water lies to the east of Bogue Inlet. A wind out of the east is onshore here — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes stirred-up water inshore, while a west wind flattens the surface and tends to clean it up.

Tide is the clock: moving water pulls bait through the mouth, and the turns around slack are when most of the roster feeds hardest.

Tides here are read from NOAA station TEC2837 at 34.6500, -77.1000 — see it on NOAA CO-OPS.

Shops & partners near Bogue Inlet

🏪 No partners at Bogue Inlet yet — be the first!

Run a bait shop, guide service, restaurant or tackle brand here? We'll feature you on this page and in the live app — free, with a line about what you do. Email hello@what-inlet.com.

Common questions about Bogue Inlet

What fish can you catch at Bogue Inlet?: Striped Bass, Bluefish, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Weakfish, Tautog (Blackfish), Black Drum, Red Drum (Redfish), Sheepshead, Spotted Seatrout (Specks), Black Sea Bass, Scup (Porgy), Northern Kingfish and 2 more. Each has its own season, preferred tide and water-temperature window at Bogue Inlet.
When is the best time to fish Bogue Inlet?: June has the most species in season (12 of 14) — Striped Bass, Bluefish, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Weakfish, Black Drum, Red Drum (Redfish), Sheepshead, Spotted Seatrout (Specks). Seasons shift by a few weeks in a warm or late year.
Is there anything biting at Bogue Inlet in winter?: January, February, March are the quiet stretch — none of the species we track are in their window then. The bite picks back up in April.
What tide is best for fishing Bogue Inlet?: 11 of the 14 species here feed best on moving water. Moving water is what pulls bait through the mouth, so the hours either side of a tide change usually beat dead slack.
Which wind is bad for Bogue Inlet?: Open water lies to the east, so an east wind is onshore — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes dirty water inshore. A west wind flattens and cleans it up.
Do migrating fish run past Bogue Inlet?: Yes — Striped bass (northbound Mar–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov); Bluefish (northbound Apr–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov); Weakfish (northbound Mar–Jun · southbound Sep–Nov); Bonito (northbound Apr–Jun · southbound Sep–Oct); False albacore (southbound Aug–Nov · northbound Apr–May); Spot (northbound Apr–May · southbound Sep–Nov). These travel the coast with the seasons rather than living here year-round.
Where are the tides for Bogue Inlet measured?: NOAA CO-OPS station TEC2837, at 34.6500, -77.1000. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.

Inlets near Bogue Inlet

Fishing a different inlet today? Every one has its own species roster and bite pattern.

Browse every inlet in Other Coastal Locations, or the full inlet directory.

Species at Bogue Inlet

Striped Bass

Bluefish

Summer Flounder (Fluke)

Weakfish

Tautog (Blackfish)

Black Drum

Red Drum (Redfish)

Sheepshead

Spotted Seatrout (Specks)

Black Sea Bass

Scup (Porgy)

Northern Kingfish

Atlantic Croaker

False Albacore (Albie)

What's biting at Bogue Inlet, month by month

Coastal runs that pass Bogue Inlet

Striped bass

Bluefish

Weakfish

Bonito

False albacore

Spot

Redfish (red drum)

Cobia

Spanish mackerel

Mullet bait run

Bunker (menhaden) bait run

How Bogue Inlet fishes

Shops & partners near Bogue Inlet

Common questions about Bogue Inlet

Inlets near Bogue Inlet