What fish can you catch at Hampton River entrance?

Speckled trout, Redfish, Southern flounder, Sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, Black drum, Tripletail, Cobia (ling), Tarpon, Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout). Each has its own season, preferred tide and water-temperature window at Hampton River entrance.

When is the best time to fish Hampton River entrance?

September has the most species in season (9 of 11) — Speckled trout, Redfish, Southern flounder, Spanish mackerel, Tripletail, Cobia (ling), Tarpon, Jack crevalle. Seasons shift by a few weeks in a warm or late year.

What tide is best for fishing Hampton River entrance?

7 of the 11 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 Hampton River entrance?

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 Hampton River entrance?

Yes — Redfish (red drum) (southbound Sep–Nov); Pompano (southbound Oct–Dec · northbound Feb–May); Cobia (westbound Mar–May); Spanish mackerel (westbound Feb–Jun · eastbound Sep–Nov); King mackerel (northbound Mar–Sep · westbound Oct–Dec). These travel the coast with the seasons rather than living here year-round.

Where are the tides for Hampton River entrance measured?

NOAA CO-OPS station TEC3495, at 31.2167, -81.3167. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.

Hampton River entrance Fishing Report — Species & Bite Guide

🎣 See today's live bite forecast for Hampton River entrance →

Species at Hampton River entrance

Speckled trout
low light + moving water over the shell
Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 50–88°F
Redfish
year-round marsh resident; bulls stack passes in fall
Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 50–88°F
Southern flounder
fall cooling pushes them out the passes to spawn
Season: Sep–Nov · Tide: the outgoing tide · Light: low light · Water: 60–75°F
Sheepshead
pre-spawn stack on hard structure in cold water
Season: Jan–Apr, Dec · Tide: slack water · Light: bright daylight · Water: 48–68°F
Spanish mackerel
warm clear water and glass-minnow schools in passes
Season: Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct · Tide: moving water · Light: bright daylight · Water: 68–84°F
Black drum
late-winter spawning run stacks oyster and bridge channels
Season: Jan–Apr · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 55–72°F
Tripletail
hot still days, sight-fished under floating cover
Season: May–Sep · Tide: any tide stage · Light: bright daylight · Water: 78–90°F
Cobia (ling)
spring migration cruising the beach, sight-cast structure
Season: Mar–May, Sep–Oct · Tide: any tide stage · Light: bright daylight · Water: 68–80°F
Tarpon
summer silver kings follow pogey schools off river passes
Season: Jun–Sep · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 78–88°F
Jack crevalle
warm-season bait blitzes, chaos on moving water
Season: May–Oct · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 72–90°F
White trout (sand seatrout)
summer bay swarms over shell and around structure
Season: May–Oct · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 70–88°F

What's biting at Hampton River entrance, month by month

January	Speckled trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Black drum
February	Speckled trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Black drum
March	Speckled trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Black drum, Cobia (ling)
April	Speckled trout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, Black drum, Cobia (ling)
May	Speckled trout, Redfish, Spanish mackerel, Tripletail, Cobia (ling), Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout)
June	Speckled trout, Redfish, Spanish mackerel, Tripletail, Tarpon, Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout)
July	Speckled trout, Redfish, Tripletail, Tarpon, Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout)
August	Speckled trout, Redfish, Tripletail, Tarpon, Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout)
September	Speckled trout, Redfish, Southern flounder, Spanish mackerel, Tripletail, Cobia (ling), Tarpon, Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout)
October	Speckled trout, Redfish, Southern flounder, Spanish mackerel, Cobia (ling), Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout)
November	Speckled trout, Redfish, Southern flounder
December	Speckled trout, Redfish, Sheepshead

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 Hampton River entrance

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

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
Pompano

the strongest, cleanest cascade we have — FL Treasure Coast winter run; Gulf spring run hits Pensacola ~April

Timing: southbound Oct–Dec · northbound Feb–May · Driven by: sand fleas & the 68–75°F edge on the move · Pace: cold-front driven; ~2–4 wk lag NC→Miami in fall
Cobia

E→W run (separate stock): Tampa/Charlotte Harbor (Mar) → Destin → Gulf Shores → Pensacola → MS/LA. Sight-fished at the surface

Timing: westbound Mar–May · Driven by: warming spring temps; overwinter S.FL then push inshore + WEST along the beaches · Pace: ~6 wks; peak Gulf Shores AL mid-Mar–mid-Apr
Spanish mackerel

Gulf stock — E→W in spring (FL Gulf → AL/MS → TX), back E→S in fall

Timing: westbound Feb–Jun · eastbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: warm water expanding west in spring · Pace: reaches TX late Mar–May
King mackerel

Gulf stock — splits in fall: eastern group back down FL, western group W down the TX coast

Timing: northbound Mar–Sep · westbound Oct–Dec · Driven by: temp + bait near the river plume · Pace: summers in the northern Gulf near the MS Delta

How Hampton River entrance fishes

Open water lies to the east of Hampton River entrance. 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 TEC3495 at 31.2167, -81.3167 — see it on NOAA CO-OPS.

Shops & partners near Hampton River entrance

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Common questions about Hampton River entrance

What fish can you catch at Hampton River entrance?: Speckled trout, Redfish, Southern flounder, Sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, Black drum, Tripletail, Cobia (ling), Tarpon, Jack crevalle, White trout (sand seatrout). Each has its own season, preferred tide and water-temperature window at Hampton River entrance.
When is the best time to fish Hampton River entrance?: September has the most species in season (9 of 11) — Speckled trout, Redfish, Southern flounder, Spanish mackerel, Tripletail, Cobia (ling), Tarpon, Jack crevalle. Seasons shift by a few weeks in a warm or late year.
What tide is best for fishing Hampton River entrance?: 7 of the 11 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 Hampton River entrance?: 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 Hampton River entrance?: Yes — Redfish (red drum) (southbound Sep–Nov); Pompano (southbound Oct–Dec · northbound Feb–May); Cobia (westbound Mar–May); Spanish mackerel (westbound Feb–Jun · eastbound Sep–Nov); King mackerel (northbound Mar–Sep · westbound Oct–Dec). These travel the coast with the seasons rather than living here year-round.
Where are the tides for Hampton River entrance measured?: NOAA CO-OPS station TEC3495, at 31.2167, -81.3167. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.

Inlets near Hampton River entrance

Jones Creek entrance, Hampton River 6 mi
Mackay River (ICWW), Buttermilk Sound 6 mi
St. Simons Sound Bar 8 mi
Threemile Cut entrance, Darien River 10 mi
Buffalo River entrance 16 mi
Hudson Creek entrance 16 mi
Creighton Narrows Entrance, Crescent River 19 mi
Todd Creek entrance 21 mi

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.