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Cape Fear River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

North Carolina’s working river: the Cape Fear runs catfish, stripers and shad from Fayetteville to the sea.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
1,170 cfs
Air / High
92 / 92 F
Wind
SSW 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02105769, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Cape Fear River locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The river is running 1,170 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind SSW around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 92. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassGood

Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 97 F with likely rain: fish ahead of the front. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Cape Fear River at Lock 1 near Kelly.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02105769.

1,1191,5812,0421,170 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp92 F
High / Low92 / 73 F
WindSSW 6-7 mph
Pressure1014.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:49 / 19:36
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 92/73 F, wind 10 mph, rain 1%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Cape Fear River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

When to come: the Cape Fear River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Cape Fear River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 92 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 94 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 91 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

North Carolina requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

North Carolina license, with coastal rules in the tidal reaches. Striped bass rules are specific and restrictive: check current NCWRC and NCDMF regulations.

Access

Ramps at Fayetteville, Elizabethtown, Lock and Dam 1 and downstream toward Wilmington.

About this water

A 200-mile river through central and southeastern North Carolina to the Atlantic at Wilmington.

Fishing Cape Fear River: the full guide

A river to Wilmington

The Cape Fear River flows about 200 miles through central and southeastern North Carolina to the Atlantic at Wilmington, the state’s largest river system entirely within its borders. Locks and dams break the middle river into pools, and the fishery reflects that: blue and flathead catfish in large sizes, striped bass, largemouth bass, American shad in spring and, in the tidal lower river, redfish and flounder.

Catfish and stripers

Blue catfish have established in numbers and reach very large sizes in the deeper holes and below the locks: cut bait fished on the bottom is the standard. Striped bass hold the lock and dam tailwaters and the deeper river, with restoration efforts ongoing and rules specific: check current regulations before targeting them.

Shad and the tidal river

American and hickory shad run in spring, concentrating below the locks where light-tackle anglers fish darts and small spoons. Below Wilmington the river becomes tidal and brackish, holding redfish, flounder and speckled trout, giving anglers a genuinely different fishery within the same system.

Southeastern NC logistics

Ramps serve the river at Fayetteville, Elizabethtown, Lock and Dam 1 and downstream toward Wilmington. Flows respond to upstream rain and can rise quickly. The locks concentrate fish and are the most productive spots for most species, drawing steady local traffic.

Common questions

How big do the catfish get?

Blue catfish reach very large sizes in the deeper holes and below the locks: the river’s most reliable trophy fishery.

Where do fish concentrate?

At the locks and dams, which hold shad, stripers and catfish and draw most of the local fishing effort.

Is there saltwater fishing?

Yes: below Wilmington the river turns tidal, holding redfish, flounder and speckled trout.

Is fishing good at Cape Fear River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Wilmington40 miCarolina Beach51 miMyrtle Beach61 miMurrells Inlet73 miNeuse River74 miJordan Lake86 mi
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