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Cape Hatteras Fishing Report

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

The surf-fishing capital of the Atlantic: Diamond Shoals, drum runs and the beach where casting records are set.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Next tide
Low 10:02 PM
Air / High
86 / 87 F
Wind
SSW 17 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8654467, 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 Hatteras sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind SSW around 17 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 87. Tides: high 2:48 AM and 3:24 PM, low 9:20 AM and 10:02 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 72 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: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

BluefishExcellent

Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Prime sight-fishing: tailing fish on shallow flats, schools pushing water. Weedless spoons, shrimp under a popping cork, cut mullet in the guts.

Striped bassGood

Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Tomorrow: Similar at 86 F with a rain chance. 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.

Tides

NOAA station 8654467 (USCG Station Hatteras). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH2:48 AM0.7 ft
LOW9:20 AM0.5 ft
HIGH3:24 PM0.8 ft
LOW10:02 PM0.5 ft
Sat
HIGH3:42 AM0.8 ft
LOW10:42 AM0.5 ft
HIGH4:29 PM0.8 ft
LOW11:32 PM0.6 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp86 F
High / Low87 / 80 F
WindSSW 17-24 mph
Pressure1013.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 5%
Sunrise / Sunset06:37 / 19:25
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~72 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 · Overcast, 87/80 F, wind 18 mph, rain 5%

Fair or better. A 18 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Best: Sep-Oct blitzes

The ocean's most honest fish: when blues blitz bait on the beach, everything with hooks gets bit. Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Prime sight-fishing: tailing fish on shallow flats, schools pushing water. Weedless spoons, shrimp under a popping cork, cut mullet in the guts.

When to come: the Cape Hatteras 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
Striped bass
Bluefish
Redfish (red drum)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 72 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~72 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 Hatteras today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

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 87 F, wind to 12 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 87 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

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 86 F, wind to 10 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

NC Coastal Recreational Fishing License. Red drum: 18-27 inch slot, 1 per day; the giants are all release. Beach driving needs an NPS ORV permit.

Access

Cape Point via ORV ramps 43-44, Frisco and Ocracoke beaches, Avon and Rodanthe piers.

About this water

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Dare County, NC. Diamond Shoals: "Graveyard of the Atlantic", cathedral of surf fishing.

Fishing Cape Hatteras: the full guide

Where currents collide

Off Hatteras, the Gulf Stream brushes the Labrador Current over Diamond Shoals: the collision that makes the Outer Banks the Atlantic's greatest surf fishery. Red drum invented the place's legend (the Point is the most famous surf-casting real estate in America), with sea mullet, bluefish, pompano and stripers rotating through the seasons.

Fishing the Point and beyond

Spring (April-May) and fall (Oct-Nov): trophy drum runs at the Point and the inlet bars: 8-and-bait heaved into the sloughs at dusk. Summer: pompano and sea mullet in the mornings, spanish on metal at first light. Winter: when conditions align, stripers push south. Beach driving permits open miles of bar-and-slough water most anglers never walk to.

Reading the wash

Hatteras surf fishing is a literacy test: the sloughs, bars, and cuts rewrite with every blow, and the catch goes to those who read the water before casting. Deep green sloughs against the beach hold drum and blues; the cuts between bars funnel everything on falling tide. Four-wheel-drive beach access (permit required) turns the whole seashore into a drivable fishery: scout at low tide, fish the windows.

Common questions

When is the drum run at Cape Point?

Two windows: late April-May and October-November, on warm southwest blows and evening tides. When a real bite develops, the Point's lineup is shoulder-to-shoulder: etiquette is part of the sport.

What is the drum run at Hatteras?

Red drum past 40 inches surge along the beaches in spring (April-May) and fall (October-November): the Point is the classic stand. Big surf rods, 8-and-bait, circle hooks required.

Is fishing good at Cape Hatteras 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

Pamlico Sound17 miOuter Banks40 miMorehead City70 miNeuse River110 miVirginia Beach114 miTar River116 mi
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