Share your catch

Wilmington Fishing Report

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

The Cape Fear's port city: river reds among the rice-field ruins, urban dock snook-lite and beaches ten minutes from downtown.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Next tide
Low 11:08 PM
Air / High
91 / 91 F
Wind
SSW 10 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8658120, 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.

Wilmington locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. Today brings clear skies, wind SSW around 10 mph, rising pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 91. Tides: high 3:11 AM and 3:59 PM, low 9:47 AM and 11:08 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 85 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

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

BluefishExcellent

Dawn and dusk metal: cast spoons and poppers where bait shows. Midday fish slide deeper off the bars.

Speckled troutGood

First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 96 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 8658120 (Wilmington, Cape Fear River). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH3:11 AM4.2 ft
LOW9:47 AM0.3 ft
HIGH3:59 PM5.0 ft
LOW11:08 PM0.9 ft
Sat
HIGH4:25 AM4.2 ft
LOW10:58 AM0.4 ft
HIGH5:12 PM5.0 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp91 F
High / Low91 / 76 F
WindSSW 10-13 mph
Pressure1015.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset06:47 / 19:34
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~85 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, 91/76 F, wind 11 mph, rain 2%

Fair or better. A 11 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

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. Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled trout illustration

Speckled trout

Best: spring and fall

The Gulf coast's everyday obsession: soft mouths, violent topwater strikes and a fishery that lives by tide and bait. First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

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. Dawn and dusk metal: cast spoons and poppers where bait shows. Midday fish slide deeper off the bars.

When to come: the Wilmington 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
Redfish (red drum)
Speckled trout
Bluefish
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 85 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~85 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 Wilmington 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. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 91 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 93 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. 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

NC CRFL license (river above the salt line needs inland too: check the line). Stripers: release rules on the run: check NCDMF/WRC.

Access

Dram Tree Park, Castle Street ramps, riverwalk access; creek kayak launches.

About this water

The Cape Fear port city, New Hanover County, NC. Brackish-river fishing with a downtown skyline.

Fishing Wilmington: the full guide

River city fishing

Wilmington works the Cape Fear's last tidal miles: redfish and flounder among the colonial rice-field cuts, striped bass wintering under the downtown bridges (a rebuilding native run: release culture), and the blackwater creeks' oxbows holding largemouth beside the reds: the brackish blend of the lower river is the fishery's signature.

The urban program

Downtown's riverwalk and bridge lights fish at night (specks in the cooler months, the odd stray tarpon rolling in late summer), the state port's edges hold sheepshead and drum, and the Northeast Cape Fear's cypress banks run the freshwater side: one license area, two worlds within the city limits.

Beaches in reach

Wrightsville, Carolina and Kure beaches ring the city within twenty minutes: piers, jetties and surf running the full Carolina calendar (see the Carolina Beach page for the south side's detail). Wilmington is the hub: the fishery radiates every direction with the tide.

Working the port city

Dram Tree and Castle Street ramps serve the river: kayak launches thread the creeks (Smith Creek, the rice fields off Eagle Island): and the river's stain rewards scent and vibration: gold spoons and cut bait outfish finesse most days. Watch the river's stage after rains: the salt wedge moves miles and the fish ride it.

Common questions

Can you catch redfish in downtown Wilmington?

In the river's cuts and creek mouths minutes from the riverwalk, yes: the brackish lower Cape Fear holds slot reds year-round. Gold spoons in the stained water: the signature.

Are there striped bass in the Cape Fear?

A rebuilding native run winters in the river: catch-and-release with care. The bridge lights after dark are the traditional encounter.

Is fishing good at Wilmington 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

Carolina Beach14 miCape Fear River40 miMyrtle Beach65 miNeuse River74 miMorehead City78 miMurrells Inlet78 mi
Share your catch