In the mountains the Delayed Harvest water has been catch and release since October 1 and is stocked in November this year, and the Hatchery Supported streams stay open with bait through February. On the coast speckled trout hold in the creeks, canals and deep bends, and a hard freeze can close them; striped bass may be kept only in the ocean, and cobia close after December 31.
What to fish for in early November
Mountains and sounds carry the winter, with the Piedmont lakes between them. The high country's stocked trout streams make the inland side, the big lakes keep their crappie on the brush, and on the coast the fishing tightens into the creeks and backwaters that hold warmth, with the Outer Banks surf and inlets giving drum early on. Ocean stripers reach Oregon Inlet only in the winters the bait and the water line up.
Spotted Seatrout
Crowds into the water that holds its warmth as the sounds cool and feeds on the falling tide on the mild afternoons; a cold snap that drops shallow water fast can stun it.
Where. Residential canals, marinas and the deep creek bends from the New River and Swansboro to the Neuse and the Pamlico, close to the bottom.
The spotted seatrout waters we forecast Water Forecast Beaufort Inlet Today's forecast Wrightsville Beach Best Thu, Nov 12, A+Today's forecast Redfish (Red Drum)
The big red drum of the fall run feed along the Outer Banks surf early in the quarter, and the smaller puppy drum winter in the same creeks as the speckled trout.
Where. The Hatteras and Ocracoke surf and the Point early, then the marsh creeks behind the beaches from Bogue Sound south.
Black Drum
Feeds steadily through the cold in the surf and around the inlet bridges, one of the few fish that seems not to mind the winter water.
Where. The Hatteras and Ocracoke surf, the Oregon Inlet bridge and the deeper holes of the sounds.
Rainbow Trout
Stocked into the Delayed Harvest stretches late in the fall and caught and released through the winter, holding in the slower, deeper pools as the water chills.
Where. The Davidson, the Nantahala, the Tuckasegee, the Watauga and the other Delayed Harvest stretches of the mountains, and the Hatchery Supported streams until they close at the end of February.
The rainbow trout waters we forecast Water Forecast Davidson River Best Thu, Nov 5, A+Today's forecast Crappie
Holds tight on brush and bridge pilings in the big lakes and bites slowly, best on the stable days between fronts.
Where. Bridge pilings and brush on Norman, Jordan, Falls and High Rock, and Kerr and Gaston on the Virginia line.
The crappie waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Lake Norman about 65F Best Thu, Nov 5, A+Today's forecast
Usual water now is that water's normal for this point in the season: a lake's modeled seasonal curve or a river gauge's long-run average, not this year's reading. The forecast link reads this week's.
What changes soon
Nothing on this report's calendar for North Carolina in the next six weeks.
In the last two weeks
- Sun November 1Delayed Harvest streams turn catch and release in Georgia, South Carolina and West Virginia, and on Big Soddy Creek in Tennessee; those in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Kentucky have been catch and release since October 1. North Carolina stocks its Delayed Harvest water during November this year, a month later than usual.
Every date for North Carolina from November to February (3)
- Sun November 1Delayed Harvest streams turn catch and release in Georgia, South Carolina and West Virginia, and on Big Soddy Creek in Tennessee; those in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Kentucky have been catch and release since October 1. North Carolina stocks its Delayed Harvest water during November this year, a month later than usual.
- Thu December 31Last day of North Carolina's cobia season.
- Sun February 28Last day of North Carolina's Hatchery Supported trout season, closed from March 1 to the first Saturday in April, and of Georgia's bluefish season.
This week's fishing reports
This report covers the season. For what was caught this week, read the people who report on this water.
North Carolina is thinner in winter than in any other season. Capt. Marty's Outer Banks report runs about three times a week all winter, as a podcast with a few lines of text, and Capt. Jot Owens writes a Wrightsville Beach report every month, but Fisherman's Post published its area reports last winter only on November 1 and December 17, and the Pirate's Cove fleet stopped posting after November. The mountains, the Piedmont lakes, the Roanoke and the Cape Fear have no winter reporter, and in the mountains the Commission's daily stocking list is the only dated record.
Where to fish in North Carolina, area by area
Each water links to its live forecast. The engine outlook in these areas was generated November 3, 2026, for the 14 days from that date; good hours are the hours at or above a B+.
The North Carolina mountains
Davidson River · North Fork French Broad River · Pisgah National Forest streams · Nantahala River · Watauga River
The Blue Ridge and the Smokies west of Asheville and north toward Boone: wild and stocked trout streams through national forest, Hatchery Supported and Delayed Harvest water, and tailwaters below the power dams. Much of it is reached on foot from forest roads.
Who reports here. No winter reporter could be found for the mountain trout water: the Davidson River shop's report page is overwritten and was not captured last winter, and another shop's report page no longer loads. The Commission's daily stocking page is the dated record, and it will show when the Delayed Harvest stocking lands in November.
Engine outlook
- Best: Thu, Nov 5, A+10 good hours56F measured Nov 3 at DAVIDSON RIVER NEAR BREVARD, NCbest run 5h42 cfsat DAVIDSON RIVER NEAR BREVARD, NCon this water
The Piedmont lakes
Lake Norman · Lake Wylie · High Rock Lake · Badin Lake · Jordan Lake
Power and flood-control lakes from the Catawba chain around Charlotte, Wylie and Norman, and the Yadkin-Pee Dee chain, High Rock and Badin, to Jordan and Falls near the Triangle and Kerr and Gaston on the Virginia line. Largemouth, spotted bass, crappie, striped and hybrid bass and catfish, much of it fished close to the cities.
Who reports here. Nobody publishes a dated winter report for Norman, Jordan, Falls, High Rock or Badin: Capt. Gus Gustafson's Lake Norman column ran in no issue last winter, and the magazine pieces on these lakes are undated technique articles. Kerr and Gaston are reported every week from the Virginia side by Green Top.
Engine outlook
- Best: Thu, Nov 5, A+13 good hours65F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curvebest run 13h
The coastal rivers
Roanoke River · Tar River · Neuse River · Cape Fear River
The rivers that cross the coastal plain to the sounds, the Roanoke, the Tar-Pamlico, the Neuse and the Cape Fear, each with a run of striped bass and shad below the fall line, and largemouth and catfish in the cypress swamps and backwaters.
Who reports here. All of these are closed to keeping striped bass all winter, so the fishing is catch and release. Fisherman's Post reported the Pamlico and the Neuse on November 1 and December 17 last winter and not again until spring, and nobody reports the Weldon reach or the Cape Fear in winter.
Engine outlook
- Best: Tue, Nov 10, A+13 good hours66F measured Nov 3 at ROANOKE RIVER AT HALIFAX, NCbest run 13h1570 cfsat ROANOKE RIVER AT ROANOKE RAPIDS, NCon this water
The Albemarle and Currituck sounds
Currituck Sound · Albemarle Sound · Chowan River · Perquimans River · Pasquotank River
The northeast corner, Currituck Sound behind the northern Outer Banks, a shallow, grassy bass sound, and the Albemarle with its rivers, the Chowan, the Perquimans, the Pasquotank and the North, white and yellow perch, largemouth and striped bass water, mostly fresh or barely brackish.
Who reports here. No dated winter report could be found for this corner, after searches by name; the Outer Banks report that runs three times a week stays on the inlets, the surf and offshore.
The Outer Banks
Oregon Inlet · Hatteras Island · Ocracoke Island · Nags Head · Pamlico Sound
The barrier islands from Corolla to Ocracoke, with ocean surf, piers and inlets on one side and Pamlico Sound behind. Cape Hatteras reaches out toward the Gulf Stream, so offshore water is close, and the Point and the inlets are where migrating bluefish, red drum and striped bass pass.
Who reports here. Capt. Marty's Outer Banks report ran about three times a week all winter, fifty episodes from November 3 to February 27, as a podcast with a few lines of text. The Pirate's Cove fleet's catch posts stopped after November.
Engine outlook
- Best: Wed, Nov 11, A+13 good hours65F measured Nov 3 at Oregon Inlet Marina tide stationbest run 6h
The Crystal Coast
Bogue Sound · Bogue Inlet Pier · Beaufort Inlet · Cape Lookout · Morehead City
Bogue Banks and the sounds from Beaufort to Swansboro, south-facing beaches tucked behind Cape Lookout, with Beaufort and Bogue inlets, the piers, and the shoals off the cape. Speckled trout and red drum in the marsh creeks, false albacore and bluefish along the beaches.
Who reports here. Fisherman's Post reported Morehead City, Atlantic Beach, Swansboro and Emerald Isle on November 1 and December 17 last winter only, and the Carteret County weekly column is behind a paywall, so January and February have no free reporter.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The southern coast
Topsail Island · Wrightsville Beach · Masonboro Inlet · Carolina Beach · Cape Fear River
Topsail Island south to the South Carolina line: Wrightsville and Carolina beaches, the mouth of the Cape Fear at Southport, and Oak Island to Ocean Isle, a coast of inlets and marsh-backed sounds with the Intracoastal Waterway behind the beaches.
Who reports here. Capt. Jot Owens wrote his Wrightsville Beach report once a month all last winter, early in November, December, January and February.
Engine outlook
- Best: Thu, Nov 12, A+11 good hours68F measured Nov 3 at Wrightsville Beach tide stationbest run 6h
The rules from November to February
What changed this time
- New this fall: the Delayed Harvest stocking moved from October to November, and far fewer trout are being stocked all year. Setzer, the hatchery that supplied most of them, closed for renovation late in 2025, and Armstrong lost about 70 percent of its fish to heat, drought and damage from Hurricane Helene.
- Last winter cold stuns closed speckled trout in coastal waters from February 6 to June 30, 2026, after the Division asked anglers to report stunned fish in December and January, and the Commission proposed the same for inland waters. A closure like it can come at any point in a hard winter, so check the Division before keeping one.
- The 2027 cobia and shad proclamations are due at the end of December and take effect on January 1; until a cobia season opens, none may be kept.
Read on October 19, 2026, from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (its inland regulations, trout pages and news releases) and the Division of Marine Fisheries (its recreational limits and proclamations), with Coastal Review and the Island Free Press for last winter's closures.
Licenses, and which state's rules apply
- Fresh water takes an inland fishing license and salt water a Coastal Recreational Fishing License (CRFL). Either is good on joint waters, the sounds and lower rivers the two agencies share, but neither covers the other one's own water. The inland license includes the public mountain trout waters. Visitors can buy either for ten days, and anglers under 16 need neither.
- A three-day Mountain Heritage Trout Waters license, sold to residents and visitors alike, is the only license needed to fish the waters the Commission designates as mountain heritage trout waters.
- A Virginia or North Carolina license is good, from a boat or the bank, on Kerr (Buggs Island) and Gaston lakes and their tributaries a boat can reach, the Dan River below Union Street Dam at Danville, the New River from the forks in Alleghany County to the Little River in Grayson County, and every water on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Each state's regulations apply on its own side.
- Anyone who keeps a red drum, a flounder, a speckled trout, a striped bass or a gray trout (weakfish) must report it to the Division of Marine Fisheries. That applies in coastal and joint waters and in the inland waters next to them.
Bait, gear and fish you cannot keep
- River herring, alewife and blueback, may not be kept from coastal or joint waters, bait included. A fish with a size or creel limit must keep its head and tail while you fish, except mullet and hickory shad used for bait, and no more than two of those may be cut up at a time on a boat.
- On Wild Trout waters, catch-and-release trout waters, and Delayed Harvest waters until June, only artificial lures with one single hook may be used, and carrying natural bait while fishing them is unlawful. An artificial lure is one with no scent or taste added.
Lakes, ponds and rivers
- Hatchery Supported trout waters are open through February 28, seven trout a day with no size limit and no bait restriction, then close on March 1 until 7 a.m. on the first Saturday in April. Power reservoirs and city water-supply reservoirs designated as trout waters never close.
- Delayed Harvest trout waters are catch and release from October 1 until the evening before the first Saturday in June. Wild Trout waters are open all year, four trout a day of at least seven inches, and catch-and-release trout waters keep nothing at any time.
- A striped bass may be kept from the sounds and coastal rivers only in an open season. The Albemarle Sound area's season is closed, the Roanoke's harvest is closed by proclamation, the Cape Fear is closed by rule, and in the Central Southern area it is unlawful even to have one. Every striped bass caught where no season is open goes back at once.
- In inland waters, flounder, speckled trout, gray trout (weakfish) and sheepshead carry the same size and creel limits as in the joint and coastal waters next to them.
Salt water
- Red drum are one a day, from 18 to 27 inches, and may never be gigged, speared or gaffed. Speckled trout are three a day from 14 to 20 inches, and one of the three may be over 26. A severe cold stun can close speckled trout by proclamation until the survivors have had the chance to spawn, so check before keeping one.
- Flounder of all three species may be kept only in a season the Division opens by proclamation, and outside one it is unlawful even to have one: one a day, at least 15 inches. Cobia may be kept through December 31, one a day of at least 36 inches fork length and only one per private boat, and from January 1 it is unlawful to have one until the next season opens.
- In the ocean out to three miles, striped bass are open all year at one a day from 28 to 31 inches. Natural bait must be fished on a non-offset circle hook that is not stainless steel, and no striped bass may be taken with a gaff, gig or spear.
- Shad limits in coastal and joint waters are set by proclamation each year: ten American and hickory shad a day together, of which only one may be an American shad in most waters, five on the Cape Fear, and any of the ten on the Pamlico and Pungo. No American shad may be kept from the ocean.
- Gray trout (weakfish) are one a day of at least 12 inches, sheepshead five a day of at least 14 inches, and black drum ten a day from 14 to 25 inches with one over 25 allowed. Bluefish are five a day, seven on a for-hire boat. Tarpon, Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon and river herring may not be kept.
Read on these agency pages: N.C. General Statute 113-271, hook-and-line licenses in inland and joint fishing waters, N.C. General Statute 113-174.2, the Coastal Recreational Fishing License, NCWRC: License Types and Fees (frequently asked questions), Virginia DWR: Reciprocal Licenses, NC Division of Marine Fisheries: Mandatory Harvest Reporting, NC Division of Marine Fisheries: Recreational Size and Bag Limits, NCWRC: Trout Fishing in North Carolina (the five trout water classifications), NCWRC: Striped Bass Fishing Information, DMF proclamation FF-12-2026: spotted seatrout closed after cold stun events, DMF proclamation FF-27-2026: recreational flounder season, DMF proclamation FF-4-2026: cobia, DMF proclamation FF-25-2023 (revised): striped bass in the Atlantic Ocean, DMF proclamation FF-8-2026: American and hickory shad.
The season at a glance
What these months usually do
Each lake's own seasonal curve, the one the engine scores the lake on: what these dates usually do, modeled rather than measured, and not a forecast for this year.
| Water | Nov 1 | Dec 1 | Jan 1 | Feb 1 | Feb 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Norman | 66F | 55F | 48F | 46F | 50F |
Each river's own gauge: its average for these dates across the years it has recorded, measured, and not a forecast for this year.
| Water | Nov 1 | Dec 1 | Jan 1 | Feb 1 | Feb 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roanoke River at Roanoke RapidsROANOKE RIVER AT HALIFAX, NC, 1998 to 2026 | 64F | 54F | 47F | 43F | 46F |
The moon from November to February
| Month | New moon | Full moon |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Mon, Nov 9 | Tue, Nov 24 |
| December 2026 | Tue, Dec 8 | Wed, Dec 23 |
| January 2027 | Thu, Jan 7 | Fri, Jan 22 |
| February 2027 | Sat, Feb 6 | Sat, Feb 20 |
The U.S. Naval Observatory's dates, on local time.
Daylight in each area from November to February
Worked out for one place in each area, on its own clock.
| Area | Shortest day | Earliest sunset | Latest sunrise |
|---|---|---|---|
| The North Carolina mountainsat Davidson River | 9h 46m, Dec 21 | 5:20pm, around Dec 6 | 7:41am, around Jan 7 |
| The Piedmont lakesat Lake Norman | 9h 45m, Dec 21 | 5:12pm, around Dec 6 | 7:35am, around Jan 6 |
| The coastal riversat Roanoke River at Roanoke Rapids | 9h 40m, Dec 21 | 4:56pm, around Dec 6 | 7:24am, around Jan 6 |
| The Albemarle and Currituck soundsat Currituck Sound | 9h 41m, Dec 21 | 4:50pm, around Dec 6 | 7:17am, around Jan 6 |
| The Outer Banksat Oregon Inlet | 9h 44m, Dec 21 | 4:50pm, around Dec 6 | 7:14am, around Jan 7 |
| The Crystal Coastat Beaufort Inlet | 9h 49m, Dec 21 | 4:57pm, around Dec 5 | 7:16am, around Jan 7 |
| The southern coastat Wrightsville Beach | 9h 52m, Dec 21 | 5:03pm, around Dec 5 | 7:19am, around Jan 7 |
The lowest tides from November to February
| Station | Lowest, Nov | Lowest, Dec | Lowest, Jan | Lowest, Feb | Biggest range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon Inlet Marina | 0.1 ftWed, Nov 25, 1:36am | -0.1 ftThu, Dec 24, 1:24am | -0.2 ftSat, Jan 23, 3:16pm | -0.2 ftSat, Feb 20, 2:02pm | 1.3 ftDec 24 |
| Beaufort, Duke Marine Lab | -0.4 ftThu, Nov 26, 2:07am | -0.8 ftFri, Dec 25, 1:55am | -1.0 ftSat, Jan 23, 1:46am | -0.9 ftSun, Feb 21, 1:34am | 4.8 ftDec 25 |
| Wrightsville Beach | -0.5 ftWed, Nov 25, 12:54am | -1.0 ftFri, Dec 25, 1:32am | -1.2 ftSat, Jan 23, 1:21am | -1.2 ftSun, Feb 21, 1:07am | 6.2 ftDec 24 |
NOAA's predictions, in feet above the average of each day's lower low tide, so a minus tide falls below it. Wind and air pressure move the water off the prediction.