Driving into Morehead City on Highway 24, you pass a sign with the words “Fishermen’s Paradise.”

Fisherman’s Paradise is right: there are as many ways to catch fish at the Crystal Coast as there are types of fish to catch here. People come from far and wide to cast a line along our shores and enjoy fresh local seafood, and this is the season they come. It’s fall fishing time! Read on for ways to share in the fall fishing fun.

Seafood Festival

There’s a reason the Seafood Festival is scheduled for the first weekend in October: it’s the kickoff of the fall fishing season!

This year, the Seafood Festival is from October 6^th-8^th, with 200,000 visitors and hundreds of food and craft vendors, entertainment, and educational activities. There are two musical stages, carnival rides, games, and funnel cake, but the star of the show is, of course, the seafood.

Keep an eye out for local seafood vendors at the festival: I’ll be on the lookout for soft shell crabs and fish bites. Then once you’ve had your fill of festival fun, it’s time to go fishing!

Oceanana Pier

“Are the spots running?”

That’s a question local fisherman Glenn Hall hears often this time of year, as his inland friends call to check on fishing conditions and schedule their fall fishing trip at the Oceanana Pier.

One perk of pier fishing is that you don’t need a fishing license and can buy bait, rent gear, and eat your meals at the pier house. Though the building closes in the evenings, the pier is open all night long!

Photo courtesy of Jessi Waugh.

Another perk: pier people.

Piers are homes for hundreds of people who return seasonally to walk the weathered boards, meet friends and family, and cast a line. They are community hubs – connecting folks from different walks of life and geographic areas, with a common love for the coast.

This time of year, look out for the spot to start swimming along the shore – they’re a tasty meal in themselves, and they bring bigger fish behind them. Cast cut shrimp, mullet, or artificial bait for fun little fish like spot, pompano, and blowfish (their cheeks taste like chicken!) or walk to the end of the pier with live bait and plugs to catch bluefish, drum, trout, mackerel, even albacore tuna and cobia.

Most importantly, don’t forget to talk to your fellow anglers. Many of them have been coming to Carteret County for decades, for generations. Every conversation about a sea trout or a mackerel turns into a tale about family members who return yearly to cast their lines into the surf. These are love stories: love of the beach, love of the ocean, love of fishing. Like Mr. Hall, who met his wife on the pier when she offered him eight black drum she’d caught.

“Did you take them?” I asked.

“Of course I did!”

What started as a friendship developed into love when she introduced him to mullet roe. A relationship built on common values and a love for fishing? Sounds like a firm foundation to me.

Surf Fishing

This one is for beach lovers and those who like a challenge.

Photo courtesy of Jessi Waugh.

Surf fishing poles are sturdier, the weights heavier, and you have to haul all the gear from the parking lot to the shore. You can tell a serious surf fisher by the size of their beach cart and how many accessories it has attached.

It’s tempting to lob your bait out as far as you can, but fish tend to stay close to the breaking waves, so you don’t have to cast far. Send your line just past the breakers and wait. Anything you can catch on a pier, you can catch from the shore, if you’re patient enough.

And if you’re not? Walk the beach and watch for surf fisherman with their poles and backs bent in battle. Let them do the hard part and admire their catch.

Boat Fishing

Photo courtesy of Jessi Waugh.

Do you own a boat? Great, you’ve already got one up on me. A little boat is all you need to doodle around in the mouths of Carteret County’s creeks and rivers – there are more fish in our shallow waters than many people realize.

Like me. I thought the big fins were all in the ocean, until a family member took us to the Newport River. We caught drum the size of my five-year-old, using cut mullet pulled in fresh from the river. A cast net is great for catching your own bait.

But let’s say, like me, you don’t own a boat. That’s what charters are for. You don’t need a boat, a fishing license, tackle, gear, bait, or a single clue what you’re doing, in order to have a good trip.

I spoke with charter boat captain Justin Ragsdale, from BreakDay Charters, about what to expect from a charter boat trip.

Ragsdale began his charter business after a career in pharmaceutical manufacturing. I don’t think we need to ask which job is more fun. Ragsdale decided to begin offering charters when he realized how much he enjoyed taking his friends fishing. He loves “sharing the fishing experience,” bringing people the same joy he remembers as a kid with his first catch. It also gives him more family time with his special needs child.

Ragsdale’s first word of advice is to tell the captain what you’re looking for: are you just wanting to feel the wind in your hair, or do you envision wrestling a wicked tuna? And don’t be afraid to check the captain’s credentials: license and proof of insurance. A good captain is prepared.

BreakDay Charters offers half-day, three-quarter day, and full day trips, or longer. Which do you want? It depends on your expectations.

Are you fishing with kids? Good for you! Children of all ages are welcome, though Ragsdale recommends waiting until they’re at least two years old. They’ll never forget their big fishing trip; what a great fall family tradition!

Photo courtesy of Jessi Waugh.

Ragsdale recommends sticking to inshore fishing and a shorter trip with kids, to ensure calmer seas. If the kids get cranky, you’re closer to home and their favorite nap spot. Little kids don’t need big fish to enjoy the experience: they like catching something they can reel in themselves; save the offshore days for the big kids. Though don’t be surprised if you catch a big one: big fish come inshore, too – red and black drum, speckled trout, sheepshead, and flounder are all common catches in our waterways.

If you’re heading offshore, you may find Spanish mackerel, grouper, false albacore, and bluefish. Take it farther out for a longer trip and get on some king mackerel, amberjack, maybe even cobia (my favorite!). If you go to the Gulf Stream, you could find vermillion snapper, triggerfish, wahoo, mahi, blackfin tuna, even sailfish like marlin!

Ragsdale can meet you at whatever boat access is most convenient, and off you’ll go on the adventure of a lifetime – with an experienced, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and qualified captain at the helm. Relax – you’re in good hands, and soon you’ll be reeling in your own fresh catch!

Mullet Fishing

If you’re more of a fishing spectator than participant (like me), then you don’t want to miss the mullet boats and tractors this month.

This long-lived tradition is unique to Bogue Banks, and few things are as picturesque as Farmall tractors and wooden row boats with net strung between them along the shore.

Only a few crews still practice this kind of fishing, and only in the fall, when the mullet are running along the beach. The crews place their tractors and boats on the shore, then when conditions are right, they set the net.

This means staking a net from the beach out to the breakers, then waiting for high tide to fill it with mullet. The catch is pulled in by hand, with help from the tractors. It’s hard work, but the fishermen do it for a love of tradition. Catch them in action before this tradition is gone.

Photo courtesy of Summer Ricketts.

License to Have Fun

Photo courtesy of Jessi Waugh.

There are also public piers, bulkheads, and numerous other places in Carteret County to fish: we’re surrounded by water! Except for the piers and charter boats, you’ll need a fishing license, which can be purchased for as little as six dollars a day.

Whatever you catch, be mindful of regulations on number and size of each species you can keep. Or, catch and release, and let the fish go on their way. Barbless hooks are helpful for this; you can even bend regular hooks’ barbs with a set of pliers, so they detach more easily from the fishes’ mouths.

If you’re new to fishing, stop by one of our friendly bait & tackle shops – they are full of helpful fishing enthusiasts (both employees and customers) who will set you on the right path with the right equipment and bait. Or buy a cast net, throw it out into Fisherman’s Paradise, and have fun!