The Atlantic Beach, NC marine forecast covers live wind speed and gusts, tide predictions, wave conditions, and major and minor solunar feeding times, updated continuously from NOAA and Open-Meteo. The strongest fishing windows usually line up with the moving tide and the solunar periods shown below — check current conditions before you head out.
By Steve Wilson, lifelong angler & founder of My Marine Forecast
Last updated: Sep 15, 2026, 8:00 AM
On Tuesday, September 15, Atlantic Beach, NC sees high tide at 11:34 AM (3.9 ft) and 11:46 PM (3.2 ft), low tide at 4:59 AM (0.5 ft) and 5:47 PM (0.9 ft). Winds 7–13 mph from the NE gusting to 23 mph. Air temperatures 71–83°F. Current water temperature is about 84°F. The strongest fishing windows line up with the moving water around each tide change, roughly an hour on either side.
Today's Tides · Station 8656483
| Low tide | 4:59 AM | 0.5 ft |
| High tide | 11:34 AM | 3.9 ft |
| Low tide | 5:47 PM | 0.9 ft |
| High tide | 11:46 PM | 3.2 ft |
Wind
7–13 mph NE
Gusts
23 mph
Air Temp
71–83°F
Water Temp
84°F
Tides from NOAA Station 8656483 · wind & temperature from Open-Meteo. Open the live forecast for hourly charts and the 7-day outlook.
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Tide data sourced from NOAA Station 8656483
Atlantic Beach sits on the Crystal Coast, right across Bogue Sound from Morehead City, and it's the inshore complement to the area's famous offshore fleet. The Sound, the back bays behind Shackleford Banks, and the nearshore structure produce red drum, flounder, and spotted seatrout that most anglers outside the region don't think about.
The Bogue Inlet is one of the most productive fishing spots on the Carolina coast. Flounder stack in the inlet in Fall, and the incoming tide pushes them into the Sound where they can be caught near the grass edges. Speckled trout peak in Winter — a cold-water species that responds well when air temperatures drop in November and the fish feed aggressively.
Nearshore from Atlantic Beach, sheepshead and black sea bass hold close to structure in comfortable water. King mackerel and Spanish mackerel are thick on the nearshore ledges in Fall. Cape Lookout — accessible by boat or 4WD ferry — offers some of the best surf fishing for red drum on the entire East Coast.
Bogue Sound is shallow and exposed. The afternoon sea breeze picks up every Summer day. Morning trips catch calmer water and more active fish. Plan your inlet fishing around the moving tide, and check the chart above before running the inlet.
Spring: Sea mullet kick things off in the surf and at the piers in March and April. Bluefish arrive in waves, followed by Spanish mackerel off the beaches by May. Sheepshead return to the bridges and Fort Macon rocks, and flounder begin creeping back into Bogue Sound as it warms.
Summer: Spanish mackerel and king mackerel are the daily business, from pier plankers at Oceanana to boats working the tide lines off Beaufort Inlet. Flounder settle into Bogue Sound's channels and dock lines, sheepshead chew barnacled pilings, and pompano and sea mullet feed in the wash on calm days.
Fall: False albacore blitz the inlet and the beaches toward Cape Lookout from October into November, a light-tackle and fly fishery with a national reputation. Big red drum move along the shoals, speckled trout school in the sound and surf, and heavyweight bluefish crash bait as the water cools.
Winter: Speckled trout winter over in the deeper creeks and channels off Bogue Sound, biting on warmer afternoons. Sea mullet and the odd black drum come from the surf between fronts, and a short run offshore, the Morehead City area hosts one of the East Coast's known winter bluefin tuna fisheries.
Fort Macon State Park caps the east end of the island, with jetty rocks and inlet-side beach fronting Beaufort Inlet, the main passage to the ocean. The Oceanana Fishing Pier is the town's long-running ocean pier for Spanish, blues and bottom fish. Bogue Sound runs the length of the island's back side with flounder channels and trout creeks, and the Atlantic Beach bridge area holds sheepshead. Cape Lookout's shoals and rock jetty sit a short boat ride east and draw the fall albacore and drum crowds.