The Wilmington, 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: Aug 1, 2026, 8:01 AM
On Saturday, August 1, Wilmington, NC sees high tide at 9:47 AM (4.0 ft) and 10:09 PM (4.5 ft), low tide at 3:48 AM (0.1 ft) and 3:56 PM (0.3 ft). Winds 3–13 mph from the SE gusting to 22 mph. Air temperatures 74–89°F. Current water temperature is about 82°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 8658163
| Low tide | 3:48 AM | 0.1 ft |
| High tide | 9:47 AM | 4.0 ft |
| Low tide | 3:56 PM | 0.3 ft |
| High tide | 10:09 PM | 4.5 ft |
Wind
3–13 mph SE
Gusts
22 mph
Air Temp
74–89°F
Water Temp
82°F
Tides from NOAA Station 8658163 · wind & temperature from Open-Meteo. Open the live forecast for hourly charts and the 7-day outlook.
7-Day Forecast
See wind, tide & wave conditions 7 days out — including model comparison.
Try 7-Day View Free for 7 DaysFree 7-day trial unlocks the complete 7-day marine forecast with model comparison. No credit card required.
Tide data sourced from NOAA Station 8658163
Wilmington is North Carolina's premier coastal fishing city, offering access to the Cape Fear River estuary, Masonboro Sound, and the Atlantic's productive nearshore reefs. The area's diverse inshore habitat — including vast salt marshes, tidal creeks, and grass beds — supports healthy populations of red drum, spotted seatrout, flounder, and sheepshead throughout the seasons.
The Cape Fear River and its tributaries are outstanding red drum waters, with large bull reds — locally called "channel bass" — common in the river mouth and adjacent sound. Spotted seatrout fishing is excellent on the Masonboro Island grass flats from spring through fall. Surf fishing along Wrightsville Beach and the Cape Fear coast produces pompano, whiting, and occasional red drum.
Offshore from Wilmington via Carolina Beach Inlet or Masonboro Inlet, anglers access the productive live-bottom ledges of North Carolina's continental shelf. King mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and amberjack are abundant in fall. The Gulf Stream is reachable for billfish, mahi-mahi, and tuna during summer and fall. Check live conditions above before heading out.
Spring: Redfish break out of winter schools in the creeks off the Cape Fear River and Intracoastal as water hits the upper 50s. Black drum chew on shrimp around docks and oyster bars. April brings the first flounder inside, sheepshead return to pilings and by May, Spanish mackerel and bluefish are running the beachfronts on both sides of town.
Summer: Flounder settle on ledges and creek mouths in the river and around Snows Cut, and gigging lights work the flats at night. Redfish tail on flooded grass in the marsh behind Masonboro. Sheepshead bite fiddler crabs on bridge and dock pilings, and offshore boats out of the inlets deck mahi, sailfish and kings.
Fall: The mullet run lights up the beaches and inlets, with red drum, bluefish and Spanish tracking bait south. Speckled trout arrive in numbers by October in the creeks and along the Cape Fear River rocks, running through December. Big red drum school off the river mouth, and flounder fatten before pushing through the inlets.
Winter: Speckled trout are the target, wintering in deep creek holes off the ICW and the Cape Fear, eating suspending baits on warm afternoons. Redfish bunch into big clear-water schools on shallow mud flats in the backwaters. Black drum hold around dock pilings, and a mild January can fish more like late fall.
The Cape Fear River gives Wilmington anglers everything from downtown dock fishing to redfish marsh in its lower reaches. Snows Cut, connecting the river to the Intracoastal at Carolina Beach, is a proven flounder and drum funnel with strong current. Masonboro Island, the undeveloped barrier between Wrightsville and Carolina Beach, offers surf, inlet and marsh fishing reached only by boat. Masonboro Inlet's jetties hold sheepshead, reds and trout, and the ICW docks between Wrightsville Beach and Snows Cut are wintertime black drum and sheepshead standbys.