Hatteras tide chart today next high 12:18 PM

Questions people ask about Hatteras

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Hatteras.

Is it worth fishing Hatteras today?

5 out of 10 — picky. Work for it. The strongest stretch is 3:02 AM–5:02 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level and the water temperature.

What time should you fish Hatteras?

Today's major windows run 3:02 AM–5:02 AM and 3:26 PM–5:26 PM, with minor windows at 10:52 AM–11:52 AM and 8:54 PM–9:54 PM. Sunrise is 6:45 AM and sunset 7:09 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.

What is the water temperature at Hatteras?

81.1°F, read at 8:48 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8654467. That is 2.2 degrees cooler than 24 hours ago.

What is the water level at Hatteras right now?

1.122 ft above MLLW, read at 8:48 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8654467. Over 24 hours it is up 0.06 ft.

Are water levels rising or falling at Hatteras?

Holding steady. The lake is up 0.06 ft in 24 hours and up 0.02 ft over the week. Over the last 9 days it has held between 0.56 and 1.23 ft. Every figure here is a difference between two gauge readings, not a forecast — what the level does next depends on rain and on what the dam releases.

Can you eat the fish you catch in Hatteras?

That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where an interactive map covers statewide and per-water advisories, including PFOS on the middle and lower Cape Fear. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.

NCDHHS fish consumption advisory

Do you need a licence to fish Hatteras?

Yes. A North Carolina fishing license covers this water, required from age 16. NCWRC sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What a North Carolina license costs, and who is exempt

What size fish can you keep in North Carolina?

It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: red drum (channel bass, puppy drum), spotted seatrout (speckled trout), black drum, sheepshead. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Red drum (channel bass, puppy drum) limits · Spotted seatrout (speckled trout) limits · Black drum limits · Sheepshead limits · Check a length against the rules