Book Your Fishing Charter in Hampstead, NC

Regarded as a true southern gem because of miles of scenic oceanfront and charming atmosphere, the coastal community of Hampstead should be your next destination to visit in North Carolina. If you come to Hampstead, you’ll only be minutes away from Topsail Island and the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Boaters, anglers, and water sport enthusiasts alike will find a haven in this community.

Tons of activities and amenities can be found in Hampstead. You’ll never run out of places to explore, from historical locations to pristine beaches and islands. Anglers won’t need to worry about unproductive fishing in Hampstead because miles and miles of ocean are within reach. All year-round, you can target a variety of species that can maybe get you your next prized trophy catch.

Hampstead Fishing: Exciting Coastal Fishing

In Hampstead, you’ll encounter miles of beautiful oceanfront and easy access to waterways. This makes it one of the best places to fish in North Carolina. Whether you’re fishing from the shores or venturing out at sea, you’ll surely have a productive fishing experience.

You’ll be able to easily access the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway in Hampstead. Over thirty miles of coastline make it an excellent inshore fishing destination, whether you’re surf casting, pier fishing, bank fishing, or wade fishing. Species you can reel in from the shore include spot, Atlantic bonito, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic menhaden, Atlantic spadefish, black drum, red drum, black sea bass, striped bass, spotted sea trout, bluefish, butterfish, cobia, Florida pompano, southern flounder, summer flounder, gulf flounder, inshore lizardfish, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, kingfish, little tunny, northern puffer, oyster toadfish, pigfish, pinfish, searobin, shad, sheepshead, silver perch, skate, stingray, striped mullet, and weakfish. 

If you want to go out further by boat and go deep sea fishing, you can catch fish like almaco jack, bank sea bass, rock sea bass, bigeye tuna, blackfin tuna, bluefin tuna, skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna, blue marlin, white marlin, blueline tilefish, dolphinfish, gag grouper, red grouper, yellowedge grouper, grey triggerfish, great barracuda, greater amberjack, hogfish, knobbed porgy, red porgy, red snapper, vermilion snapper, yellowtail snapper, sailfish, scamp, sandbar shark, dogfish shark, speckled hind, spottail pinfish, swordfish, wahoo, white grunt, tarpon, and crevalle jack.

Some of the best fishing is done in and around Topsail Island. There, you can go surfcasting, pier fishing, and charter fishing. From Topsail Beach, you can reel in albacore tuna, drum, Spanish mackerel, flounder, trout, sharks, and more. You can fish from Seaview Pier, Surf City Ocean Pier, and Jolly Roger Pier, with cleaning stations and bait and tackle shops onsite. The island’s marsh area holds plenty of baitfish and forage for species like red drum, black drum, speckled trout, grey trout, flounder, spot, sheepshead, and bluefish. Baitcasting is an effective way to reel in targets. The area near Wilmington is an excellent place to go saltwater fly fishing.

Coastal Community Fun in Hampstead

1. Participate in the North Carolina Spot Festival

If your trip to Hampstead falls around the last week of September, you’ll get the chance to take part in the North Carolina Spot Festival. Over 6,000 spot dinner plates are served every year to raise money for Topsail schools and the community. 

2. Go Beaching

Miles of coastline act as Hampstead’s border and provide the community with tons of beach areas. Topsail Island has scenic views of the Atlantic Ocean and many local restaurants and specialty shops. Lea-Hutaff Island is an excellent place to go hiking, bird and wildlife watching, and camping.