What would you recommend to anglers fishing in Carolina Beach, North Carolina for the first time?

Do some research on the do’s and don’ts ahead of time and ask questions of your captain if you have them. Don’t get disappointed if things start a little slow, it will pick up and the captains know how to find the fish. They of course can’t always get them to come up and get hooked.

Don’t think there’s a bad time to be at Carolina Beach (except maybe a hurricane but that might be debate able). We caught a boat load of fish, a wide variety, and the water wasn’t too rough for the kids.

I’m always amazed on how these guides can put you on fish in the worst conditions. We traveled to NC in late December for a family getaway which is not ideal for fishing. If your looking to make it a fishing trip, I’d suggest planning dates out with the guide so you can hit the prime time months.

Watch weather and tides, keeping tides low or fishing later in the day as required.. for higher tides stay tight to the reeds,mix up bobber vs bottom rigs.. shrimp and or minnows seem to be the favored bait.

Keep and eye on the weather to ensure you pick the best day for your trip. Bad weather could possibly ruin your trip if it needs to be canceled for client safety. Take plenty of snacks / refreshments depending on how long your trip is. :)

Be prepared to catch a variety of fish....depending on the time of year it makes a difference in what you are likely to catch and it also depends on how far out you go. For the first time charter or first time fisherman, you may want to consider a half day trip in-shore and then move up to a full day either in-shore or to the gulfstream (off shore). If you are an experienced fisherman, then the gulf stream trip would be my recommendation. Also, consider going with at nice large sportfishing boat (like the Wet N Wild) and the ride will be much better in the event you have some higher swells.

Bring a grill or have one at the rental. Hydrate extra day before and day of. Have a frozen bottle of water handy it helped keep my head from getting too hot. Wear comfortable footwear. Rashguard shirt to limit sun exposure.

Use fish witch 2 captain Nick and first mate I'm telling you it's worth every penny you pay these guys know where the fish is and you will not find any better people then these two guys they really go above and beyond they really do deliver

It's a great area for inshore, nearshore and offshore fishing and there's something to target all year long. If you are really specific on catching one certain species, I'd suggest contacting a charter captain to see when he suggest the best time of year to go out for them.

Morning trips in September produce a little more from what I understand. But we caught some and missed alot on our evening charter. Not used to having bait sucked off the hook being a bass guy from Pa. Lol

I would NOT recommend fishing in August, particularly in the afternoon. The Captain told us that mornings were better on hot days, but the morning wasn't an option for us. If we were to go fishing again at Carolina Beach we would wait until October/November, which the Captain also recommended.

Overall very good experience. We did not have "great" fishing but Captain Mason was very intent on catching and tried various different spots. We did however catch enough to have our family of 8 enjoy a very good fish dinner in the evening. I would definitely recommend this trip for the first-timers coming to Carolina Beach.

Captain Mason had us on the fish for the entire trip. We got about 15 pounds of Red Fish. We also caught Black Drum, White Drum, Sheepshead, Croakers and a Black Tipped Shark. My arm is still a little soar from reeling in those huge Red Fish. Worth the money.

Connect with pros like Tried and True Charters .The Capt and first mate were professional, friendly and knowledgeable. They knew their stuff and took us right where we needed to be to catch the fish. Sit back relax and they put you in the perfect position to have a great fishing adventure.

I’m not an experienced fisherman by any means so my best recommendation is hire a professional to take you where the fish are! You can’t go wrong with Captain Randy & 1st Mate Nick with Fish Whistle fishing charter!

CB is a great little beach town. Bracketed by Wilmington and Southport - it's a good place to stay, eat, fish & beach.. or drive 30 mins and explore some of the other local areas. Several very nice golf courses nearby too

Experience helps. If you are a novice @ ocean fishing, don"t expect to catch a lot; [just hook a lot] Summer fishing is always tough. Austin did find fish. From what I heard on the radio, we were having better luck than others

Try the fish witch they are kind and funny and professional .we had far from perfect conditions and still enjoyed ourselves in five foot swells

Big Spanish mackerel just started to show up. Bonito are still in the area. Mahi and Blackfin Tuna are offshore. Blues are pushing bait close to beaches.

Top notch crew in Carolina beach I wish I could fish with them every weekend in the summer

Pick a day that doesn't consist of clear skies if any way possible. Cloud cover definitely helps the trout bite.

We come in October every year to take advantage of the great weather and fishing. We highly recommend the backwater trip if you enjoy the thrill of catching red drum.

go with Captain Bryan Armstrong. He's very friendly very helpful and will do his best to make sure you catch some fish.

Be prepared for weather, except what you get and make the best of your day on the water. Lots of water and sun block

We went in August, not long after a bad storm. Water clarity wasn't the best and we stayed nearshore. Was a fun time but unfortunately didn't catch anything

Nick was so patient with my kids and wanted to ensure they caught what they wanted. Was teaching my son all aspects of fishing.

It was windy that day, the water was a little rough. But we had an absolute blast! We can’t change the weather so we made the best of the day and I’m so glad we did!

Fine as long as you don't get sea sick and keep your trip to adults only. Don't expect any deviation or plan B, if you don't happen to catch what they have planned for you.

If you want a knowledgeable captain who knows the waters and keeps track of everyone on board, I highly recommend this one. Mason is the best!!

FishingBooker.com is awesome. The amount of information available and the contact with our Charter and Captain was a huge help. The whole experience from start to finish was amazing.