About Morehead City
Morehead City sits on the west side of Morehead City Harbor, about 4 miles above the Beaufort Inlet channel entrance, with Beaufort on the east side. The Crystal Coast port reaches the Atlantic in Onslow Bay through Beaufort Inlet, with the Newport River, Bogue Sound and the Intracoastal Waterway inside. Fishing runs year-round and the species change by season: bluefin and blackfin tuna, amberjack, cobia, mahi, wahoo, yellowfin tuna, blue marlin, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel and red drum.
Morehead City is one of the Onslow Bay ports in the Atlantic Southeast offshore fishery, with the Gulf Stream offshore.
Anyone 16 or older who takes finfish in North Carolina coastal waters needs a Coastal Recreational Fishing License. Atlantic tunas and billfish also require a federal Atlantic HMS permit, except blackfin tuna and false albacore. North Carolina size, bag and season rules are on our North Carolina page.
Access and navigation
Two state boating access areas and three fuel docks serve the harbor and the Beaufort side. Beaufort Inlet is the only ocean entrance, and it can change from one season to the next.
Ramps and marinas
- Morehead City Boating Access Area – NCWRC ramp behind the Visitor Center, on the Intracoastal Waterway.
- Beaufort Boating Access Area – NCWRC ramp on Taylor’s Creek at Graydon Paul Park.
- Morehead City Yacht Basin – marina with fuel.
- Town Creek Marina – marina with fuel.
- Beaufort Town Docks – town docks with fuel.
Beaufort Inlet and the approaches
Beaufort Inlet is the ocean entrance, about 4 miles below the harbor. The NOAA Coast Pilot 4 chapter says the entrance, the main channels and all of the inlet are subject to continual change. The federal project depth is 47 ft over the bar, but the chart can lag the bottom.
Heavy swells can build in the channel with northerly or southerly winds, and tidal currents along the channel run about 2 knots. An ebb running against the swell can stand it up.
At the entrance to Morehead City Channel, the current tends to set across the channel near the end of the flood and the start of the ebb, so plan around the turn of the tide. An older report put the current at 4 to 5 knots off the southwest corner of the State Ports Authority Terminal, with whirlpools off the southeast corner at maximum tides.
A dredged-material dump site lies just west of the entrance channel, and depths there might be less than charted. A westbound boat is tempted to cut across it as a shortcut. Cape Lookout Shoals are the principal danger in the approach, so plan around them on the run east.
Morehead City Harbor handles deep-draft ships, and the pilot boat monitors VHF-FM channels 13, 14 and 16. Vessels 65 ft or longer are limited to 10 knots within 20 nm of the port approach during the seasonal management period, and right whales can be seen in the approaches.
The alternative approach is Bogue Inlet to the west.
On arrival, look at the water from the jetty side. Read the Newport/Morehead City marine forecast, which covers coastal zones out to 20 and 60 nm, then compare it with the NDBC marine observations map. The forecast predicts conditions, while the buoy reports them as they are. If the water looks bigger than you want, switch approaches or stay inside.
Fishing conditions off Morehead City
The state’s charted artificial reefs off Beaufort Inlet run from 3.6 to 33.7 nm from the entrance, per the NCDMF artificial reef guide.
| Reef | ID | Distance from entrance (nm) | Depth (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Beach Reef | AR-315 | 3.6 | 49 |
| Clifton Moss Reef | AR-320 | 6.8 | 50 |
| Howard Chapin Reef | AR-330 | 11.9 | 60 |
| Carteret County Sportfishing Association Reef | AR-305 | 18.3 | 104 |
| Yancey Reef | AR-302 | 33.7 | 160 |
AR-305 and AR-302 are wrecks.
Bottom fishers should know about the South Cape Lookout Spawning SMZ, where snapper-grouper fishing is closed year-round and anchoring is prohibited.
Before the run, check OBS SST and Chlorophyll for the temperature and color edges between the beach and the Gulf Stream. Chart layers are not for navigation.
Winter
Bluefin tuna are a winter target and require the federal HMS permit. Blackfin tuna do not. Amberjack are also on the list; check the North Carolina page for the rules.
Spring
Cobia and mahi arrive in spring, along with wahoo. See the Atlantic Southeast wahoo pattern and our wahoo fishing guide.
Summer
Tuna run offshore; see yellowfin tuna in the Atlantic Southeast and the yellowfin tuna fishing guide. Mahi remain a target. Blue marlin are the summer billfish; see blue marlin off the Southeast and the blue marlin fishing guide. The HMS permit applies. Spanish mackerel work the nearshore water.
Autumn
King mackerel lead the autumn list, and the detail is in king mackerel fishing off Morehead City. Red drum are the other autumn target; check the North Carolina page for the rules.
