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SPOT
How do you catch spot on Hatteras Island?
The fall spot run is an OBX tradition. Small hooks, bloodworms, and a bottom rig will fill a cooler.
Right now
Pulling the buoy call for spot…
No live reading right now
Live buoy data is not answering, so read the table above. In the fall run, bloodworm on a two-hook bottom rig fished on the bottom.
The live buoy page →Spot through the year
- Prime
- Good
- Off
- JANOff
- FEBOff
- MAROff
- APROff
- MAYOff
- JUNOff
- JULGood
- AUGPrime
- SEPPrime
- OCTPrime
- NOVOff
- DECOff
The spot run builds in late summer and peaks September through October as the schools move south.
What to tie on for spot
Each row below pairs a bait with its rig, its weight and the rod to cast it. Nothing on this table changes with the tide.
| Bait | Rig | Sinker weight | Rod and line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodworm | Two-hook bottom rig, size 4-6 hooks1-2 oz bank sinker8-10 ft light surf rod, 10-15 lb monoThe undisputed king of spot baits. Small pieces on small hooks. | 1-2 oz bank sinker | 8-10 ft light surf rod, 10-15 lb mono |
| Fish Bites (bloodworm formula) | Two-hook bottom rig, size 4-6 hooks1-2 oz bank sinker8-10 ft light surf rod, 10-15 lb monoStays on the hook all day and fishes nearly as well. | 1-2 oz bank sinker | 8-10 ft light surf rod, 10-15 lb mono |
| Squid strip | Two-hook bottom rig, size 4-6 hooks1-2 oz bank sinker8-10 ft light rod, 10-15 lb monoTough bait for a long soak in the run. | 1-2 oz bank sinker | 8-10 ft light rod, 10-15 lb mono |
| Fresh shrimp | Two-hook bottom rig, size 4 hooks1-2 oz bank sinker8-10 ft light rod, 10-15 lb monoSmall pieces, about the size of a nickel. | 1-2 oz bank sinker | 8-10 ft light rod, 10-15 lb mono |
Spot: the three calls
Fish the incoming tide. Spot feed hardest as the water pushes up the beach and near the inlets.
Keep it small. Size 4 to 6 hooks and nickel-sized bait turn a slow pick into a limit.
During the run, move with the schools. When the pier goes quiet, the fish have moved down the beach.
Tackle for spot
Banks and inlets for spot
4 access points where spot actually show, each with its walk-in facts and today's call.
The spot run
Spot are the small, willing bottom-feeders that make autumn fishing easy and cheap, and a school of them will keep a rod bent all afternoon from a pier or the surf. They travel in tight shoals, feeding on worms and tiny crustaceans over sand and mud, and a two-hook bottom rig baited with bloodworm or a sliver of shrimp is all that is needed. They show up in force in the cooling months and vanish as the water chills further. Light tackle makes them sport rather than a chore. Their name comes from the dark spot behind the gill, and no fish on the banks is a better first catch for a child. Keep the rig simple and the hooks small; a two-hook bottom spread dropped straight down off a pier will fill a bucket when the school is thick. Fish two rods at different distances until you find the depth the school is holding in on that tide. In the surf they sit just past the shorebreak on the falling tide, close enough to feel the take.
- Water
- Surf zonePiersInletsEstuaries
- Methods
- Bottom fishing with two-hook bottom rigSabiki-style multi-hook rigsFloat fishing near pier pilings
Spot rules before you keep one
2 boxes carried straight from the state rule page, season included. Measure before it goes on ice.
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Bag limit | 50 per person per day (combined unregulated sciaenids) |
| Season | No closed season |
| No minimum size limit in North Carolina. | |
Updated Oct 30, 2026