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Season
What is biting, month by month
Twelve pages, one per month, built from the same species data as the catch cards. What is prime, what else is running, the bait of the month, and where to stand. The hub marks the current month for you.
The twelve months
The month you are in is marked automatically. Start there, or plan the trip around the run.
Winter
This monthJanuary
Deep winter on the Banks: the ocean beach is quiet, the sound and the inlets are not, and striped bass are the reason to get up early.
- Prime
- Striped bass
- Bait
- Cut mullet
Winter
This monthFebruary
February is the coldest month on the water, and the same winter pattern holds: sound holes, inlet edges, and striped bass on the bottom.
- Prime
- Striped bass
- Bait
- Blue crab
Late winter
This monthMarch
March is the turn. The first bluefish push in, sound-side drum and trout wake up, and the beach starts to fish again.
- Prime
- Striped bass
- Bait
- Fresh mullet
Spring
This monthApril
April is the spring run: black drum and bluefish on the beach, sea mullet in the sloughs, trout in the sound, and the first speckled trout of the year.
- Prime
- Bluefish · Speckled Trout · Black Drum
- Bait
- Fresh mullet
Spring
This monthMay
May is the month everything shows up: cobia along the beach, Spanish mackerel in clear water, and the best of the spring bottom bite.
- Prime
- Sea Mullet · Bluefish · Speckled Trout
- Bait
- Shrimp
Early summer
This monthJune
June settles into summer: cobia still on the beach, Spanish mackerel thick, and croaker, flounder, and sheepshead in the sound.
- Prime
- Sea Mullet · Spanish Mackerel · Cobia
- Bait
- Shrimp
Summer
This monthJuly
July is hot and the fish move to structure and deep water: sheepshead on the pilings, croaker and spot on the bottom, Spanish on the piers.
- Prime
- Sheepshead · Croaker
- Bait
- Shrimp
Summer
This monthAugust
August is flounder and pompano month on the beach, with sheepshead on the structure and spot starting to show in the sound.
- Prime
- Pompano · Flounder · Sheepshead
- Bait
- Shrimp
Fall run
This monthSeptember
September is when the fall run starts. Red drum move onto the points, Spanish and pompano are still here, and the beach wakes up after summer.
- Prime
- Red Drum · Sea Mullet · Pompano
- Bait
- Fresh mullet
Fall
This monthOctober
October is the peak of the fall run. Bull drum at the points, big bluefish on the beach, and trout moving into the sound.
- Prime
- Red Drum · Sea Mullet · Pompano
- Bait
- Fresh mullet
Fall
This monthNovember
November keeps the drum run going and adds striped bass to the inlets, with trout in the sound and bluefish still on the beach.
- Prime
- Red Drum · Bluefish
- Bait
- Fresh mullet
Early winter
This monthDecember
December is the cold-water month: late drum and bluefish on the beach, striped bass and tautog in the inlets, and trout in the deep sound.
- Prime
- Striped bass
- Bait
- Cut mullet
How a month page works
Two tiers, one bait, and the tactics that fit the season. Built from the catch-card data, so the month page and the species card never disagree.
What runs
Prime and running
Two honest tiers. Prime means plan a trip around it. Running means the fish are here but not at their best. No inflated month.
What to use
Bait of the month
The bait the season actually calls for, matched to the water temperature the month usually brings.
Stable links
One evergreen URL
Every month lives at its own address and never changes. The hub marks the current month for you from your own clock.
Updated Oct 30, 2026