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1,623-acre Hatteras Inlet fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo and H10872 survey contours (65.42% measured, 97.82% assessed), three measured channel spots, nine exact ESI fish profiles, three forage calendars, two NPS beach-access routes and current North Carolina rules. The water tops out around 47 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to NAVD88; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The channels, holes and drop-offs come from the source data, not a distance-from-shore model. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Traced from the shoreline, Hatteras Inlet runs 1,624 acres with 6.1 miles of edge. A shoreline index of 1.1 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. About 67% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Tip to tip the water measures near 2.1 mi with a 1.8-mi widest point. For a second option, Sandy Bay lies 5 mi northeast.
Spring puts red drum (redfish) in skinny water — 1 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 2 to 12 ft; cold water stacks them in 3 to 15 ft. NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth is the standout, a channel edge at roughly 9 ft, rated prime for winter red drum (redfish). Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
When the water first warms, spotted seatrout slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 5 to 20 ft one. Start at NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth. It's a channel edge holding about 9 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (12 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Start shallow in spring: southern flounder sit in 2 to 15 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 18 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, a channel edge in the 9 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (17 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
Start shallow in spring: bluefish sit in 3 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 40 ft. The spot to know is NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder, a gravel shoal in about 27 ft of water that rates prime for bluefish in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder (27 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder (27 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
When the water first warms, black sea bass slide up into 10 to 40 ft. Summer is a 12 to 47 ft game here, winter a 14 to 47 ft one. Start at NOAA BlueTopo measured channel break. It's a channel edge holding about 10 ft of water and rates good come spring. The feeding windows run midday and early morning. Keep a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel break (10 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 12 to 47 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel break (10 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 12 to 47 ft | midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel break (10 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 14 to 47 ft | midday | open water | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
In spring, sheepshead run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. Summer keeps them at 3 to 15 ft, and they winter in 10 to 30 ft. Spring sheepshead concentrate at NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder, a good-rated gravel shoal around 27 ft. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a small jig + crab piece most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder (27 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | open water | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Hatteras Inlet also holds cobia (5 to 40 ft in summer), spanish mackerel (5 to 40 ft in summer), black drum (3 to 18 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
8 pieces of structure are mapped here — NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder, around 27 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: National Park Service — Public POIs Geographic (OBJECTID 29044). Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for North Carolina waters are set by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries — and special regulations can apply to Hatteras Inlet specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official North Carolina fishing regulations →
Hatteras Inlet is about 47 ft (14 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to NAVD88; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder, bluefish, black sea bass, sheepshead, cobia, spanish mackerel, black drum on Hatteras Inlet.
NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for southern flounder in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For red drum (redfish), the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Hatteras Inlet is regulated by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. Check the official North Carolina regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Sandy Bay 5 mi · Pamlico Sound 20 mi · Lake Mattamuskeet 33 mi · Jarrett Bay 50 mi · Back Sound 58 mi · Lookout Bight 59 mi · Money Island Bay 64 mi · Bogue Sound 73 mi · North River 77 mi, NC/VA · Currituck Sound 80 mi, NC/VA · North Landing River 98 mi, VA/NC · Salliers Bay 98 mi
See how Hatteras Inlet stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in North Carolina · best spotted seatrout lakes in North Carolina · best southern flounder lakes in North Carolina · best bluefish lakes in North Carolina
Browse all North Carolina fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 65% measured, 32% source-interpolated). How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.