Coastal conditions

Oak Island / Ocean Crest Pier

Shore · North Carolina · Southeast Atlantic / Brunswick / Oak Island

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Current Coastal Rating

Fair · 56

Beta

Conditions are fair, but confidence is reduced because some coastal inputs are partial or prediction-based.

Scores are model-specific and are not directly comparable across water types.

Should I Go?

Trip conditions only. Target-species activity and seasonal fishery patterns are not yet included.

Consider

Trip conditions may be workable, but important cautions or data limitations remain.

Medium confidence — The recommendation is usable, but one or more inputs are regional, proxied, stale, or incomplete.

Evaluates trip conditions using weather, tides, currents, waves, daylight, and active alerts.

  • Provisional public-Beta coastal rating. Methodology is not formally calibrated.
  • Numeric class: NEEDS_BOUNDED_PRODUCT_POLICY_DEFAULTS. Not an empirical fishing freeze.
  • Does not inherit Northeast or cross-region fishing thresholds.
  • Missing waves are not calm. Forecast is not an observation. Prediction is not an observation.
  • Verdict capped at Consider while calibration remains incomplete or evidence is limited.

About this recommendation

Uses StrikeTracks coastal policy 2026-07.

Service Status

Degraded

Coastal conditions are partial, stale, or predictions-only.

Recommended window

Saturday · 9:00 AM–12:00 PM EDT

Window score

81

Max wind
12 mph
Max gust
18 mph
Daylight
100% of window
Tide state
rising

Why

  • Strong daylight coverage supports the evaluated window.

Watch for

  • Tide timing uses a nearby prediction proxy.

Coastal conditions can change quickly. Review official alerts and current conditions before heading out.

Current Readings

No recent observations are available.

Past 7 Days

No recent observations are available.

Nearby coastal destinations

  • Kure Beach Fishing Pier11.2 mi

    North Carolina · Southeast Atlantic / Southern North Carolina · Shore

    Approximately 11.2 miles away

  • Wrightsville Beach27.1 mi

    North Carolina · Southeast Atlantic / Southern North Carolina · Shore

    Approximately 27.1 miles away

  • Frying Pan Shoals39 mi

    North Carolina · Frying Pan Shoals / Cape Fear offshore · Offshore

    Approximately 39 miles away

Predicted Tides

Predicted

Falling

Next low tide

Sep 5, 2026, 8:25 AM

In 4 hr 34 min

0.5 ft MLLW

Previous

High · Sep 5, 2026, 2:14 AM · 4.3 ft MLLW

Following

High · Sep 5, 2026, 2:52 PM · 5.6 ft MLLW

Tide prediction proxy

Oak Island, Yaupon Beach · NOAA 8659182

This nearby station is used for tide timing. Predicted height does not represent exact water depth or exposed-flat conditions at this destination.

Predicted Tidal Current

Predicted

No representative tidal-current prediction station is configured for this destination.

Tidal-current timing can differ from high and low tide timing.

Fishery Profile

Fishery Overview

Oak Island Ocean Crest Pier fishery

A Brunswick County Atlantic ocean fishing pier at Ocean Crest Pier, Oak Island / Caswell Beach. This is not Southport harbor and not a Cape Fear mashup.

Fishery type
  • Ocean pier surf
Fishing modes
  • Shore
Habitat and structure
Ocean Crest Pier deck and pilings · Adjacent Oak Island / Caswell Beach surf

Static seasonal guidance · Last reviewed Aug 23, 2026

Not a live bite forecast.

Fishery Targets

Red drum, spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel, and bluefish are representative Brunswick ocean-pier targets. Seasonal presence is qualitative.

Species images are AI-generated illustrations for visual reference and may simplify natural variation. Fishery records are based on the cited agency and editorial sources. About fish illustrations

  • Red drum illustration

    Red drum

    Primary

    Sciaenops ocellatus

    Also called Redfish

    Typical seasonal opportunity: SPRING AND FALL

    May also be present outside this peak window.

    North Carolina surf and pier occurrence.

  • Spotted seatrout illustration

    Spotted seatrout

    Primary

    Cynoscion nebulosus

    No seasonal pulse known

    Surf, creek-mouth, and nearshore occurrence.

  • Spanish mackerel illustration

    Spanish mackerel

    Secondary

    Scomberomorus maculatus

    Typical seasonal opportunity: SPRING — FALL

    Warm-season pier and surf occurrence.

  • Bluefish illustration

    Bluefish

    Secondary

    Pomatomus saltatrix

    No seasonal pulse known

    Coastal migratory occurrence.

Typical Seasonal Targets

  • Red drum — SPRING AND FALL
  • Spanish mackerel — SPRING — FALL

Seasonal presence is general guidance and does not indicate current fish activity.

Access, Safety and Regulations

Access

Public fishing pier at 1100 Caswell Beach Road. Confirm pier hours, fees, and town rules. Oak Island Fishing Pier is an overlapping island ocean-pier trip.

Primary hazards

Ocean swell and pier spray. Southport river meteorology is not this deck.

Fishery considerations

  • Tidal current is not a pier-deck scoring input.
  • Onshore wind steepens the wash. Missing waves are not calm. Forecast is not an observation.

Regulations

Size limits, seasons, and possession rules change. Verify the current official regulations before fishing.

View current recreational saltwater regulations (opens in a new tab)

Location and Access

Cataloged coastal fishing destination

Shore · North Carolina

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The map marker represents the cataloged waterbody or monitoring location and may not indicate legal parking or public access. Confirm access through the official information before visiting.

Data Sources

Planning limitation

Coastal conditions can vary over short distances. Predictions and remote observations are planning information, not guarantees of access or safety.

  • Bounded Oak Island / Ocean Crest Pier ocean identity. This is not a Wilmington / Cape Fear mashup and not Southport harbor.
  • Southport 8659084 is not this ocean-pier source.
  • Wind, gust, and waves are SOURCE_GAP.