You don't need a big bank account for solid saltwater action—about 25 percent of all Atlantic piers stud the North Carolina coast. Autumn is a great season for pier fishing, as the water temperature cools and the big fish swim closer to shore. Take a walk down the boardwalk for a small fee (some piers are free) and drop your line to tempt a variety of species. Try the popular Nags Head Fishing Pier, a 24-hour, 750-foot stretch with its own bait and tackle shop. The Nags Head area is best known for flounder, bluefish, mullet, and striped bass action. Anglers may fish day or night on the well-lit, 1,000-foot Sportsman's Pier in Atlantic Beach—a good spot for greater amberjack and thrashing tarpon. Both piers offer ocean views, refreshing sea breezes, a game room, and good eats—at the Nags Head restaurant, if you hook 'em, they'll cook 'em.

Contact information:
Nags Head Fishing Pier, 252-441-5141
Sportsman's Pier, 252-726-3176

Surf casting in the shadow of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Photo: NC Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development

For wild and wooly action right on the sand, head for Cape Lookout National Seashore or Cape Point, near Buxton. Come fall, these surf casting hotspots often see striper and bluefish blitzes, not to mention large schools of red drum. Further north along the Outer Banks, Oregon Inlet is another area with a high concentration of the aggressive, predatory striped bass.

Contact information:
Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, 800-446-6262
Crystal Coast Tourism Authority, 800-786-6962

If you find these spots too hot to handle, try your luck at surf casting on a more secluded stretch of beach. Bear Island's Hammocks Beach State Park offers great fishing for puppy drum, flounder, trout, and bluefish year-round, and the fall season brings that added seclusion. Only accessible via public ferry or private boat, this 892-acre island promises 3.5 miles of pristine Crystal Coast beach. In New Hanover County, south of Wilmington, you'll find Fort Fisher State Recreation Area—288 acres of undeveloped beach. Take a four-wheel-drive vehicle across the sand to reach excellent surf fishing—from big blues and puppy drum to Virginia mullet and flounder.

Contact information:
Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, 910-458-5798
Hammocks Beach State Park, 910-326-4881