THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, May 11, 1995                 TAG: 9505110551
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 
COLUMN: Fishing on the Outer Banks 
SOURCE: Damon Tatem
        
                                             LENGTH: Short :   44 lines

THE FISHING WAS GOOD, EVEN IF THE WEATHER WASN'T

Although weather conditions were less than perfect, fishing from piers along the northern beaches was good Wednesday morning.

Anglers on Kitty Hawk Pier caught gray trout, mostly keepers, and tailor blues during the morning. Some sea mullet were landed later, after the water became dirty. Avalon Pier fishermen caught plenty of tailor blues on jiggers.

Nags Head Pier also reported a good run of blues, with a few trout mixed in. Most of the action was close to the beach. On Jennette's Pier, blues and speckled trout were landed sporadically on double bucktail rigs. Before the rain killed action, some nice-sized blues and scattered trout were taken by anglers from Outer Banks Pier.

On Hatteras Island, Rodanthe Pier reported a morning run of bluefish. A few sea mullet and spot were also taken. Avon Pier and Frisco Pier reported slow fishing during the morning because of rough water.

Surf fishing along the northern beaches was generally slow, with only a few small blues and bottom fish landed.

Along the beach from Oregon Inlet south to Buxton, some small blues and mullet were taken. Anglers on Cape Point caught quite a few yearling drum, and a few big blues during the day. A few flounder and mullet were landed on the beach south of Cape Point.

No one went offshore from Hatteras, because of strong winds and rough seas Wednesday. Three boats made the trip out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. ``Marlin Fever'' returned to the fishing center rather quickly with a seasick party. The other two boats remained offshore, continuing to fish for most of the day with little results.

Sea mullet fishing should be good along the northern beaches if southwest winds persist and the water remains dirty.

The water temperature at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck was 56.5 degrees on Wednesday. by CNB