THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 30, 1995 TAG: 9507270211
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 44 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Tight Lines
SOURCE: Damon Tatem
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
Recent southwest winds along the Dare Coast have improved bottom fishing action in the surf. Spot have been plentiful from Corolla to Duck. Some good catches of small bottom fish have been made along the beach from Kitty Hawk to Oregon Inlet by anglers using bloodworms for bait. The best action has been on rising tides in deeper sloughs.
Sheepshead fishing around the Oregon Inlet bridge pilings has been consistently good. Fair numbers of trout have been landed from the flats west of the bridge.
Some good gray trout catches have been reported by anglers fishing overnight from the catwalk on the south end of the Bonner Bridge. Fair numbers of tailor bluefish have been beached on the inlet's north side, adjacent to the bridge, by anglers using cut bait.
Small bottom fish have been plentiful along the beach from Rodanthe to Buxton. Some pompano and tailor blues also have been landed.
At Cape Point, Spanish mackerel catches have been good just before dark and just after sunrise. Stingsilvers have been the preferred bait. Surfcasters have beached bluefish, bottom fish and some pompano during the day.
Croaker, spot, a few nice mullet and small bluefish have been taken along the beach south of Cape Point to Hatteras Inlet. Bluefishing has been good in Hatteras Inlet, and speckled trout fishing has been fairly good behind Dredge Island.
Summer surf fishing on Ocracoke is usually slow, and recent catches have been typical. Catches have included small bottom fish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel.
Pier fishing along the northern beaches has been fair. Anglers on Kitty Hawk Pier have caught a few bottom fish and trout. A 64-pound cobia was taken July 19, and two small cobia were released July 21.
A few Spanish mackerel, bluefish and bottom fish have been landed on Avalon Pier. Speckled trout were taken at a good rate on jiggers and green grubs during the afternoons of July 22 and 23.
Triggerfish, small bottom fish, bar jacks and a few flounder have been landed from Nags Head Fishing Pier. Some fair runs of bluefish have developed just before dark.
Fishermen on Jennette's Pier have caught some bottom fish, speckled trout and a few bluefish. A 42-pound cobia was taken from the pier on live bait by Bill Stazrianou of Canton, Ohio, on July 20.
Outer Banks Pier reported small bottom fish, trout, a few bluefish, Spanish mackerel and small flounder taken. A small cobia was released July 19, and another on July 23.
South of Oregon Inlet, Rodanthe Pier anglers have taken bottom fish and lots of sheepshead. A 41-pound king mackerel and a 6-pound Spanish mackerel were decked July 20. A small cobia was released July 22, and a 17-pound king mackerel was taken July 23.
Spot and croaker have been the mainstays of action on the piers at Avon and Frisco. An Avon Pier angler released a small cobia on July 21.
Inshore trolling around Oregon Inlet has been generally slow. Headboat fishing has been good, with croaker abundant in the sound and in the ocean. Sea bass and trigerfish action in the ocean also has been good. Drift fishing for flounder in the Davis Slough area has been fair to good during periods of light onshore winds.
Billfishing off Oregon Inlet was good from July 19 through 22, but slowed on July 23. More than 34 billfish were released July 19 by the Oregon Inlet charter fleet, including six white marlin and two blue marlin by the Fast Lane. Most of the action was well south of ``the point.'' Billfishing gradually spread north; by July 22 action was very scattered, but catches were good. The Top Dog released two white marlin and a sailfish. The Outer Limits released two sailfish and two white marlin.
Dolphin fishing off Oregon Inlet has been spotty, with only a few good catches reported. Some wahoo have been taken, but tuna fishing has been slow.
Seventeen billfish, mostly white marlin and sailfish, were released by the Hatteras charter fleet July 20. Billfishing has been good in the area, but not as hot as the previous week. Dolphin fishing has improved recently, with good, consistent catches reported. Scattered wahoo have been taken, but tuna fishing has been slow.
Billfish action, both off Hatteras and off Oregon Inlet, should improve with the arrival of a northeaster. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Adrian Worrell, 17, of Tiltonsville, Ohio, sets the drag on his king
mackerel rig while fishing on the Avalon Pier in Kill Devil Hills.
by CNB