THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, December 5, 1995 TAG: 9512050379
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS
SOURCE: Damon Tatem
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Only a few piers remain open on the Outer Banks in December, but those that are open reported speckled trout action during the weekend.
Fish weighing as much as 4 pounds were landed from Jennette's Pier and Outer Banks Pier on Saturday morning.
Anglers on Jennette's Pier landed keeper speckled trout and one puppy drum Sunday morning. And Outer Banks Pier reported trout taken on green plastic artificial baits.
Several speckled trout weighing as much as 4.75 pounds were caught Monday on Outer Banks Pier. A 14-pound striped bass was caught on squid by Ike King of Kill Devil Hills on Nags Head Pier late Monday morning.
Surf fishing for speckled trout along the northern beaches was good during the weekend. Nice catches were hauled from sloughs near the Holiday Inn, the Nags Head Inn and north of Ramp 4 at Oregon Inlet.
A few striped bass also were landed along the beach. The best striper action was reported from the Oregon Inlet area during the early evening and at night.
South of the inlet, trout fishing was good in sloughs along the Pea Island beach Saturday afternoon. Some stripers also were landed in the area.
Trout action was fairly good again Sunday, with action reported from Pea Island and from around Ramp 27. Quite a few stripers were caught Sunday in the old Ramp 6 area.
Speckled-trout fishing was fairly good behind the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the Buxton motels on Saturday and Sunday.
A lot of trout and several striped bass were taken Saturday evening at Cape Point. Anglers landed some trout and stripers at Cape Point on Sunday.
Plenty of small speckled trout were caught along the beach from south of Cape Point to Hatteras Inlet on Sunday.
In-shore trolling for stripers around Oregon Inlet was fair Saturday. Good catches of stripers, along with tailor bluefish, were reported from the area Monday.
Striper fishing was fairly good north of the Manns Harbor Bridge on Saturday morning. Schooling fish followed by hungry birds were scattered around the area Sunday.
Yellowfin tuna fishing off Oregon Inlet was excellent Saturday, but large fish were scarce. Limits of big tuna, along with some gaffer dolphin, were taken Sunday by charter craft near ``The Point,'' southeast of Oregon Inlet.
King mackerel action was fair around Hatteras wrecks during the weekend.
As long as water temperatures don't drop, speckled-trout fishing should remain viable along the northern beaches and south of Oregon Inlet.
The water temperature at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck was 54 degrees Monday. by CNB