THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 10, 1995 TAG: 9512070163
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 21 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Damon Tatem
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
FISHING ALONG the Outer Banks has been unusually good for this late in the year. The angling picture was dominated for many years during the late fall and early winter by an invasion of jumbo bluefish. The increasing scarcity of big blues the past several years has caused alarm in the angling community. Fortunately, a strong striped bass population has begun to take the place of the elusive bluefish.
Stripers have been landed just about every day from the surf along the northern beaches and around Oregon Inlet. Quite a few of the bass have been caught by anglers fishing for speckled trout with artificial lures, and plenty have been taken by anglers using cut mullet while fishing for other species. Good catches of stripers were reported from the catwalk on the south end of the Bonner Bridge across Oregon Inlet during the night of Nov. 30.
Speckled trout fishing also has been good from Corolla to Oregon Inlet. Hot spots have been behind the Holiday Inn, behind the Nags Head Inn and along the beach north of Ramp 4 at Oregon Inlet. Plenty of fish have been landed on soft plastic lures, but hard minnow-like lures seem to be making a comeback. Lures with rattles inside have proved effective in landing speckled trout during periods of cloudy water. Scattered puppy drum and a few nice sea mullet also have been landed by surfcasters along the northern beaches. South of Oregon Inlet, trout fishing has been good in deeper sloughs along the Pea Island beach.
Plenty of speckled trout, scattered striped bass and a few bottom fish have been beached by surf fishermen from Rodanthe to Buxton. Trout hot spots have been south of Ramp 23, behind the North Beach Campground and in the Avon area.
Speckled trout fishing has been good at Cape Point, along the beach behind the motels in Buxton and in the surf near the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. Some nice stripers also have been landed by anglers fishing at Cape Point.
Black drum and lots of small speckled trout have been taken along the beach from south of Cape Point to Hatteras Inlet.
Some fairly good morning pier action has been reported recently in the Nags Head area. Anglers on Jennette's Pier and Outer Banks Pier landed a few speckled trout Dec. 2. Medium-sized speckled trout and a keeper puppy drum were landed on Jennette's Pier, while anglers on Outer Banks Pier caught some trout.
A 14-pound striped bass was landed from Nags Head Pier Dec. 4. Trout weighing as much as 4 3/4 pounds were taken from Outer Banks Pier the same day.
Striper catches by anglers trolling in the Manns Harbor area continue to be outstanding. Action has been best early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Action also has been considerably better on somewhat windy days when the current flow has been fairly strong. Bucktails and rattle lures with shiny finishes have been the big producers in the area.
Anglers trolling for stripers around Oregon Inlet have had some good luck, but action has varied from day to day. The best action Dec. 2 was reported near the boiler, south of Oregon Inlet. Action was pretty good on Dec. 4, with the best catches made near the rough water on bars east of the Oregon Inlet bridge. The most effective baits have been large bucktails garnished with 6-inch twister tails and big swimming plugs.
Yellowfin tuna fishing has been outstanding at ``the point'' recently. Limits were taken by charter craft out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center and Pirate's Cove Dec. 3 and 4.
Charters operating out of Hatteras have caught fairly good numbers of nice-sized king mackerel around the wrecks. Bluefin tuna continue to be seen regularly in Hatteras offshore waters. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Jack Jarvis of Kitty Hawk carries a striper off the Kitty Hawk Pier
Dec. 5 after landing the 33-inch fish.
Graphic
Tides
by CNB