THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, April 30, 1996 TAG: 9604300333
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
COLUMN: Fishing on the Outer Banks
SOURCE: Damon Tatem
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Pier fishing along the Dare coast was excellent this past weekend.
Kitty Hawk Pier reported sea mullet and some 2-pound speckled trout taken Saturday. Some small striped bass were hooked and released.
Action on the pier was also super on Sunday. Anglers caught lots of sea mullet, scattered spot and gray trout. Bluefishing was good, with plenty taken on jiggers and double bucktail rigs under the pier lights before sunrise.
On Avalon Pier, gray trout, mullet, toadfish and sand perch were landed throughout the day on Saturday. Fishing was also good all day Sunday, with spot, sea mullet, bluefish and some nice gray trout landed.
On Nags Head Pier, croaker, nice sea mullet, tailor bluefish and quite a few speckled trout weighing between 2 and 2 1/2 pounds were taken Saturday afternoon.
Tailor blues, gray trout and a few speckled trout were caught early Sunday morning. Fishing slowed about 8:30 a.m., but improved late in the afternoon with sea mullet, spot and croaker landed.
Fishermen on Outer Banks Pier caught some nice sea mullet, toadfish, spot and small blues on Saturday. Sea mullet were landed from the pier steadily all day Sunday, along with some keeper spot and plenty of dogfish.
On Hatteras Island, Rodanthe Pier reported fairly good sea mullet fishing Saturday. Good numbers of gray trout were landed Saturday night. Sea mullet and some gray trout were taken Sunday.
Avon Pier fishermen landed some mullet, croaker, a few speckled trout and some nice flounder Saturday. Toadfish, pigfish, spot, mullet and a few gray trout were taken Sunday.
A few puppy drum, sea mullet, small croaker and pigfish were landed from Frisco Pier off and on Saturday. Sunday's fishing was fair, with sea mullet, small flounder and toadfish decked.
Surf fishing improved along the northern beaches as water temperatures at some locations edged up into the mid-50s. Some sea mullet and toadfish were landed from deeper sloughs from Kitty Hawk to Nags Head on the incoming tide. Several speckled trout also were beached.
Some nice mullet, small bluefish, gray trout and toadfish were taken from the revetment at Oregon Inlet and from the catwalk on the south side of Bonner Bridge.
Plenty of sea mullet, some small bluefish, croaker and gray trout were landed by surf fishermen from Rodanthe to Buxton.
A few drum were taken at Cape Point Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Sea mullet, a few speckled trout, scattered bluefish and an occasional puppy drum were landed during the daytime over the weekend. Some nice flounder weighing as much as 5 pounds were landed in ``the hook.''
Some puppy drum, nice sea mullet and a 37 1/2-inch bluefish were landed along the beach from Ramp 55 to False Point Saturday. Several big drum were released Saturday night by anglers in the False Point area. Small bottom fish were taken in the surf from Frisco to Hatteras Inlet Sunday.
Yellowfin tuna fishing was great southeast of Oregon Inlet Saturday. Crafters caught their limits with fishing averaging 25 pounds. Most of the action was between the 40400 and the 40500 Loran lines.
Offshore action slowed Sunday, with scattered tuna caught, along with a few wahoo and a couple of dolphin.
Charters off Hatteras landed plenty of 15- to 30-pound tuna on the 280 rocks Saturday. The headboat, Miss Hatteras, caught big bluefish and a 30-pound cobia while fishing on the wreck, Dixie Arrow.
Fairly good catches of 10- to 12-pound king mackerel were reported from ``the rockpile'' Sunday. Some yellowfin tuna were landed, including a 75-pounder aboard the Chaser. A blue marlin was released by the Hatteras Fever, and two spearfish were released by the Marlin Mania.
The water temperature was 53 degrees Monday at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck, and 68 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island.
Bottom fishing should remain steady along the Dare Coast as long as inshore water remains dirty. by CNB