THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 15, 1996 TAG: 9606150431
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS
SOURCE: Damon Tatem
LENGTH: 64 lines
Pier fishing along the northern beaches improved Friday at some locations.
Action on Kitty Hawk Pier was unusually slow, with only an occasional spot taken.
Avalon Pier reported a run of gray trout late Thursday afternoon. Fishing was slow Friday morning, but a few bluefish and Spanish mackerel were landed from the end of the pier late in the afternoon.
Anglers on Nags Head Pier caught scattered bluefish, small gray trout, sea mullet and a few speckled trout.
Plenty of skates and a few gray trout were taken from Jeannette's Pier during the morning, and a few blues in the afternoon.
Anglers on Outer Banks Pier landed spot, sea mullet and a few keeper gray trout early in the day. Bluefish were taken on jiggers and bucktails from the end of the pier during the late afternoon.
South of Oregon Inlet, Rodanthe Pier and Frisco Pier reported a slow day, with only a few small bottom fish landed.
A few skates, small bottom fish and gray trout were landed throughout the morning on Avon Pier. Quite a few spot were caught late in the afternoon.
Surf casters landed scattered spot and a few nice sea mullet along the beach from Corolla to Oregon Inlet on the incoming tide.
Some nice spot, small gray trout and a few sea mullet were landed around Oregon Inlet. Some of the best action was off the catwalk on the south end of the Bonner Bridge.
Surf fishermen from Rodanthe to Buxton landed a few bottom fish.
Spanish mackerel fishing was good at Cape Point late Thursday afternoon. A few Spanish mackerel and small bluefish were beached early Friday morning, but fishing was slow most of the day.
Good catches of Spanish mackerel were reported from the Hatteras Inlet surf late Thursday. A few bottom fish were landed from Ramp 55 to Hatteras Inlet onFriday.
Inshore trolling around Oregon Inlet was fairly good Friday. Half-day charters landed some nice Spanish mackerel and mixed-sized bluefish.
Headboats fishing inside the inlet and in the sound west of the Bonner Bridge reported fairly good croaker fishing. Bottom fishing in the ocean off Oregon Inlet was slow.
Dolphin fishing was excellent in the Gulf Stream off Oregon Inlet on Friday. Almost every charter caught its limit of various-sized dolphin.
Yellowfin tuna action also was pretty good. Big-eye tuna were landed by the Sea Breeze and the Pelican. Several billfish were released, including a blue marlin by the Dare Devil. Action was spread from the 40400 to the 40680 Loran lines.
Hatteras offshore fishermen reported great dolphin fishing, and a few tuna also were taken.
Several billfish were released, including blue marlin by the Sea Angel, the Good Times, the Hatteras Blue, the Tuna Duck and the Live Wire. A sailfish was released by the Eagle and white marlin by the Marlin Mania.
The water temperature was 55.5 degrees Friday at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck, and 77 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island.
After the fifth day of fishing in the 38th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament in Morehead City, the top standings remain the same as yesterday. The Girl Next Door is leading with a 535-pound blue marlin worth about $355,525 in prize money. In second is the Bullfrog with a 479-pound blue marlin worth $208,315, followed by the Sea Creature with a 445-pound blue marlin worth $138,210.
The tournament concludes today. by CNB