THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 19, 1996 TAG: 9607190451
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
COLUMN: Fishing on the Outer Banks
SOURCE: Damon Tatem
LENGTH: 62 lines
Pier fishing improved along the northern beaches Thursday, with an increase in water temperature and clarity.
Kitty Hawk Pier reported good numbers of small gray and speckled trout landed on twister and tube jig rigs during the morning. Some nice spot and sea mullet also were taken. A few spot were landed in the afternoon.
Lots of bluefish were taken from the end of Avalon Pier early in the morning by anglers using jiggers. Plenty of croaker, a few gray trout and some spot were landed during the rest of the day.
Croaker, spot and pigfish were landed two at a time during the morning from Nags Head Pier. A 22-pound cobia and scattered croaker were taken in the afternoon.
Anglers on Jennette's Pier caught a few pigfish, croaker and small bluefish throughout the day.
Fair numbers of croaker, sea mullet and spot were landed from Outer Banks Pier Thursday morning, but afternoon fishing was slow.
On Hatteras Island, Rodanthe Pier fisherman caught a few Spanish mackerel, pompano and a 38 1/2 pound cobia. The cobia bit a live eel.
Fishing was slow overall on Avon Pier, with only a few small bottom fish taken.
Frisco Pier also reported slow fishing, with only a few bottom fish landed.
Croaker, spot and some nice sea mullet were landed by surfcasters from deeper sloughs along the beach from Corolla to Oregon Inlet.
Small bottom fish, little bluefish and a occasional keeper flounder were landed in the surf on the north side of Oregon Inlet and from the revetment and the catwalk on the south side.
Spot, croaker and sea mullet were taken in the surf from Rodanthe to Buxton. Some nice pompano were landed around Ramp 30.
A few bluefish, small flounder and a couple of puppy drum were taken at Cape Point.
Spanish mackerel and tailor blues were landed on metal around Hatteras Inlet Wednesday evening. Although the grass in the surf was bad, some nice pompano and a few bluefish were landed along the beach from Frisco to False Point.
Inshore trolling around Oregon Inlet was fairly good for tailor bluefish and Spanish mackerel Thursday. Headboats in the area caught pigfish and croaker while fishing outside the inlet.
Charter boats off Oregon Inlet landed fair numbers of yellowfin tuna Thursday. Dolphin fishing was good. A few billfish were released, including two white marlin by the Suspense and a white marlin by the Hog Wild. The best action was between the 40400 and the 40480 Loran lines.
Dolphin fishing off Hatteras was fair. Charters landed four to five yellowfin tuna per boat. Wahoo fishing was excellent, with more than 30 fish landed by the fleet. The wahoo weighed as much at 60 pounds each.
Billfish releases included two sailfish and a white marlin by the Harpers Folly, a white marlin by the Release, and sailfish by the Citation and the Chapin. Although the current was still running strong in the blue water off Hatteras, water color had improved and a good edge had developed in 40 fathoms.
Offshore fishing should be good off the Dare Coast this weekend because water conditions have improved daily since the departure of Hurricane Bertha.
The water temperature was 73 degrees Thursday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck and 79 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island. by CNB