THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 9, 1996 TAG: 9608090487
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS
SOURCE: Damon Tatem
LENGTH: 56 lines
Piers along the northern beaches reported steady fishing at some locations and little action at others Thursday.
Fishing was slow all day on Kitty Hawk Pier.
Avalon Pier fishermen caught a few small bottom fish during the morning. One cobia was lost. Some Spanish mackerel were landed on jiggers in the afternoon.
Fair numbers of spot, croaker and a few flounder were landed from Nags Head Pier during the morning. Afternoon fishing was slow.
Some bluefish and Spanish mackerel were landed early in the day on Jennette's Pier. Spot and croaker fishing was steady throughout the afternoon.
Outer Banks Pier reported fairly good spot fishing during the morning. A 44-pound king mackerel was decked by Chris Swann of Newberg, Md. Small spot were taken in the afternoon.
On Hatteras Island, anglers on Rodanthe Pier caught a few bluefish and flounder off and on during the day. One king mackerel was lost.
Fishing was slow on Avon Pier, with a few small bottom fish and blues taken.
Frisco Pier reported a few Spanish mackerel, sea mullet, a 4 1/2-pound sheepshead and a 19-pound king mackerel landed.
Surf fishermen along the northern beaches caught scattered bottom fish, bluefish and a few flounder.
Some nice flounder, small bottom fish and gray trout were taken from the surf around Oregon Inlet.
A few trout, spot and croaker were beached from Rodanthe to Buxton. Quite a few Spanish mackerel were landed by surfcasters in the Avon area.
Several puppy drum were beached Wednesday evening at Cape Point. Spanish mackerel and bluefish were taken Thursday morning. Small bottom fish and a few nice flounder were landed during the day.
Keeper flounder were caught in the surf from Frisco to False Point. Lots of Spanish mackerel were seen, but few were caught because of an abundance of bait in the water.
A few Spanish mackerel and small bluefish were taken by half-day charters trolling around Oregon Inlet. Good quantities of croaker, pigfish and a few keeper flounder were landed by headboats in the inlet area.
Tuna fishing was fair in the blue water off Oregon Inlet. Dolphin action was slow. Twenty-eight billfish were released by the Oregon Inlet and Pirate's Cove fleets, including seven white marlin and a blue marlin by the Pelican. The best action was around the 40900 Loran lines.
Hatteras charters reported a slow day offshore. A few dolphin, wahoo and tuna were taken. A few billfish were released, including a sailfish and a blue marlin with an estimated weight of more than 500 pound by Walt Spruill's Hatteras Fever. Billfish action was well south of Hatteras.
Warm clear water inshore should provide conditions necessary for some good Spanish mackerel action along the Dare Coast this weekend.
The water temperature was 71.5 degrees Thursday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck, and 79 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island. by CNB