THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 3, 1996 TAG: 9610030358
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
COLUMN: Fishing on the Outer Banks
SOURCE: Damon Tatem
LENGTH: 51 lines
Yellowfin tuna fishing was great Wednesday off Oregon Inlet around the 40640 Loran line. Most of the tuna taken weighed around 40 pounds. Some wahoo and dolphin also were taken.
Wahoo fishing was excellent off Hatteras, with between five and 10 taken per boat. Some nice dolphin, king mackerel and a few tuna also appeared in catches.
Intermediate charter trips off Oregon Inlet landed good numbers of 8- to 15-pound king mackerel, a few Spanish mackerel and albacore.
Surfcasters along the northern beaches landed spot, croaker and a few sea mullet.
Good numbers of small bluefish, a few nice gray trout and an occasional keeper flounder were beached around Oregon Inlet.
Some nice puppy drum were taken from sloughs north of Rodanthe Pier. Bluefish and flounder were landed along the beach from Rodanthe to Buxton.
Drum of mixed sizes were landed Tuesday night at Cape Point. Spot, bluefish and a few puppy drum were hauled from the surf in the Cape Point area Wednesday.
Small bottom fish, bluefish, a few pompano and puppy drum were landed by surf fishermen from Frisco to Hatteras Inlet. Some nice flounder were taken around the inlet.
Pier fishing along the northern beaches was slow.
Kitty Hawk Pier anglers caught only a handful of sea mullet. Avalon Pier reported occasional Spanish mackerel and bluefish landed. One 4 1/2-pound speckled trout also was taken.
Anglers on Nags Head Pier caught a few black drum, tailor bluefish, a few gray trout and a 3 1/2-pound croaker. A 13 1/2-pound drum was landed from the end of Jennette's Pier late Tuesday afternoon. A few black drum and spot were taken Wednesday.
Fishing was slow on Outer Banks Pier, with several spot, small blues and black drum landed.
Fishing was better south of Oregon Inlet. Rodanthe Pier reported good numbers of croaker, a few pompano and scattered bluefish taken during the morning, but no afternoon action.
Seven yearling drum weighing as much as 24 pounds were landed Tuesday evening on Avon Pier. Some spot, croaker and a few bluefish were landed Wednesday.
Fishermen on Frisco Pier caught some 2- to 3-pound Spanish mackerel for several hours around midday. Blues, sea mullet, a few flounder and pompano were landed in the afternoon.
The water temperature was 69 degrees Wednesday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck, and 72 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island. by CNB