THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 29, 1996 TAG: 9610290283
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS
SOURCE: Damon Tatem
LENGTH: 62 lines
Blue water fishing was good all along the Dare coast during the weekend.
Charters off Oregon Inlet landed limits of king mackerel, scattered dolphin, a few big wahoo and between one and 15 yellowfin tuna per boat Saturday.
Tuna fishing improved Sunday, with anglers landing between 12 and 18 mixed-sized tuna per boat. A few albacore and dolphin also were taken. The best action was around the Point.
King mackerel fishing was good off Hatteras Saturday. Thirty- to 40-pound kings were landed regularly by anglers live-bait fishing. A 50-pound king mackerel, hauled aboard Capt. Walt Spruill's Hatteras Fever, won the Hatteras Village King Mackerel Tournament. Charters fishing deeper waters landed a few nice tuna and wahoo. A sailfish was released by the Hatteras Fever II.
Sunday's king mackerel action was a repeat of Saturday's with plenty of 30- to 40-pound mackerel taken along with a few larger fish. Good catches of dolphin also were reported.
Pier fishing was slow along the northern beaches throughout the weekend.
Kitty Hawk Pier reported small bluefish and lots of undersized speckled trout landed Saturday. A few small speckled trout provided the only available action Sunday.
A few small spot, small bluefish and a few really small speckled trout were caught from Avalon Pier Saturday. A few small bluefish were landed Sunday.
Anglers on Nags Head Pier caught a few sea mullet, small bluefish and small speckled trout Saturday. Fishing was slow Sunday morning, but some bluefish were landed from the end of the pier later in the day.
A few toadfish and little else were taken from Jennette's Pier Saturday. Small bluefish were caught Sunday by fishermen bottom-fishing with cut bait.
Fishing was slow Saturday on Outer Banks Pier, with only a handful of small bluefish, speckled trout and flounder landed. Anglers reported similar luck Sunday, with the exception of a 2 1/2-pound black drum taken in the afternoon.
South of Oregon Inlet, fishermen on Rodanthe Pier caught a few small bluefish and small speckled trout off and on during the weekend.
Skates, small sharks, a few small bluefish, small spot and a few sea mullet were landed Saturday on Avon Pier. Some nice sea mullet were taken Saturday night, but action was slow Sunday.
Fishing was slow on Frisco Pier throughout the weekend, with only a few skates, toadfish, spot and flounder landed.
Surf fishing was slow along the beach from Corolla to Oregon Inlet. A few small bottom fish were taken and an occasional speckled trout was hauled in from traditional trout holes.
A few bottom fish, keeper flounder and small bluefish were caught by fishermen around Oregon Inlet.
Small bluefish, small speckled trout, flounder and several puppy drum were landed by surfcasters from Rodanthe to Buxton during the weekend.
A few puppy drum, small bottom fish and nice flounder were taken Saturday at Cape Point. Small bluefish, small flounder and a few mullet were landed Sunday. Surf fishermen caught a few toadfish, small bottom fish, small bluefish and a few flounder from Frisco to Hatteras Inlet Saturday and Sunday. Some speckled trout were landed by boaters in the sound.
A wind change to a more northerly direction should improve inshore fishing throughout the area this week.
The water temperature was 64.5 degrees Monday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck, and 68 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island. by CNB