The Virginian-Pilot
                            THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Wednesday, November 6, 1996           TAG: 9611060376
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 
COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS
SOURCE: DAMON TATEM
                                            LENGTH:   46 lines

FISHING ON NORTHERN BEACHES IMPROVES, YIELDING A MIXED BAG

Pier fishing along the northern beaches improved Tuesday.

Small bluefish, sand perch and a few keeper speckled and gray trout were landed on Kitty Hawk Pier.

Avalon Pier reported several keeper flounder, small bluefish and small speckled and gray trout taken.

A few small bluefish and small speckled trout were caught on Nags Head Pier. One keeper gray trout also was taken.

Fishermen on Jennette's Pier landed a few sea mullet, a few small bluefish and some little trout. A 13-pound striped bass was caught by John Thorpe of Nags Head.

A few keeper speckled trout weighing as much as 2.75 pounds were landed from Outer Banks Pier, along with small bluefish and puppy drum.

On Hatteras Island, anglers on Rodanthe Pier caught only a handful of small bottom fish throughout the day.

Avon Pier reported a few sea mullet taken off and on during the day.

Lots of false albacore were landed from Frisco Pier during the morning. King mackerel weighing 15, 20, and 25 pounds were decked during the day.

Surf fishing from Corolla to Oregon Inlet was slow, with scattered bottom fish, a few trout and an occasional striped bass beached.

A few gray trout, speckled trout and nice flounder were landed from the south side of Oregon Inlet east of the bridge.

A few speckled trout and a 16-pound striper were landed in the surf north of Rodanthe Pier during the morning. Two nice striped bass were taken at Ramp 27 during the day.

Several drum were landed at Cape Point just before sunset Monday. A few speckled trout were caught by surf fishermen along the beach between Ramp 43 and Cape Point Tuesday. A 32-inch striper also was beached in the area.

A few sea mullet, small bluefish and black drum were taken in the surf from Frisco to Hatteras Inlet.

Charters off Oregon Inlet found few king mackerel but lots of albacore at Wimble Shoals. Good numbers of king mackerel were taken south of the shoals, and some dolphin and wahoo were landed in deeper water offshore.

King mackerel and yellowfin tuna catches were good over an area of bad bottom near the point of Shoals Buoy off Hatteras Tuesday. Most of the tuna weighed between 30 and 40 pounds.

The water temperature was 61 degrees Tuesday at the Army Crops of Engineers Pier in Duck, and 64 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island. by CNB