DATE: Friday, May 2, 1997                   TAG: 9705020795

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

COLUMN: Fishing on the Outer Banks

SOURCE: Damon Tatem

                                            LENGTH:   46 lines

ACTION SLOWS DOWN AFTER GOOD PIER CATCHES

Wednesday's good pier catches along the Dare coast were followed by slower action Thursday.

A few tailor bluefish were taken on white bucktails off and on during the day from Kitty Hawk Pier. A few sea mullet also were landed.

Avalon Pier reported bluefish off and on during most of Thursday morning. A few small mullet, very small spot and lots of skates were decked in the afternoon.

Fishing was slow on Nags Head Pier, with only a few small gray trout and sea mullet taken. Jennette's Pier also reported slow fishing.

Anglers on Outer Banks Pier caught very small spot and scattered skates during the morning, but only skates in the afternoon when the water got dirty.

South of Oregon Inlet, fishermen on Rodanthe Pier landed lots of spot, pigfish and some small bluefish early in the day. Afternoon action was slow.

After good fishing Wednesday, action on Avon Pier took a nose dive, with only a few scattered sea mullet taken.

Some nice sea mullet were taken early in the morning on Frisco Pier, but action was generally slow the remainder of the day.

A few small bottom fish were taken by surfcasters from Corolla to Oregon Inlet on the incoming tide.

Scattered sea mullet and other small bottom fish were hauled from the surf along the beach from Rodanthe to Buxton, primarily during the morning.

One drum was landed from Cape Point early Thursday morning. During the day, sea mullet and bluefish were beached by surf fishermen along the north side of Cape Point, and some flounder were taken along the south side.

Small blues and Spanish mackerel were landed in the Hatteras Inlet area, and some scattered sea mullet were caught between Ramp 55 and the inlet.

Charters off Oregon Inlet caught plenty of tuna near the point Thursday. Several limits of 20- to 30-pound yellowfin were reported. Dolphin fishing was good south of the point near the Diamond Shoals Tower.

Blue water action also was good off Hatteras, with catches of yellowfin tuna, wahoo and dolphin reported. Most boats came in a little early because of rough seas during the afternoon.

A good run of drum should develop at night in the Hatteras area, provided the wind remains out of the southwest.

The water temperature was 54 degrees Thursday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck, and 64 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island.

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