DATE: Sunday, May 4, 1997                   TAG: 9705010202

SECTION: CAROLINA COAST          PAGE: 31   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: HOW TO HOOK 'EM 

SOURCE: Damon Tatem 

                                            LENGTH:   67 lines

MULLET, CROAKER SHOULD BITE ON BLOODWORMS ALONG OUTER BANKS

Rising water temperatures along Outer Banks beaches should improve fishing action during the coming week. A wide variety of fish should be available for pier, surf and boat anglers.

Pier anglers along the northern beaches should land good catches of sea mullet, croaker, spot and some scattered flounder.

Bloodworms and fresh shrimp will be the preferred bait for mullet, croaker and spot. Live minnows and squid strips should snag some flounder.

Good runs of tailor bluefish should occur daily just after sunrise and around sunset, providing the water is fairly clear.

Most of the blues will be taken on jiggers or double bucktail rigs. The fish will be taken on cut bait and fireball rigs if the water is rough and a little murky.

Gray trout weighing as much as 2 pounds also should appear regularly in northern beach pier catches. Some speckled trout should be taken, with the best action early in the morning close to the surf line along the beach.

Sea mullet fishing should be excellent on piers south of Oregon Inlet. Pier fishermen also should catch ample quantities of spot, croaker, toadfish and small bluefish.

Spanish mackerel should make their initial appearance when the water off Hatteras rises into the 60s.

Early season king mackerel catches from Frisco Pier are a good possibility if water temperatures continue to rise this week. Frisco Pier fishermen also should land a few puppy drum.

A gradual improvement in surf fishing should be apparent as water temperatures approach 60 degrees.

Sea mullet, spot, croaker and small bluefish should be landed by surf fishermen on the incoming tide from sloughs along the northern beaches.

Scattered bottom fish, a few nice gray trout, occasional speckled trout, small bluefish and a few keeper flounder should be hauled from the surf around Oregon Inlet.

A few speckled trout also should be taken from the Off Island Channel behind the Bodie Island Lighthouse, and by anglers wading the Green Island Slough area.

Surf fishermen from Oregon Inlet to Buxton should beach good numbers of sea mullet, croaker, small spot, bluefish and an occasional puppy drum.

Big drum should be landed at night at Cape Point when the wind is from a southwesterly direction.

Some nice flounder and sea mullet should be caught along the beach south of Cape Point. Anglers in the area also should catch a mixture of small bottom fish and tailor blues.

Some big drum should be landed at False Point. Small bluefish, flounder, a mixture of bottom fish and a few puppy drum should be caught by surf fishermen from Ramp 55 to Hatteras Inlet.

Some Spanish mackerel probably will be taken by anglers trolling in the Hatteras Inlet area.

Scattered yellowfin tuna, including some fish weighing more than 70 pounds, should be taken daily by the Oregon Inlet and Pirates Cove bluewater fleets.

Dolphin fishing should be fair to good this week. A few wahoo and king mackerel should appear in catches, and several billfish should be released.

Charters off Hatteras should land fair numbers of yellowfin tuna, dolphin, wahoo and king mackerel. The best action should be around the Diamond Shoals Light Tower.

Marlin fishing generally improves in the Hatteras area as June approaches. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON

Anglers off the Avalon Pier on Wednesday enjoy the day.

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