DATE: Friday, May 9, 1997                   TAG: 9705090678

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

                                            LENGTH:   52 lines

MORNING FISHING FAIRLY GOOD AT PIERS ON NORTHERN BEACHES

Pier fishing was fairly good at some locations along the northern beaches Thursday.

Kitty Hawk Pier reported quite a few spot taken, along with a few bluefish, mullet, gray trout and speckled trout during the morning. Afternoon action was slow, however.

Skates, pigfish, a few spot, several bluefish and scattered gray trout were landed early in the day from Avalon Pier. Fishing was slow the rest of the day.

Lots of skates, a handful of spot and a few sea mullet were taken on Nags Head Pier throughout the day.

Good numbers of mixed-sized spot were decked on Jennette's Pier during most of the morning. Some spot and a few mullet were landed in the afternoon.

Anglers on Outer Banks Pier landed skates, spot, a few sea mullet and an occasional trout off and on during the day.

On Hatteras Island, Rodanthe Pier anglers caught bluefish on jiggers and bucktail rigs, a few sea mullet and a couple of gray trout Thursday.

Avon Pier reported slow fishing, with a few sea mullet and toadfish landed. Skates were plentiful.

Fishing also was slow on Frisco Pier, with scattered mullet, small blues and a 17-inch flounder taken.

Surf action was slow along the beach from Corolla to Oregon Inlet.

Some small bluefish and a few bottom fish were hauled from the surf at Oregon Inlet, and small striped bass were hooked and released from the catwalk on the south end of the Oregon Inlet bridge.

Good numbers of sea mullet, small bluefish and a few gray trout were taken from deeper sloughs from Rodanthe to Buxton.

Some big drum were beached at Cape Point Wednesday night. Some gray trout and skinny big bluefish were landed Thursday.

Good numbers of big drum also were landed at False Point late Wednesday night. Small bluefish and scattered bottom fish were caught by surf fishermen from Ramp 55 to Hatteras Inlet Thursday.

Blue water action was slow off Oregon Inlet Thursday. A few yellowfin tuna, king mackerel and dolphin were taken. The fish were badly scattered.

Charters off Hatteras landed scattered tuna and a few dolphin Thursday. Blue marlin were released by the Hunter and the Sea Creature, and a blue marlin and a sailfish were freed by the Tuna Duck.

The Hatteras Village Offshore Open, a tournament in the North Carolina Governor's Cup Billfishing Conservation Series, is under way off Hatteras. The final day of fishing is Saturday, and the awards banquet and auction will be held Saturday night.

Drum fishing should be good at False Point and Cape Point this weekend, as several schools have been spotted in the area.

The water temperature was 53.5 degrees Thursday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck, and 68 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island.

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