
DATE: Thursday, May 15, 1997                TAG: 9705150463

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS

SOURCE: DAMON TATEM

                                            LENGTH:   94 lines

NORTHERN BEACH ANGLERS NET ANOTHER GOOD DAY

Pier fishing was good again Wednesday along the northern beach area.

Fishing was steady during the morning on Kitty Hawk Pier, with tailor bluefish, gray trout and sea mullet taken. A few blues were landed in the afternoon.

Twelve- to 15-inch bluefish and gray trout measuring as long as 15-inches were taken during most of the day by Avalon Pier anglers fishing midway down the pier.

Some nice gray trout and bluefish were caught on Nags Head Pier during the morning, and small spot were landed throughout the afternoon.

Jennette's Pier reported spot, mullet and a few bluefish caught before noon and scattered spot landed later in the day.

Fishermen on Outer Banks Pier early in the morning caught gray trout, about 25 percent of which were keepers. Afternoon action was slow.

South of Oregon Inlet, anglers on Rodanthe Pier landed scattered gray trout, sea mullet, bluefish and a few keeper flounder off and on during the day.

Avon Pier reported a few sea mullet and gray trout taken throughout the day. Fishing was slow on Frisco Pier most of the morning. Lots of pigfish, a few mullet, some gray trout and a few bluefish were caught in the afternoon.

Surfcasters along the northern beaches hauled a few bottom fish and small bluefish from deeper sloughs Wednesday.

Small bottom fish, bluefish and 12- to 14-inch speckled trout were taken around Oregon Inlet by anglers fishing from the catwalk on the Bonner Bridge and by fishermen wading on the inlet's south side.

Sea mullet, gray trout and small bluefish were landed in the surf from Rodanthe to Buxton.

A few big drum were beached Tuesday night at Cape Point. A few flounder and mullet were taken in the area Wednesday.

Surf fishermen caught a few sea mullet, small blues and some keeper flounder from Ramp 55 to False Point.

The headboat Miss Oregon Inlet reported a good catch of sea bass, triggerfish, bluefish and pigfish while fishing in the ocean off Oregon Inlet Wednesday morning.

Blue water charters off Oregon Inlet landed good catches of king mackerel, some nice gaffer dolphin and a few tuna.

The headboat Miss Hatteras reported plenty of triggerfish, sea bass and B-Liners south of Hatteras Inlet Wednesday.

Good catches of dolphin and scattered tuna were taken by the Hatteras offshore fleet south of the rockpile. Several billfish were hooked and lost, and a white marlin was released at Harper's Folly.

The water temperature was 57 degrees Wednesday at the Army Corps on Engineers Pier in Duck and 66 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island.