DATE: Thursday, July 24, 1997               TAG: 9707240414
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS 

SOURCE: Damon Tatem

                                            LENGTH:   51 lines

PIER FISHING GOOD FOR SOME ANGLERS, SLOW FOR OTHERS

Pier fishing along the northern beach area Wednesday was good in some locations and very slow in others.

Kitty Hawk Pier anglers landed 12- to 13-inch bluefish two at a time for a while late Tuesday night. Fishing was slow Wednesday, though, with only a few small flounder hooked and released.

Avalon Pier also reported slow fishing Wednesday, with small flounder taken off and on during the day. A few trout were landed in mid-afternoon.

A few spot and several gray trout were taken early Wednesday morning on Nags Head Pier, but fishing was slow the rest of the day.

Quite a few spot were landed from the north side of Jennette's Pier during the morning and early afternoon.

Outer Banks Pier also reported fairly good spot fishing, but on the south side of the pier. Some mullet, croaker and bluefish also were taken.

South of Oregon Inlet, anglers on Rodanthe Pier caught scattered croaker and spot.

Croaker and a few spot were taken throughout the day on Avon Pier. A tarpon was hooked, fought and lost.

Frisco Pier reported scattered bottom fish landed, and a 26-pound jack released. Several tarpon were seen, but none was taken.

Surf fishermen caught spot, small mullet and scattered bluefish from Corolla to Oregon Inlet.

Some flounder, small bottom fish, gray trout, bluefish and a few black drum were landed around Oregon Inlet.

Lots of croaker were hauled from the surf from Oregon Inlet to Buxton.

A few puppy drum were beached at Cape Point Tuesday night. Bottom fish, a few bluefish and some pompano were taken in the Cape Point area Wednesday.

A few keeper flounder and bluefish were landed along the Hatteras Inlet beach.

Inshore trolling was good in the ocean south of Oregon Inlet. Limits of small king mackerel and good numbers of Spanish mackerel were taken. Headboats around Oregon Inlet landed small bottom fish, gray trout and triggerfish.

Blue water action was slow off Oregon Inlet. A few yellowfin tuna were taken at the Point along with scattered dolphin.

Several billfish were released, including a sailfish by the Marlin Fever, a white marlin by the Fighting Lady and a spearfish by the Wildfire.

Bluefish trolling around Hatteras Inlet was good.

Hatteras Harbor Marina reported fair dolphin fishing and fairly good catches of wahoo. Billfish releases included two blue marlin by the Harpers Folly and one blue marlin by the Hatteras Fever.

The water temperature was 66 degrees Wednesday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck, and 81 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island.

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