DATE: Friday, August 22, 1997               TAG: 9708220951

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B01  EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS

SOURCE: DAMON TATEM

                                            LENGTH:   56 lines

PIER FISHING PROVES REWARDING FOR DARE COAST ANGLERS

Pier fishing along the Dare coast was good Thursday.

Lots of spot, croaker and bluefish were taken during the morning on Kitty Hawk Pier. Clear water slowed afternoon fishing.

Avalon Pier reported an early morning run of Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Spot and croaker fishing were good the rest of the day.

Some limits of Spanish mackerel and scattered tailor blues were taken from Nags Head Pier during the morning. Fair numbers of spot were caught later in the day.

Anglers on Jennette's Pier caught small croaker and a few spot throughout the day Thursday.

Spanish mackerel and tailor blues were decked on Outer Banks Pier most of the morning. Croaker and scattered spot were landed on bloodworms during the afternoon.

On Hatteras Island, fishermen on Rodanthe Pier caught plenty of spot, croaker and a few nice flounder until midday. A few scattered bottom fish were landed in the afternoon.

Plenty of small croaker, scattered spot and small flounder were taken on Avon Pier.

Spot, sea mullet, a few Spanish mackerel and several keeper flounder were landed on Frisco Pier.

Surfcasters landed small bottom fish, a few bluefish and an occasional Spanish mackerel along the northern beaches and around Oregon Inlet.

Scattered bottom fish were taken in the surf along the beach from Oregon Inlet to Buxton.

Some Spanish mackerel were beached early Thursday morning at Cape Point. Bottom fish were landed in the area during the day.

Plenty of bluefish were taken from surf fishermen around Hatteras Inlet Wednesday evening. Small flounder, nice sea mullet and bluefish were landed Thursday.

Inshore trolling for bluefish was fairly good around Oregon Inlet. Some Spanish mackerel also were landed.

Billfishing was excellent well northeast of Oregon Inlet near the triple zeros.

More than 50 billfish were released, including 10 white marlin by the Smoker and seven by the Phideaux. Scattered dolphin, tuna and wahoo also were taken by the offshore fleet.

Inshore trolling around the sea buoy area off Hatteras Inlet was good Thursday with king mackerel, bluefish and a few dolphin taken. Charters in the Gulf Stream off Hatteras landed a fair number of dolphin and wahoo.

Billfish releases included a blue marlin and two white marlin by the Wahoo, two white marlin by the Release, and a blue marlin and a white marlin by the Marlin Mania. A white marlin was released by the Tuna Duck and a sailfish by the Top Billing.

Billfishing should be good off Oregon Inlet if onshore winds prevail.

The water temperature was 68 degrees Thursday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck, 79 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island.

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