DATE: Thursday, September 11, 1997          TAG: 9709110686

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

COLUMN: Fishing on the Outer Banks 

SOURCE: Damon Tatem

                                            LENGTH:   51 lines

PIER FISHING WORTH THE WAIT ON DARE COAST

Pier fishing along the Dare Coast was good Wednesday.

Kitty Hawk Pier reported 12- to 14-inch bluefish landed off and on throughout the day. Spot and several puppy drum as long as 22 inches also were taken.

Bluefish were plentiful all day on Avalon Pier. A few Spanish mackerel and several albacore were taken, along with speckled trout weighing as much as 2 1/2 pounds.

Nags Head Pier anglers also caught lots of blues, a few pompano and some spot.

Scattered Spanish mackerel, bluefish and pompano were decked on Jennette's Pier.

Some spot were landed on Outer Banks Pier during the morning, and Spanish mackerel, bluefish and a few albacore were caught in the afternoon.

South of Oregon Inlet, Rodanthe Pier reported plenty of Spanish mackerel and bluefish taken along with fair numbers of spot.

Scattered bottom fish, pompano, bluefish and gray trout were landed on Avon Pier.

Anglers on Frisco Pier caught a few pompano, spot and a six-pound puppy drum.

Surf fishing along the northern beaches was slow.

Lots of gray trout and some puppy drum were landed Tuesday night by fishermen on the Bonner Bridge catwalk. Small bottom fish, bluefish and a few keeper flounder were landed in the inlet area Wednesday.

Scattered bluefish and a few bottom fish were hauled from the surf from Rodanthe to Buxton.

Lots of small bluefish and a few puppy drum were beached at Cape Point.

Scattered small bottom fish were landed during the day from Ramp 55 to Hatteras Inlet.

Inshore trolling off Oregon Inlet was fairly good, with albacore, bluefish and Spanish mackerel taken. Headboats in the inlet area caught croaker, gray trout and triggerfish.

Dolphin and tuna fishing was good off Oregon Inlet around the 40800 Loran line Wednesday. Billfishing was excellent many miles northeast of Oregon Inlet at the 26750/41200 Loran line.

Ten boats in the area released 97 billfish. Releases included 14 white marlin by the Sea Toy, 12 white marlin by the Temptress, eight white marlin by the Capt. B.C. and seven white marlin by the Fast Lane.

Bluewater action off Hatteras was slow, with a few dolphin, tuna and wahoo taken.

The water temperature was 76 degrees Wednesday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck and 79 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island.

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