DATE: Tuesday, September 30, 1997           TAG: 9709300269

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS

SOURCE: DAMON TATEM

                                            LENGTH:   79 lines

GOOD CATCHES REPORTED ALONG COAST OVER WEEKEND

Pier fishing was good at a number of locations along the Dare coast during the weekend.

Kitty Hawk Pier reported a few albacore, Spanish mackerel and spot landed Saturday. A few bluefish and small Spanish mackerel were taken Sunday, and some small puppy drum were released.

Plenty of albacore were decked Saturday morning on Avalon Pier. Spanish mackerel action was good in the afternoon. Quite a few bluefish, a few Spanish mackerel and small pompano were landed Sunday.

Fishermen on Nags Head Pier caught bluefish, albacore, Spanish mackerel, a few keeper speckled trout and flounder Saturday. Quite a few puppy drum smaller than the 18-inch minimum legal length were released.

Some nice speckled trout weighing from 2 to 4 pounds were landed Sunday on Fin-S lures. A few bottom fish and bluefish also were taken.

Anglers on Jennette's Pier caught good numbers of Spanish mackerel, scattered bluefish and some albacore from the end of the pier Saturday.

Small bottom fish, fair numbers of Spanish mackerel, small puppy drum and several pompano were landed Sunday.

A few spot, some nice mullet, scattered bluefish, pompano and Spanish mackerel were taken from Outer Banks Pier Saturday. A 6-pound, 10-ounce black drum was landed in the afternoon.

Lots of spot were taken for several hours Sunday morning, but a little action was reported in the afternoon.

South of Oregon Inlet, Rodanthe Pier fishermen caught king mackerel weighing 16 1/2 and 17 1/2 pounds, some keeper puppy drum, a few Spanish mackerel and some scattered mullet Saturday.

Fair numbers of keeper puppy drum were decked again Sunday, along with a few bluefish.

Spanish mackerel, sea mullet and a few speckled trout were taken on Avon Pier off and on Saturday. Plenty of bluefish and a few Spanish mackerel were landed Sundaymorning. Scattered pompano, blues and sea mullet were caught later in the day.

Rough seas at Frisco Pier kept action to a minimum during the weekend. Anglers were able to catch only a few small bottom fish and bluefish.

Surf fishermen caught bottom fish and scattered bluefish along the northern beaches on the incoming tide throughout the weekend.

Some speckled trout were beached north of Kitty Hawk Pier Saturday morning, but little action was reported from the area Sunday.

Good numbers of speckled trout were landed by anglers fishing on the south side of Oregon Inlet Saturday morning.

Fishermen on the north side of the inlet caught bottom fish, a few keeper flounder and some nice bluefish Saturday and late Sunday.

Puppy drum, some measuring as long as 25 inches, and tailor blues were hauled from the surf from Rodanthe to Buxton during the weekend.

Drum as large as 40 inches were landed at Cape Point Friday night and again early Saturday morning. Spanish mackerel and small bluefish were taken sporadically during the day.

A few large Spanish mackerel and puppy drum were caught Sunday. Cut bait was used since the water was dirty.

Plenty of tailor blues and some nice flounder were landed along the sound side of Hatteras Inlet Saturday. Lots of 12- to 18-inch gray trout were caught in the same area late in the evening.

Spanish mackerel, bluefish and flounder taken around the Hatteras Inlet Saturday.

Boaters in Oregon Inlet caught bluefish, gray trout and keeper flounder Saturday.

King mackerel fishing off Oregon Inlet was good, with limits of 4- to 10-pound fish taken. Most of the fish were landed on Drone Spoons or Sea Witches with strips pulled deep.

Tuna fishing was fair in the Gulf Stream off Oregon Inlet Saturday, and some scattered dolphin were taken.

Blue water charters in the Hatteras area Saturday caught scattered wahoo, dolphin and plenty of king mackerel. Billfish releases included sailfish by the Wahoo, the Sea Angel, the Connector and the Hunter.

No boating activity was reported off either Hatteras or Oregon Inlet Sunday because of the weather.

Spot fishing should be good on piers along the Dare coast this week when winds blow from the northeast.

The water temperature was 72 degrees Monday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck and 75 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island.

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