
DATE: Thursday, October 2, 1997             TAG: 9710020559

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

COLUMN: Fishing on the Outer Banks 

SOURCE: Damon Tatem 

                                            LENGTH:   93 lines

ANGLERS STAY BUSY ON THE PIERS

Pier action along the northern beaches was good Wednesday.

Plenty of spot, Spanish mackerel and some keeper gray trout were landed during most of the day on Kitty Hawk Pier.

Spanish mackerel fishing was excellent on Avalon Pier for a few hours mid-morning. A few spot and trout were landed in the afternoon.

Anglers on Nags Head pier decked a 16-pound king mackerel, a few tailor bluefish and some bottom fish throughout the day.

Fishing was slow on Jennette's Pier, with only a few Spanish mackerel, spot and pompano taken.

Lots of Spanish mackerel, quite a few albacore, bluefish, some nice sea mullet and spot were caught by fishermen on Outer Banks Pier off and on during the day.

South of Oregon Inlet, Rodanthe Pier reported scattered spot, small puppy drum and some bluefish taken.

Good numbers of small puppy drum were released by anglers on Avon Pier. A few bluefish, spot, sea mullet and Spanish mackerel were landed.

Fishermen on Frisco Pier caught a few nice bluefish, small puppy drum, pompano and sand perch.

Small bottom fish, a few blues and an occasional flounder were taken by surfcasters from Corolla to Oregon Inlet. Some keeper flounder, trout, bluefish and small bottom fish were landed around Oregon Inlet.

Surf fishermen from Rodanthe to Buxton caught a handful of bluefish, pompano, Spanish mackerel and bottom fish.

Several nice drum were beached at Cape Point early Wednesday morning. Lots of Spanish mackerel were landed during the day at the cape, and flounder, pompano and bluefish were taken along the south beach.

Spanish mackerel weighing as much as 3 1/2 pounds, bluefish, flounder, pompano and small puppy drum were hauled from the surf from Ramp 55 to Hatteras Inlet.

Good catches of king mackerel and albacore were reported by charters fishing a short distance off Oregon Inlet. Headboats around the inlet caught blues and gray trout.

Yellowfin tuna fishing was good between the 40680 and the 40720 Loran lines. Seven big-eye tuna weighing 98 and 160 pounds were landed by the Outer Limits.

Boaters in the Hatteras Inlet area caught good numbers of gray trout and speckled trout. King mackerel fishing was excellent off Hatteras.

Backfin tuna action was good, and scattered dolphin and wahoo were taken. A sailfish was released by the Sea Creature.

The water temperature was 71 degrees Wednesday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck and 75 degrees at Frisco Pier.