DATE: Tuesday, November 18, 1997            TAG: 9711180290

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS 

SOURCE: Damon Tatem

                                            LENGTH:   60 lines

JUMBO BLUEFISH STEAL THE SCENE ALONG THE PIERS

Jumbo bluefish hit piers along the northern beaches in full force Sunday.

Outer Banks Pier reported 12- to 16-pound blues landed most of Sunday afternoon on cut bait. Some keeper stripers also were taken. Action was slow Saturday, with only a few small blues landed.

Jennette's Pier anglers also caught big blues most of Sunday. The fish were landed from the end of the pier on cut bait and metal lures. Dogfish, small blues and a two-pound, 10-ounce trout were taken Saturday.

Twelve- to 16-pound blues were decked Sunday afternoon on Nags Head Pier, along with several keeper stripers. Cut bait produced all the action.

A few small blues, flounder and several speckled trout were landed on Nags Head Pier Saturday. Some small stripers were released.After a slow morning Sunday, a good run of big blues developed on Avalon Pier shortly before noon. Bluefish continued to bite off and on during the remainder of the day.

Small bluefish, a few speckled trout, several puppy drum and two 10- to 12-pound bluefish were taken Saturday on Avalon Pier.

A few sharks and skates were landed Sunday on Kitty Hawk Pier. Fishing was slow Saturday, with only scattered small bluefish taken.

South of Oregon Inlet, Rodanthe Pier reported slow fishing throughout the weekend, with small blues taken.

A 50-pound drum and a handful of keeper stripers were taken from Avon Pier Friday night. A few sea mullet and blues were landed Saturday.

A 43-inch drum, a 49-inch drum and one keeper striper were decked Saturday night on Avon Pier. One striper was landed Sunday.

Some nice sea mullet, small bluefish, several toadfish and keeper puppy drum were taken Saturday and Sunday on Frisco Pier.

A few stripers and bluefish were hauled from the surf along the northern beaches during the weekend.

Scattered blues and keeper stripers were taken from the north and south sides of Oregon Inlet on cut bait Saturday and Sunday.

Small bluefish and an occasional striped bass were beached by surfcasters from Oregon Inlet to Buxton throughout the weekend.

Quite a few striped bass were landed at Cape Point Saturday by anglers who waded out to the bar. Some sea mullet, puppy drum and several large drum were taken from along the north side of Cape Point.

Stripers, small blues and flounder were landed in the area Sunday.

Surfcasters along the beach from Ramp 55 to Hatteras Inlet caught plenty of one- to three-pound blues, some small puppy drum and a few flounder Saturday. Fishing in the area was slow Sunday.

Striped bass trolling around the Oregon Inlet bar was good throughout the weekend, with limits of keepers taken on swimming plugs and large bucktails. Quite a few big blues also were taken in the area by charter and private craft. Striper fishing also was good in the Manns Harbor area.

Blue water action off Oregon Inlet was good for yellowfin tuna. Charters landed limits of yellowfins weighing between 30 and 60 pounds around the 40450 Loran line. No offshore action was reported Sunday because of strong winds.

A bad weather forecast and choppy seas kept Hatteras offshore fishermen at the dock during the weekend. Big bluefish and striper action should be good along the northern beaches and on Pea Island this coming week.

The water temperature was 55 degrees Monday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck, and 61 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island.

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