THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 31, 1995 TAG: 9505310463
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS
SOURCE: DAMON TATEM
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
Pier fishing along the northern beaches was excellent over the Memorial Day weekend.
Anglers on Kitty Hawk Pier caught plenty of small bottom fish, a few nice sea mullet and some speckle trout. Avalon Pier also reported lots of small bottom fish taken. In addition, tailor blues and a number of citation sea mullet weighing more than 1 1/2 pounds were landed.
Nags Head Pier fishermen docked small croakers, spot, blues, speckle trout and large sea mullet. The largest mullet reported, weighing 2 pounds, was taken on bloodworms by Jonathan Ferguson of Chesapeake.
Jennette's Pier anglers caught spot, croakers, trout, pigfish and lots of sea mullet. On Outer Banks' Pier, plenty of small bottomfish, little blues, trout and nice mullet, were taken.
Pier fishermen on Monday and Tuesday caught small bottomfish, little gray trout and some nice sea mullet out of the muddy water stirred up by southwest winds.
Pier action on Hatteras Island was unusually slow. Rodanthe Pier reported a few small bottomfish, tailor blues, and Spanish mackerel landed. Avon Pier fishermen caught only a few small bottomfish. On Frisco Pier some Spanish and blues were taken on double bucktail rigs and jiggers. The best of the fishing has been around sunrise and sunset.
Surfcasters along the northern beaches have caught small bottomfish, scattered blues and a few nice mullets. Around Oregon Inlet, gray trout fishing was good in Green Island slough on Saturday. Most of the fish were taken on green plastic lures.
In the surf from Rodanthe to Buxton, small bottomfish, blues and few trout have been taken.
At Cape Point, Spanish mackerel and bluefish action has been good just before dark. South of Cape Point to Hatteras Inlet, anglers have landed gray trout, blues and flounder.
Inshore trolling for Spanish mackerel and bluefish around Oregon Inlet was good on Saturday, but slow on Sunday. Action improved Monday.
Cobia fishing outside of Oregon Inlet has been excellent. Tuna fishing was slow off Oregon Inlet on Saturday. Dolphin fishing was good. The ``Billchaser'' released two white marlin and a sailfish. Tuna action improved Sunday with charters landing from 4 to 18 yellowfins. The 30- to 50-pound tuna were spread from the Rockpile to the 40650 Loran line. Some good catches were reported above the 41000 line. Tuna fishing was good again on Monday and Tuesday.
Blue water action off Hatteras was excellent on Saturday. Dolphin, tuna and marlin were plentiful from southeast of the tower to below the rockpile in 30 to 100 fathoms. More than 30 billfish were released, including three white marlin on the Capt. B. Fishing continued good in the area on Sunday with eual numbers of billfish released. Three blue marlin were freed by the Gambler and two white marlin and a blue marlin by the Citation.
Small bottomfish should continue to be plentiful along the northern beaches provided the water remains dirty.
Temperatures at Duck Pier was 57 degrees on Tuesday. by CNB