THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 3, 1996 TAG: 9602290133
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Tight Lines
SOURCE: Damon Tatem
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
Excellent catches of bluefin tuna have been reported from areas well south of Hatteras Inlet recently.
Action was particularly good Feb. 22 late in the afternoon. Plenty of bluefin weighing between 200 and 700 pounds were hooked, fought and released, in water depths ranging from 30 to 60 fathoms. The best action was around the 39840 Loran line about 39 miles south of Hatteras Inlet.
Good fishing continued for the next couple of days in the area. Action on Feb. 25 was considerably slower, with a smaller class of fish making up the bulk of catches. The 70 or more boats fishing found action to be very slow until late in the day.
Good fishing resumed Feb. 26, with plenty of 450- to 475-pound fish taken. Quite a few fish in excess of 500 pounds also were reported. Action was best south of ``the rockpile,'' about 35 miles south of Hatteras Inlet.
In addition to bluefin tuna, blue water anglers fishing off Hatteras have landed a few yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna and king mackerel.
Striped bass action in the Croatan Sound has been good during the past week. Anglers trolling and casting Feb. 21 around the Manns Harbor bridge caught and released plenty. Fishing was good in the area Feb. 25, with the best catches reported along the bridge toward the Manteo side.
Surf fishing reports have been scant so far, although water temperatures have continued to rise with the arrival of mild weather and sunny days. Water temperature at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pier in Duck was 45 degrees Feb. 27, and surf temperatures in the Hatteras area have been running in the low 50s.
Some good catches of trout and croaker have been taken by netters fishing along the beach south of Cape Point. Hook and line action along the south beach and the Hatteras Inlet area could break loose, providing weather conditions remain moderate. by CNB