THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 14, 1996 TAG: 9608140323
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS
SOURCE: Damon Tatem
LENGTH: 53 lines
Pier fishing improved Tuesday along the northern beaches, with bottom fish action reported from all locations.
Kitty Hawk Pier anglers caught spot and croaker during most of the day.
Avalon Pier reported good numbers of fair-sized croaker, scattered sea mullet and small bluefish taken throughout the day. Some Spanish mackerel were landed early in the morning and again in mid-afternoon.
Quite a few spot, some croaker, sea mullet and tailor blues were taken on Nags Head Pier. Anglers caught some Spanish mackerel in the afternoon.
Fishermen on Jennette's Pier landed spot and croaker all day. A few black drum and small speckled trout also were taken.
Plenty of spot and croaker were caught throughout the day on Outer Banks Pier. Scattered sea mullet and black drum also were landed.
On Hatteras Island, Rodanthe Pier reported good croaker fishing in the morning. Plenty of spot, a few croaker, bluefish and sea mullet were taken during the afternoon.
Spot and croaker fishing also were good on Avon Pier. Plenty of black tip sharks, measuring as much as 3 feet long, were landed in the afternoon.
Fishing was slow on Frisco Pier, with only a few sheepshead, sea mullet and black drum taken.
Surf fishing was fairly good along the northern beaches Tuesday. Spot, croaker, a few sea mullet and black drum were beached on the rising tide.
Fair numbers of bottom fish, a few bluefish and lots of small flounder were taken around Oregon Inlet.
Plenty of small croaker were landed in the surf from Rodanthe to Buxton.
A mixture of small bottom fish were landed at Cape Point.
Spanish mackerel and tailor bluefish were taken early in the morning by surfcasters at Hatteras Inlet. Lots of small flounder were landed during the day.
Inshore trolling around Oregon Inlet was generally slow, with a few Spanish mackerel and small bluefish landed. Headboats in the area caught lots of small croaker and a few gray trout.
Billfishing action was good again Tuesday, well northeast of Oregon Inlet around the triple zeros in water depths ranging from 60 to 300 fathoms. Forty-nine billfish were released during the first day of the 13th annual Pirates Cove Billfish Tournament.
The top boat was the Prime Time, with six releases, followed by the Carolinean in second place with four releases. In third was the Real Affair with four marlin released. The tournament runs through Friday, with trophies and prizes awarded at a banquet Friday night.
Tuna and dolphin were scarce off Oregon Inlet Tuesday.
Hatteras charters did not fish Tuesday because of stormy conditions.
The water temperature was 77.5 degrees Tuesday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck, and 79 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island. by CNB