DATE: Tuesday, October 28, 1997             TAG: 9710280281

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

COLUMN: FISHING ON THE OUTER BANKS 

SOURCE: Damon Tatem

                                            LENGTH:   60 lines

ANGLERS EXPERIENCE FAIR CATCHES FROM PIERS

Pier fishing was fair along the northern beaches during the weekend.

Anglers on Kitty Hawk Pier caught some nice speckled trout early Saturday morning, along with small puppy drum. A 34-inch striped bass was landed in the afternoon.

Fishing was slow Sunday morning, but a 31-inch striper was decked later in the day along with a few nice sea mullet and a few gray trout from the end of the pier.

Avalon Pier reported slow fishing during the weekend with a few small bluefish, spot and trout taken.

Anglers on Nags Head Pier also had a slow weekend. A few sea mullet, small puppy drum, small bluefish and small gray and speckled trout were landed. Saturday was a slow day on Jennette's Pier, but action improved Sunday with quite a few small puppy drum hooked and released during the morning. A few keeper speckled trout and several black drum were landed in the afternoon.

Outer Banks Pier reported slow fishing Saturday. Sunday morning's puppy drum action was good, with plenty of small fish released and a few over 18 inches taken.

Small gray trout also were fairly plentiful, and several keeper speckled trout and a 6-pound black drum were landed.

South of Oregon Inlet, Rodanthe Pier anglers caught a little on Saturday. Several keeper puppy drum, small bluefish, a few sea mullet, small spot and a 15-pound striped bass were taken Sunday.

Four drum weighing between 40 and 55 pounds were decked Friday night on Avon Pier. Scattered blues, spot and sea mullet were taken Saturday.

Three big drum over 40 inches were landed Saturday night. Anglers caught some small blues and a few sea mullet Sunday.

Small puppy drum, sea mullet and sheepshead were caught from Frisco Pier Saturday. A few mullet, lots of small bluefish, skates and a few speckled trout were landed Sunday.

Small puppy drum and small bluefish were taken during the weekend by surfcasters from Corolla to Oregon Inlet.

Small blues, mullet and puppy drum were landed around Oregon Inlet. Plenty of small puppy drum were caught by anglers fishing from the catwalk on the south end of the Bonner Bridge.

Sea mullet and small bluefish were hauled from the surf from Rodanthe to Buxton throughout the weekend.

Small bluefish, small puppy drum and scattered small bottom fish were beached in the Cape Point area Saturday and Sunday. Some flounder were landed along the beach south of the Cape.

Nice puppy drum, keeper flounder and lots of small bluefish were taken at Hatteras Inlet in the surf during the weekend.

Limits of king mackerel, scattered tuna and a few wahoo were landed by charter craft off Oregon Inlet during the weekend.

King mackerel fishing was good off Hatteras. Tuna and wahoo fishing was fair, and some scattered dolphin were taken.

Sea mullet fishing should be quite good from piers and in the surf along the Dare coast this week.

The water temperatures were 66 degrees Monday at the Army Corps of Engineers Pier in Duck and 72 degrees at Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island.

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