Bottom Fish Plentiful Along Northern Beaches

By DAMON TATEM

BEACH, PIER AND BRIDGE FISHING

Corolla to Coquina Beach

Surfcasters along the northern beaches should catch a nice mixture of small bottom fish and snapper bluefish this week if the weather is good.

Spot, small croaker, some sea mullet and an occasional pompano should be landed by anglers fishing in deeper sloughs along the beach. Fishing will be best early mornings and late afternoons on the incoming or high tide. Most of these small bottom fish will be taken close to the shore where they feed and will hit fresh shrimp or bloodworms.

Sand fleas also are very effective bait for pompano and sea mullet. These small crustaceans can be spotted and easily caught in the soft sand along the surf line as they bury themselves after being uncovered by wave action. There is no size or creel limit on small bottom fish such as spot, croaker and sea mullet, but anglers should keep only what they intend to use and release the very small fish.

A few keeper flounder and an occasional puppy drum also should appear in bottom fishermen’s catches along the beach. Anglers can keep eight flounder caught in the Atlantic Ocean, 141/2 inches in total length, per person per day, and one puppy drum from 18 to 27 inches in total length per person per day. Total length is measured from the tip of the snout with the mouth closed to the top of the compressed tail.

Scattered small bluefish and possibly some nice Spanish mackerel should be landed on metal lures along the beach when the water is clear. Bluefish also will be taken on cut bait fished on the bottom on bottom rigs or fireball rigs. Steel-leadered hooks are recommended when fishing for bluefish because of the sharp nature of their teeth.

Anglers can keep 15 bluefish per person per day with only five greater than 24 inches in total length. There is no minimum size limit on bluefish. Fifteen Spanish mackerel 12 inches or longer in fork length can be kept per person per day. Fork length is measured from the tip of the snout to the middle of the fork in the tail.

Pier fishermen in Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head should catch a variety of small summertime fish and possibly a big fish or two this week. Good numbers of spot, some sand perch, pigfish, small croaker and some sea mullet should be landed by pier jockeys if the water is a bit murky. Action will be best on the incoming or high tide and during breaks in the hot weather when winds are from a northerly direction.

Some pompano, a few black drum and pinfish also should be decked by bottom fishermen. If light onshore winds push clear, warm surface Gulf Stream water inshore to the beach, some spadefish and triggerfish should be hooked around pier pilings. Quite a few small flounder should be released, and a few keeper flounder should be taken. Most of the larger flounder will be landed on live minnows or bait strips on the bottom near pier pilings.

Bluefish action should be good early mornings and late afternoons just before sunset from the ends of piers if the water is clear. A few Spanish mackerel also should be caught. Most of these aggressive fish will be landed on Gotcha lures. Big fish, such as cobia, king mackerel or jack crevalle always are a possibility for live-bait fishermen when conditions are right. Chances of hooking these varieties are best when winds are light onshore and the water along the oceanfront is clear and warm.

Anglers fishing from the Melvin R. Daniels Bridge on the Nags Head/Roanoke Island causeway should catch a few keeper speckled trout and flounder every morning at first light. Small bottom fish should be taken from the bridge during the day. Anglers can keep 10 speckled trout 12 inches or larger in total length per person per day. Eight flounder 14 inches or larger in total length can be kept per person per day in internal waters.

Oregon Inlet area

Surfcasters along the beach in the Oregon Inlet area should land some small bottom fish, snapper blues, a few flounder and some black drum.

Anglers fishing from the catwalk on the south end of the Bonner Bridge should reel in some sheepshead and black drum. Sand fleas should produce the best action. Scattered bluefish, a few bottom fish and flounder also should be taken when the tide rushing through the bridge slows down just before and after high or low water.

Pea Island to Buxton

Pinhead croaker and small spot should keep surfcasters busy all along the northern beaches of Hatteras Island. Some pigfish, sand perch, sea mullet and pompano also will appear in catches. Bluefish and scattered Spanish mackerel should run sporadically along the surf line chasing small minnows and menhaden when the water is clear. Most of the bluefish and Spanish mackerel will be beached on Stingsilvers.

Pier anglers in the Rodanthe and Avon areas should catch a mixture of small croaker, spot, sheepshead, triggerfish, sand perch, sea mullet, black drum and pigfish on the bottom. Most of these small fish will be landed on bloodworms or shrimp. Some keeper flounder should be decked by anglers using live bait or bait strips. An occasional cobia, king mackerel or jack crevalle could be taken by live bait fishermen from the ends of piers if the water is clear and warm, but action has been disappointing overall so far this summer.

Buxton to Hatteras Inlet

Surfcasters in the Cape Point area should catch a mixture of bluefish and Spanish mackerel off and on this week. The best action will be at dawn and dusk each day when winds are light and the water is clear. Anglers fishing along the north and south shores of the cape should land some nice sea mullet, some pretty pompano and a few keeper flounder. Sheepshead, some black drum and flounder should be taken by anglers trying their luck in the surf near the Buxton jetties.

Some nice sea mullet, pompano, spot and small croaker should be caught in deeper sloughs along the Frisco beach. Blues and Spanish mackerel also could be beached in the area just about any time when the water is clear.

Bluefish and Spanish mackerel should be landed fairly regularly early mornings and late afternoons in the Hatteras Inlet surf. Bottom fish and pompano also should be taken sporadically in the area.

Frisco Pier fishermen should deck some small bottom fish on bait when the water is dirty, and bluefish and Spanish mackerel on Gotchas when the water is clear.

INSHORE TROLLING, BOAT FISHING

Flounder fishing should be exceptionally good in the Oregon Inlet and Hatteras Inlet areas when light onshore breezes push clear water into the inlets. Boaters trolling along the Oregon Inlet and Hatteras Inlet area beaches should catch lots of small bluefish, some Spanish mackerel and an occasional albacore.

Some cobia, a few king mackerel, tilefish and triggerfish will be taken in deeper water off Oregon Inlet. Jacks should be plentiful around the offshore towers. Boaters fishing in deeper water off Hatteras Inlet should land snappers, grouper, sea bass and triggerfish in good numbers.

Speckled trout, flounder and a few puppy drum should be decked in the sounds west of Oregon and Hatteras inlets when winds are light.

OFFSHORE, GULF STREAM

Gulf Stream fishermen off Oregon Inlet should catch plenty of mixed-size dolphin, scattered wahoo, some yellowfin tuna and a few big-eye tuna. Anglers can keep 10 dolphin per person per day. There is no minimum size limit on dolphin.

Charter vessels (licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard and holding a NMFS Charter Vessel Coastal Migratory Pelagic Permit) are limited to 60 dolphin per trip.

Billfish action should be fair off Oregon Inlet but will improve dramatically when a cool front moves through the area and the wind shifts to a northerly direction.

Hatteras blue-water fishermen should land quite a few dolphin of all sizes, good numbers of wahoo, some king mackerel and a few tuna. Scattered billfish should be released.

Anglers can keep two wahoo per person per day with no minimum size limit.

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