Marlin Tourney Highlights Week Off Hatteras

By DAMON TATEM

OFFSHORE, GULF STREAM

Blue water action should be outstanding all along the Outer Banks this week. Lots of gaffer dolphin should be landed daily by fishermen off both Oregon and Hatteras inlets. Yellowfin tuna action should be good off both inlets, but some of the best action will be near the point, southeast of Oregon Inlet. Blue water anglers also should deck some king mackerel, wahoo and an occasional big-eye tuna off the Dare coast.

Billfish action should be good this week, particularly off Hatteras.

The annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament is being held in Morehead City June 7-14.The tournament is part of the Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series.

BEACH, PIER AND BRIDGE FISHING

Corolla to Coquina Beach

Surf fishing action should be fair this week along the northern beaches of the Outer Banks, with some small bottom fish and tailor bluefish landed. Most of the small bottom fish will be taken from deeper sloughs along the beach where they move inshore to feed on the incoming tide. Small number 4 to number 6 hooks baited with bloodworms or fresh shrimp should produce most of the action.

There is no size or creel limit on spot, croaker, sea mullet or sand perch, but anglers should keep only what they intend to use and release the rest, particularly the small fish.

Fair numbers of bluefish should be caught early mornings on lures when the water is clear. If conditions are good and schools of bait are close inshore along the beach, bluefish can be landed just about any time of day, as they are voracious feeders.

If the water is dirty, bluefish generally are taken in good numbers on fresh cut mullet, menhaden or spot fished on the bottom on regular bottom rigs or fireball rigs. Steel wire snelled hooks are virtually a necessity to prevent cut lines from the razor sharp teeth of the bluefish. Anglers can keep 15 bluefish per person per day, with only five greater than 24 inches.There is no minimum size limit on bluefish.

A few nice speckled trout also should be caught from deeper sloughs along the beach when the water is clear. Most of the trout will hit soft plastic lures. Fair numbers of trout have been landed recently in the surf near Avalon Pier.

Pier fishermen in Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head should deck quite a few 12- to 15-inch bluefish early mornings and late afternoons on jiggers when the water is clear. A few Spanish mackerel also could appear in catches.

When the water is clear, a few speckled trout and an occasional keeper gray trout also should be reeled in on soft plastic lures cast close to the beach. Anglers can keep 10 speckled trout 12 inches or larger per person per day and seven gray trout (or weakfish) 12 inches or larger per person per day.

Bottom fishing should be fairly good when the water is a bit dirty. A mixture of small spot, sea mullet, sand perch, a few croaker and pigfish should be taken fairly easily on bloodworms, artificial bloodworms or fresh shrimp.

If the water is clear and water temperatures are in the 70s, a cobia could be caught by a lucky live bait fisherman.

Anglers fishing from the Melvin Daniels Jr. Bridge on the Nags Head/Roanoke Island causeway should land some nice speckled trout just about every morning. Some black drum and small bottom fish should be taken from the bridge off and on throughout the day.

Oregon Inlet area

Surfcasters in the Oregon Inlet area should beach some small bottom fish, bluefish and an occasional flounder. Some black drum and possibly a sheepshead or two should be caught along the beach on the inlet’s north side near the Bonner Bridge foundation.

Anglers fishing from the catwalk on the south end of the bridge should land some bluefish, a few flounder, small bottom fish and some sheepshead. Fishing is good from the bridge when the tide is slack.

Some nice speckled trout, an occasional puppy drum and some bottom fish should be taken by anglers fishing from the bank in the Off Island channel behind the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

Pea Island to Buxton

Surfcasters trying their luck along the northern beaches of Hatteras Island should catch a good variety of small bottom fish including spot, sea mullet, perch and croaker. A few keeper flounder, an occasional black drum, widely scattered nice-sized pompano and one or two gray trout also should be landed. A few puppy drum should be taken if the water is somewhat rough.

Fair numbers of bluefish should be beached along with a few Spanish mackerel if seas are light and the water is clear. Most of the bluefish and Spanish mackerel will be caught on Stingsilvers. Blues and Spanish mackerel aggressively feed on small baitfish, mimicked effectively by small metal lures.

Pier anglers in Rodanthe and Avon should land quite a few bottom fish, some pompano, black drum, a few puppy drum and possibly a sheepshead from time to time. Some nice flounder should be decked, particularly by fishermen using live bait or strip bait fished along the bottom, inshore near the pier pilings. Anglers can keep eight flounder 141/2 inches or larger per person per day in the Atlantic Ocean.

Bluefish weighing between 1/2 and 3 pounds should be taken on Gotchas fairly regularly, along with scattered mixed-sized Spanish mackerel from the ends of ocean piers when the water is clear.

If the water is clear and warm and seas are calm, pier jockeys using live bait such as menhaden or bluefish could catch a cobia or king mackerel.

Buxton to Hatteras Inlet

Cape Point surfcasters should beach tailor blues along with a few Spanish mackerel just about every day when winds are light and the water in the area is clear. Anglers in the Cape Point area also should land some puppy drum and small bottom fish. Nice flounder should be taken along the beach south of the cape if it’s accessible.

A few big drum and some yearling drum will continue to be hooked and released when winds are from the southwest. Anglers can keep one drum from 18 to 27 inches per person per day. Some big cobia also should be caught in the Cape Point area by surf fishermen using cut bait.

Good numbers of small bottom fish, pompano, bluefish and a few Spanish mackerel should be landed along the Frisco beach. Some of the blues may weigh more than 3 pounds.

Surf fishermen should reel in bluefish, Spanish mackerel, a few gray trout, keeper flounder and some drum along the Hatteras Inlet beaches.

Fishermen on Frisco Pier on the south end of Hatteras Island should deck tailor bluefish and Spanish mackerel early mornings and late afternoons. Fair numbers of small bottom fish also should be taken along with some large keeper flounder. A big cobia, king mackerel or even a tarpon is a possibility when winds are light and the water is clear.

Anglers can keep two cobia 33 inches or larger per person per day, and three king mackerel 24 inches or larger per person per day.

TROLLING AND BOAT FISHING

Boaters trolling in the Oregon Inlet area should catch plenty of tailor bluefish and a few Spanish mackerel. Boaters fishing close to the Oregon Inlet bridge should deck some sheepshead and black drum.

Speckled trout, gray trout, puppy drum, keeper flounder and small bottom fish will be taken by boaters fishing in the inlet area and in the sound west of Oregon Inlet.

Some nice cobia, a few big bluefish and a king mackerel or two should be landed by boaters fishing in deeper water outside the inlet. Some big drum should be hooked and released.

Boat fishermen in the Hatteras Inlet area should catch plenty of bluefish, some Spanish mackerel, gray trout and speckled trout, along with mixed sizes of drum and some keeper flounder. Cobia fishing should be great in the area.

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