Bottom Fishing Will Be Easy

By DAMON TATEM

BEACH, PIER AND BRIDGE FISHING

Corolla to Coquina Beach

Surf fishing should be fair overall this week from Corolla to Coquina Beach, with the usual summertime variety of small bottom fish available.

Sea mullet, sand perch, small spot, pinhead croaker and an occasional small flounder will be landed by anglers using bloodworms and shrimp for bait. The best action should be on the incoming and high tide in deeper sloughs along the beach. There is no size or creel limit on small fish such as spot, croaker and sea mullet, but anglers should keep only those fish they intend to use.

Some speckled trout should be caught from sloughs along the Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head beaches, along with an occasional puppy drum. Most will be taken on soft plastic lures.

Bluefishing should be fair, with 1/2- to 2-pound fish caught on metal lures when the water is clear, and on cut bait on fireball or bottom rigs when the water is dirty. Anglers can keep 15 blues per person per day with only five greater than 24 inches. There is no minimum size limit on bluefish.

Pier anglers along the northern beaches should land some small bottom fish sporadically just about every day when the water is a bit dirty. Bluefish should be good from the ends of piers early mornings and late afternoons. A few Spanish mackerel also will be decked. Gotcha lures will account for most of the bluefish and Spanish mackerel action.

Cobia or jack crevalle are a possibility for pier jockeys using live bait during periods when warm, clear water is close inshore. Light easterly winds push warm, clear Gulf Stream water inshore along the beach, bringing with it cobia, king mackerel and other varieties of fish that prefer warm, clear water.

Oregon Inlet area

Anglers fishing in the Oregon Inlet surf should catch some small bottom fish, bluefish, keeper flounder and a few black drum.

Fishermen on the catwalk on the south end of the Bonner Bridge should land some bluefish, a few keeper flounder, gray trout and some sheepshead. Most of the sheepshead will be taken on sand fleas dangled close to the pilings.

Anglers fishing in the Off Island channel behind the Bodie Island Lighthouse should catch some speckled trout, croaker, puppy drum and black drum. Early morning is the most productive time for fishing in this spot.

Pea Island to Buxton

Surfcasters along the northern beaches of Hatteras Island should find steady bottom fish action. Some nice sea mullet, small croaker, spot, sand perch and pigfish should be landed regularly from deeper sloughs by anglers using bloodworms or shrimp on small hooks. A few trout, keeper flounder, some nice puppy drum and black drum also should be beached in the area.

Quite a few bluefish and fair numbers of Spanish mackerel will be taken on Stingsilvers when the water in the surf is clear. Bluefish also will be caught regularly on fresh mullet or menhaden when the water is dirty.

Pier fishermen in the Rodanthe and Avon areas should land some bottom fish when the water is somewhat murky. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel should be decked in good numbers on Gotchas when the water is clear. Anglers can keep 15 Spanish mackerel 12 inches or larger per person per day.

Some speckled trout, a few keeper gray trout, black drum and a puppy drum or two also should be taken. Some keeper flounder should be caught on live minnows by anglers fishing close to the pier pilings inshore near the beach. Anglers can keep eight flounder per person per day, 141/2 inches or larger.

Catches of cobia, jack crevalle or king mackerel always are a possibility in this area if conditions are right.

Buxton to Hatteras Inlet

Bluefish and Spanish mackerel action should be good at Cape Point when winds are light and the water is clear. Good fishing can occur at any time, but the most dependable action usually is early mornings and late afternoons.

Good numbers of small spot, croaker, sea mullet, flounder and pompano also should be landed in the Cape Point area daily. A few puppy drum, black drum and cobia should be taken. An occasional big drum will be released. Anglers can keep one drum 18 to 27 inches per person per day.

Bluefish, some small bottom fish and nice-sized pompano should be caught by surfcasters along the Frisco beach. Some nice Spanish mackerel also could be landed in the area when winds are light and the water is clear.

Bluefish, Spanish mackerel, some nice big pompano and keeper flounder should be taken in the Hatteras Inlet surf, along with some gray trout. Anglers can keep seven gray trout 12 inches or larger per person per day.

Frisco Pier fishermen should deck small bottom fish, gray trout, pompano, a few sheepshead and keeper flounder. Good numbers of bluefish and Spanish mackerel should be taken in clear water.

TROLLING AND BOAT FISHING

Boat fishermen in the Oregon Inlet and Hatteras Inlet areas will reel in quite a few bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Sound fishermen in both areas should catch good numbers of speckled trout, some gray trout, keeper flounder and a few puppy drum.

Headboats in the Oregon Inlet area should deck small croaker, spot, pigfish and flounder. Hatteras headboats should land bottom fish in the sound, and sea bass, snappers and grouper when fishing on rough bottom and wrecks in deeper water offshore.

OFFSHORE, GULF STREAM

Blue water fishing should be good off Oregon Inlet with lots of dolphin, good numbers of tuna and scattered wahoo caught. Some big- eye tuna will be taken and billfish released.

Hatteras Gulf Stream anglers should land plenty of gaffer and bailer dolphin, wahoo, blackfin tuna and a few yellowfin tuna. Billfish action should be good.

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