My sinker fell like a rock out of the September night sky, and hit the glowing pea-soup water with an amateurish “plunk.” Upon impact, a school of silver-sided finger mullet scattered, lighting up the area like a hundred tiny underwater flash bulbs. Completely undisturbed by my clumsy cast were half a dozen broomstick-shaped gar fish who, along with several fist-sized crabs, floated effortlessly around a piling 30 feet below me.
Suddenly, a series of eerie sounds echoed out of the distant shadows, and my head snapped around so hard I almost lost my hat.
“Fwooossh . . . fwooosh . . . fwoosh.” The sounds continued for a few moments before my sleep-starved brain came up with an explanation. A pod of unseen dolphins were nearby–the sound was air going in and out of their blowholes.
It was 5:40 a.m., and without a doubt, the activity in the floodlit waters around the Nags Head Fishing Pier on the Outer Banks of North Carolina surprised me. But what didn’t surprise me was my casting technique being less than perfect. I mean, the pole was a rental, the large coffee I bought at the pier house hadn’t kicked in yet–and I hadn’t been fishing in 20 years.
Besides the Wright Brothers’ first flight, fishing is the thing the Outer Banks are most famous for. Numerous world-record fish have been caught along this 110-mile elbow-shaped stretch of Atlantic coast from beach, boat and pier, and expert anglers throughout the U.S. think the Outer Banks have some of the best saltwater fishing in the country.
With this imposing reputation in mind, I had walked into the pier’s compact tackle shop the day before, unsure if I would actually end up with a pole in my hands. With my heart drumming a nervous rhythm, I approached the tidy counter and mumbled, “How’s the fishing?”
Behind the register sat a stately gray-haired man with “Oakie” embroidered on the right side of his blue “Nags Head Pier” polo shirt. He didn’t seem at all bothered to hear this question–for what must have been the thousandth time that day–and with a pleasant smile, and a warm Carolina drawl, read a list of the morning’s bounty.
“Let’s see, they’ve caught some spot, croaker, grey trout and some pompano,” he said. I had thought about bluffing my way through any fish talk, but Oakie had me feeling . . . well, comfortable. I put my fishing cards on the table.
“Could someone who hasn’t fished in 20 years go out and catch fish?” I asked. He looked up and answered without hesitation, “Probably as good as some of ’em who fish everyday.”
Whether true or not, it was a damn good line–and I bit. So there I was in the predawn darkness sharing the 750-foot-long pier with three other people.
Robert J. Goldstein, author of the book “Coastal Fishing in the Carolinas–From Surf, Pier and Jetty” (available locally for $12.95), had found it easy to provide an example of why fishing on the Outer Banks is special: “You can catch bigger fish in the North Carolina surf than in a boat 10 miles off New Jersey.”
A number of factors contribute to the excellent fishing, including the meeting of the cold Labrador Current and warm Gulf Stream just off Cape Hatteras, and the overlap of two major migratory fish basins. “It’s where the northern fish meet the southern fish,” says Gibson. “No other place has the variety of the Outer Banks.”
So it’s no surprise that pier fishing has been a popular pastime along the Outer Banks for almost 60 years. Jennettes Pier at Whalebone Junction is credited as being the oldest Outer Banks pier, tracing its wooden ancestry back to 1939 (all piers along the Banks have been destroyed by storms and rebuilt numerous times). Other piers were built along the Banks in the ’50s and ’60s, and today there are eight public fishing piers dotting the coast between Kitty Hawk and the village of Hatteras.
These stilt-legged structures are popular places to fish because they stretch out into the fertile Outer Banks waters like giant wooden centipedes, allowing anglers to get their lines into deep water beyond the surf line.
Another reason piers are a popular place to fish is that they offer the easiest way to have a fishing experience on the Outer Banks. All a potential angler has to do is show up. Poles can be rented, and bait is available in each pier’s tackle shop. Plus you can do something that you can’t do when you go fishing on a boat–leave when you get tired.
Although the fishing can be excellent in the spring and summer, the best time to fish the Outer Banks, according to Goldstein, is the fall. “Almost the entire fish population of the East Coast aggregates along the Outer Banks before heading offshore for the winter,” says Goldstein. “The fish are packed like sardines.”
The best thing a novice can do before fishing is ask for advice. Whether from the tackle shop on the pier, or from a local tackle shop, find out what’s biting–and what’s making the fish bite.
After trying that approach for an hour, I still hadn’t gotten a bite–but I didn’t care. The offshore breeze blew warm, and the ocean, besides bustling with marine life, was bathtub calm. It was so . . . peaceful. The morning, so far, had been one big pleasant surprise.
And another one was in store. I had just made a nice cast to my left when . . . there it was, a nibble. It was unmistakable. I could feel the vibration down to where the rubber butt of the pole rested against my hip.
The vibrations came down the line again. I fought my instinct to set the hook. Maybe he was still playing with the bait and hadn’t taken the hook–or maybe the bait was all gone and so was my catch. When the vibrations came again, I yanked the tip of the pole firmly skyward and started to reel in.
I had him. The line felt heavier than just my 6-ounce sinker, and the pole had an extra bend in it as my left hand intently worked the reel’s handle. But would I get him in, would I actually land him?
My eyes followed the line to water, concentrating on the spot where I thought my catch would appear. Within a few seconds, a silvery shape broke the surface, and I pumped the reel furiously to get the fish on the pier. When the fish got even with the pier, I swung him over the railing.
My catch was maybe 10 inches long, with a plump little belly. Its colors were hard to gauge accurately in the hazy halogen glare of the pier lights, but I could see a dark spot just behind each gill opening. So I knew what I had just caught–a spot.
With the daylight came more anglers. Cobia fishermen and their heavy-duty tackle were filling the end of the pier, while other new arrivals were roving the pier casting artificial lures for bluefish and grey trout.
Fortunately, the action directly below me continued. I landed two more spot, and then was surprised by a very hard strike on my line. This fish pulled hard, so I had visions of a snapper bluefish or maybe a speckled sea trout. But when I got the fish on the pier, it was just a little bigger than my biggest spot–and spot-less. In the flat morning light the fish seemed to have an orange-ish color. I was still puzzling until I put him down on the pier to remove the hook.
Before I even touched the fish, out of its mouth came a guttural sound that made my hands flinch backward. No wonder they’re called croakers.
Things slowed after that. I was about to pack it in because nothing had touched my line for about a half an hour. Then I had a nibble. Before I got it on to the pier I knew it was a tiny blowfish.
I carefully wrapped the fish in a paper towel to protect my hand from the rough prickles on top of its ugly head, and removed the hook. The fish seemed a little dazed, but just before I dropped it back into the water, it puffed up like a party balloon.
A few minutes later I walked off the pier, feeling pretty much puffed up too.
IF YOU GO
– GETTING THERE
Norfolk, Va., is the closest major city to the Outer Banks. From the Norfolk International Airport take Interstate Highway 64 East to Virginia (later North Carolina) Highway 168 south (Exit 290, Battlefield Boulevard). N.C. 168 leads to U.S. Highway 158, which takes you directly to the Outer Banks. The drive takes about 2 1/2 hours.
– GETTING AROUND
There are eight public fishing piers between Kitty Hawk and the village of Hatteras (locations are indicated by mile posts — MP). They are: Kitty Hawk Pier (MP 1; 919-261-2772); Avalon Pier (MP 6; 919-441-7494); Nags Head Pier (MP 12; 919-441-5141); Jennettes Pier (MP 16; 919-441-6116); Outer Banks Pier (MP 18; 919-441-5740); Hatteras Island Pier (Rodanthe; 919-987-2323); Avon Pier (Avon; 919-995-5480); Cape Hatteras Pier (Frisco; 919-986-2533).
Most piers are open April-November — 24 hours a day during the summer and early fall (hours vary, so call before you go). All piers sell bait and have tackle shops where you can rent poles.
A 24-hour fishing permit at the Nags Head Pier is $5. The cost of renting a pole is also $5 (your driver’s license is collateral). The cost of bait varies, and other items are very reasonably priced (filet knives $2, hand towels $1, and fish buckets $3). Season, weekly and 3-day passes are available. A non-fishing pass to walk on the pier is $1. Prices among piers are almost identical.
While soda and snack machines provide the hungry fisherman or fisherwoman with sustenance day or night, some piers have snack bars, or their own restaurants (see below).
During the day, strong sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses (with a strap if you’re wearing an expensive pair!) are a must. A relaxed neighborly attitude (and a pocket full of paper towels) will also come in handy.
– LODGING
Renting a house (for a week or a long weekend) is probably the most popular way to spend time on the Outer Banks. The Dare County Tourist Bureau can provide a list of real estate companies (800-446-6262). There are also a large number of chain hotels and privately owned motor lodges in all price ranges along the Banks. For the serious fisherman, the Nags Head Pier rents cottages (919-441-5141), while Jennettes Pier (919-441-7245) and the Hatteras Island Pier in Rodanthe (919-987-2323) have adjacent motels.
– DINING
The Kitty Hawk Pier, Nags Head Pier and Jennettes Pier all have ocean-front restaurants that serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although they’re not listed in the major travel guides, you’ll find plenty of locals enjoying the inexpensive food and the spectacular views (what can beat a sunrise over the Atlantic with eggs over easy?). For those who crave really fresh seafood, the Pier House Restaurant on the Nags Head Pier will clean and cook your catch.
The Jolly Roger (MP 6.5; 919-441-6530) is another popular place serving breakfast, lunch and dinner at bargain prices. Author Robert J. Goldstein has high praise for the Thai Room (MP 8.5; 919-441-1180) in Kill Devil Hills.
– OTHER ACTIVITIES
Besides having the best fishing on the East Coast (some would say anywhere), the Outer Banks also have some of the most beautiful beaches in the East. Of course, the Outer Banks are home to some of the best surfing and windsurfing spots in the East too. Then again, you can take to the air by going hang gliding at Jockey’s Ridge (call Kitty Hawk Sports at 919-441-6800) — or you can do nothing. Just enjoy the sun and surf.
– INFORMATION
Call the Dare County Tourist Bureau, 800-446-6262. There is also an Outer Banks web page at:outer-banks.nc.us
