Outpost

The Piers

Hatteras

The easiest and most comfortable fishing is from fishing piers. There are two : Avon Pier (252-995-5480) and Rodanthe Pier (252-987-2323). (The third, at Frisco, was so badly damaged by the last hurricane it was not repairable and had to be dismantled.) Pier fishing veterans also drive north to the Nags Head Pier, Outer Banks Pier and Jeannette's Pier, all in Nags Head on Bodie Island. Nags Head Pier has a full service restaurant which will fix your catch and serve it with hushpuppies and cole slaw. Piers offer seats, railings, fresh bait, restrooms, food concessions and other conveniences. And you can catch an awful lot of fish there. We've filled ice chests with Flounder, Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, Mullet, Spot, Gray Trout, Cobia, Pompano, Croaker, and other shallow water species. Some veterans hit the piers at dawn and dusk. Others fish with the tides. The rates are $12 for adults and $7 for kids for one day, but three day and season passes are available. Piers are normally open from 6 am to 10 pm.

Many fishermen we know schedule pier fishing for two hours at dusk every day during their two week stay, thus freeing their mornings and afternoons for other activities.

Pier fishing is a specialized kind of fishing and if you're going to do it more than once or twice you might consider special equipment. A Pier Cart to haul all your equipment is handy. Shorter rods are easier to handle. Remember you're not casting far out; fish tend to gather around structure and the best structure is right underneath you. A Pier Net is useful for raising the fish from the water to the pier railing; if you just try to reel it in you'll lose quite a few. A small cooler helps keep live bait fresh.

Most novices rush to the far end of the pier and lower or cast their lines from there. But the better fishing is usually at the troughs behind the bars, or where water is returning from inshore to deeper areas. These plaees are closer to shore.

If you fish from the pier several nights, you're almost certain to either pull in something exciting yourself or at least see someone near you pull in something exciting. This might be a Manta Ray, a huge gamefish,, or even a Shark. Sometimes fishermen will hook a Shark so big they have to walk their line back along the pier while friends race down to the beach below and pull the Shark onto the beach for measurement and a photo. Then they'll unhook and release it.