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Surf Fishing The Outer Banks Of North Carolina
By Elizabeth Edwards, Fri Dec 9th

My first experience surf was with my father onWrightsville Beach, NC in the 60's. He parked our shiny blackFord Fairlane in a gravel parking lot off the beach and we hikedover the dunes to the surf, carrying rods, buckets, tackle boxand various other paraphernalia. I remember him catchingbluefish, croakers, puppy drum and flounder as I played in thetidal pools nearby. Later, my grandmother would fry the filletedfish to a golden brown and we would eat them with hushpuppiesand coleslaw.

Years later, in the mid-eighties, I remember an early winterfishing expedition near Oregon Inlet, south of Nags Head, thistime with my husband, 8-month old daughter and a Chesapeake BayRetriever puppy. My husband had come in from duck hunting andhad heard the big blues were hitting the beach! We parked our4-wheel drive truck nearby on the hard sand and with the babyplaying contentedly in her car seat and the puppy chewing onanything he could find, we lined up along the surf with a fewdozen other fishermen, casting the heavy silver spoon lures intothe churning waters of the big blue blitz. Cast after cast wewere rewarded with huge bluefish, twelve to sixteen pounds,filling up a wheelbarrow in a pyramid of large fish. Later wefilleted, boiled and ate the fish in casseroles made with mashedpotatoes. Needless to say, we were eating bluefish casserolesall winter long.

Surf is exciting, rewarding and accessible to all. Mostlocations can be reached either by car or ferry. With a basicunderstanding of seasons, conditions, equipment and regulations,an angler can get lucky just about any time of the year, buttypically the very best times to surf fish are spring and fall.

Popular and prolific sport fish species you may catch surffishing along the North Carolina coast include:

Channel bass (red drum, puppy drum) The spring season generallybegins in April. This run will peak by mid May and taper off inearly June. Average size in spring is 35 to 50 pounds. InSeptember the smaller drum will enter the surf. These fish willrange between 2 and 15 pounds. They are more plentiful than thelarger variety and can be found in most sloughs. In late Octoberthe bigger drum (40-70 pounds) return and remain until lateNovember. Bait of choice is fresh mullet; rods are 9 to 11 feetwith medium to heavy action tips. Size allowed is between 18"and 27" with a daily bag limit of 1 per person.

Bluefish Blues are available in a variety of sizes from April toDecember to surf fishermen and boaters as well. Large size blues(8-12 pounds) arrive in May and remain until November. Theirdeparture is generally hastened by the arrival of the fall runof 15-20 pound giant blues. These later fall visitors areplentiful and powerful.

They'll take bait (mullet, spot, ormenhaden) or almost any type of lure. rods 9 to 11 feetare preferred. Bag limit of 15 per day per person. Only 5allowed over 24" total length (from tip of snout to tip ofcompressed tail).

Spanish mackerel This fish is somewhat of a tourist, arriving inJune and staying until later September. The Spanish isdelicious, averages 1 to 3 pounds and presents a real challengeto any angler. Spanish mackerel are usually taken on fast movingmetal lures. rod of choice is a 9 foot light action.Minimum size allowed is 12" fork length (from tip of snout tomiddle of fork in tail). Bag limit of 15 per day per person

Striped bass Recently during the winter months striped bass havereturned to NC waters in great numbers. October, November andDecember are the best times for fishing, with fish still showingup as late as February. In Atlantic waters, size limit is over27" total length with bag limit of 2 per day. For sounds andother areas, consult the NC Marine Fisheries website.

Flounder (summer, southern) Flounder begin biting in May as thewater warms. By June, the is going strong, with bothsummer and southern flounder being caught. Southern flounderdominate the catch in inshore and southern NC waters, whilesummer flounder dominate the catch in offshore waters north ofCape Hatteras. Many flounder are caught using cut baits and someare caught using jigs. When jigs are used, they work best whentipped with fish, shrimp or a mullet minnow.

Other species available to North Carolina surf fishermen arepompano, croaker, trout, spot, hogfish and whiting (sea mullet).

Be advised that there is a proposed recreational saltwaterfishing license which is scheduled to take effect January 2006.The license is still being debated by the North Carolina GeneralAssembly and you should check the NC Marine Fisheries website(http://www.ncfisheries.net) to determine if a license isrequired before the NC coast after that date.

Also, the size regulations and limits given above are accurateat the time of this writing (summer 2005) but are subject tochange, so check the NC Marine Fisheries website to confirmthese regulations before your expedition.

Whether beginning angler or old salt, surf is a popularand fun activity with minimal expense, no boat required, easyaccess to great conditions and plenty of action. With aminimum of effort and expense, you can catch a variety ofexcellent eating fish, have a great time and start making yourown memories.

About the author:Elizabeth Edwards is a free-lance writer with a variety ofprofessional and personal interests. You will find moreinformation about fishing and fishinggear on www.fishing-rod-guide.info.

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