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Outer Banks Angler: June is jumping

We are well into June and just days from the official start of summer, although the weather definitely feels like summer. Almost daily threats of thunderstorms, rising air temps, water temps, and humidity mean the season is in full swing.

Many think that there is no good fishing in the summer months. But that is far from the truth. You may have to adjust your fishing, but there are fish to be caught. ....Read more


Hatteras Fever II wins the 55th annual Big Rock Tournament

Hatteras Fever II captured the 55th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament Saturday, June 15, when it survived a wild final day that featured 30 blue marlin releases.

Hatteras Fever II, captained by Buddy Hooper of Buxton, showed up at the scales Wednesday, June 12, with a 465.3-pound blue marlin that was reeled in by Raleigh angler Taylor Miller. This catch turned out to be worth $478,050 when no other qualifying blue marlins were landed.  ....Read more







2012 commercial and recreational fish and shellfish harvests are released

North Carolina commercial and recreational seafood harvests dropped in 2012, likely due to a combination of environmental, economic, and regulatory factors, including the shoaling of Oregon Inlet.

Commercial fishermen harvested 56.7 million pounds of finfish and shellfish from North Carolina coastal waters in 2012, a 16 percent drop from the previous year, according to the North Carolina Trip Ticket Program. However, the value of commercial landings increased by 2.6 percent in 2012 to $73 million.

Recreational anglers harvested an estimated 12 million pounds of finfish (8.1 million fish) in 2012, a 9 percent decrease from 2011, according to the state’s Coastal Angling Program.  ....Read more

Outer Banks Angling: Recapping Memorial Day Weekend

It was a blustery and semi-stormy start to the Memorial Day weekend. Gusty winds and scattered thunderstorms led the charge on Friday and Saturday, but by Sunday the weather became as good as you could ask for. Clear skies, light winds, and warm air made for an excellent second half of the holiday.

The beautiful weather brought out the fishermen in droves. Local boat ramps were slammed with trucks and trailers. The piers had good crowds and the beaches had plenty of lines in the water.

The true story lies in the current cobia fishing, which is super hot.  ....Read more


UPDATE: Settlement in Big Rock Tournament case leaves questions unanswered

It was a juicy saga that began in June 2010 and spurred a frenzy of worldwide publicity. A mate on the charter boat Citation, based out of Hatteras, forgot to buy his $15 fishing license. In a crazy twist, that oversight ends up creating a technicality that disqualifies the boat of more than $1 million in prize money awarded for the largest fish ever caught in the Big Rock Tournament, a big-money billfishing tournament based in Morehead City, N.C.

The owners of the Citation filed a lawsuit against the Big Rock Tournament, and the case made its way through the North Carolina Court system for almost three years.

This week the case was settled, but the settlement leaves many questions unanswered.  ....Read more


Owners of Hatteras-based boat win another round in long legal battle over Big Rock winnings

After several defeats in lower courts, the state Supreme Court has handed the charter boat Citation another opportunity to land more than $1 million in winnings it has so far been denied from the 2010 Big Rock Tournament.

On the first day of that year’s June tournament, the Hatteras-based vessel had hooked an 883-pound marlin, the largest in the history of the contest. But days later, the boat was disqualified after organizers learned that its mate lacked an active $15 recreational saltwater fishing license until two hours after the marlin was caught. 

A ruling from the Supreme Court of North Carolina last month reversed a state Court of Appeals decision that had favored the tournament board’s disqualification of the Citation’s prize money: $912,825 in the Blue Marlin Division and $318,750 in the Fabulous Fishermen’s Level.  ....Read more

UPDATE: Gamefish bill is dead in state legislature

The controversial gamefish bill that would have made three species of wild-caught fish unavailable to watermen and consumers in North Carolina was killed late Wednesday, making it the fourth time a gamefish measure has perished in the state. 
 
 “It is officially dead,” said Rep. Paul Tine, a Kitty Hawk Democrat. “It will not run.”

Tine said that the news was relayed to him by the bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Tom Murry, R-Wake, who had just left a late-day Republican caucus. ....Read More

UPDATE: Gamefish bill is alive and well in the legislature

Through the chaos of changeover day in the state legislature, the proposed gamefish bill continues to sit quietly in a committee, still legislatively viable and apparently not forgotten.

“It’s definitely not dead,” said Deans Eatman, a staff member in the office of Rep. Michael Wray, a Northampton Democrat who is one of the bill’s primary sponsors. ....Read More

UPDATE: Watermen plan a show in force in Raleigh to oppose gamefish bill

Watermen in North Carolina plan a show of force in Raleigh on Monday, when members of the public have been invited to give feedback on a proposed gamefish bill that would make specked trout, red drum, and estuarine striped bass no longer available to consumers and commercial fishermen.

“Folks are very concerned about this legislation,” said David Hilton, president of the Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Association. “All the leaders in the community are definitely calling all the fishermen to go.”  ....Read More

Political terrain is rougher in new version of the gamefish bill

Commercial fishermen for the fourth time are fighting against passage of a gamefish bill that is winding its way through the North Carolina General Assembly, but this time the political terrain is rougher and the legislation is an entangled mix of actions.

The bill, HB 983, proposes to remove red drum, speckled trout, and estuarine striped bass from commercial fishing and make them solely recreational catches, a measure strongly opposed on the coast.  The same bill, however, also provides funds for dredging and fisheries observers, measures strongly favored on the coast. It would also compensate watermen for losses.  And it raises fees on recreational saltwater fishing licenses as a funding mechanism. ....Read more

Outer Banks Angling: Red, brown, and green

Without a doubt some of the best moneymakers in the Outer Banks fishing world are red drum, cobia, and mahi-- and they are all currently here and biting. ....Read More



Jones continues to question endangered status for Atlantic sturgeon

U.S.  Rep. Walter Jones, R.-N.C., continues to push back against the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) ongoing effort to protect Atlantic sturgeon as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. 

In February of 2012, NMFS decided to create a Carolina “distinct population segment” of Atlantic sturgeon and to list that segment as endangered.  ....Read More


24 boats compete for prize money in Hatteras Village Offshore Open

Twenty-four boats competed for $86,400 in prize money in the 19th annual Hatteras Village Offshore Open last week. The tournament is the first event in the Governor’s Cup billfishing series.

First place in the billfish division and $39,886.25 in prize money went to Stream Weaver for one blue marlin and two white marlin releases.  ....Read More

Outer Banks Angling: The wheels on the bus go round and round

In the movie “Ground Hog Day,” Bill Murray plays a weather forecaster who goes to   Punxsutawney, Pa., to cover the prediction by the furry groundhog, Phil. Unfortunately for Bill Murray, he becomes trapped living the same day over and over again.

It would seem that the Outer Banks and most of the Eastern Seaboard have found themselves in the same twilight-zone like scenario. This spring has by far been one of the most unfavorable weather-wise in the recent past.

The northeast winds seem to just go round and round and barely let up. For every couple of days of the preferred spring, southerly winds, we get numerous days of hard northerly winds.  ....Read More

Anglers battle relentless wind in Ocracoke Surf Fishing Tournament….WITH SLIDE SHOW

After battling strong winds over two days, the Raleigh Saltwater Sport Fishing Club won the 30th annual Ocracoke Island Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament. One of the team members, John Bryant, also caught the largest fish with a 32 ¾-inch bluefish.

The Raleigh group had 56 points, nudging out second place winners, Team Advanced Fishing of Rodanthe, which had 51 points. The Delaware Mobile Surf Fishermen of Dagsboro, Del., were third with 40 points.

The OISFT is an invitation-only event where 70 teams of fishing men and women compete in four sessions over two days.  This year’s fishing days were Thursday and Friday, May 2 and 3.   ....Read More

Boats are back to using the main channel in Hatteras Inlet

Commercial fishing, charter, and private boats are back to using Rollinson Channel to safely navigate between the harbor in Hatteras village and Hatteras Inlet.

Since January, many boats were using an alternate channel that goes farther west into the sound to bypass the heavily shoaled Rollinson Channel, also known as the ferry channel or main channel.   ....Read More


Jones continues efforts to block catch-shares funding

U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., is continuing his effort to block funding for approval of new fisheries catch-shares programs in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. 

On Tuesday, April 16, Jones and a bipartisan group of 24 of his House colleagues sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee asking them to eliminate funding for new catch-shares programs in the fiscal year 2014 appropriations bill for the Department of Commerce.  The committee is expected to take up the bill later this spring.  ....Read more






The very best guide to charter fishing on the islands….WITH SLIDE SHOW

If you’ve never been fishing off Hatteras or Ocracoke, it’s definitely worth looking into.  The variety of trips, boats, captains, and species of fish available is quite impressive, and there are options that can accommodate almost any budget or interest.

That said, with so many options available, choosing the right charter can be a daunting task, especially for first-timers. To make it a little bit easier, The Island Free Press has compiled a guide to Hatteras and Ocracoke charter fishing.  With answers to frequently asked questions, information on everything from choosing a boat to cleaning your fish, advice on making your trip more enjoyable, and pictures to rouse your inner angler, this guide is designed help get you off the docks and on the water.  ....Read more