The Outer Banks is famous for its fishing, and there’s a wide variety of places you can cast your line. Whether its deep-sea fishing on a charter boat, surf fishing at the Point, or fishing a bridge, there’s no shortage of options here. Be sure to get your fishing license if you’re going to do anything besides pier fishing, and be sure to get an off-road permit if you’ll be driving on the beach. I spend a decent amount of time on the water, and here are the places I reliably get bites on the line. There’s also a new contender on the horizon, and I can’t wait until it’s open to the public. So let’s get to the list!
The “Little Bridge” between Manteo & Nags Head
Located on the causeway west of Whalebone Junction, the Melvin R Daniels “Little Bridge” is a great place for the casual visitor to spend a morning or evening catching a variety of fish. There’s plenty of parking as well as public restroom facilities. You only need a bag of shrimp, a fishing rod and a beach chair and you can enjoy free fishing (that’s right – it costs $0) from either side of the bridge. I’ve caught all sorts of fish here – black drum, puppy drum, speckled trout, sea mullet, croaker, catfish, bluefish, and more. It’s one of my favorite places to go on a fall evening. If you go during the height of summer you might fight the crabs stealing your bait. Another thing to be aware of is the traffic – you are only feet away from cars speeding by, protected by a concrete barrier on either side. But a double drop rig and some patience can reward you with a cooler full of fish on the right day.
“The Point” in Buxton
I lived on Hatteras Island for several years, and if you have a 4WD vehicle and nerves of steel, you can drive on the beach to Cape Point in Buxton. An off-road vehicle ramp just beside the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will allow access to the shifting sands where a magical trio of conditions makes it an unforgettable fishing experience. First of all, it’s the Easternmost spot on Hatteras Island, jutting out into the ocean. Secondly, it’s shaped in such a way that currents bring fish close to shore, which provides a steady flow of fish. And third, it’s located very close to a spot where the Gulf Stream and Labrador Currents meet, which makes it a superhighway of fish traffic. You’ll need a surf rod (much longer than a normal fishing rod, allowing you to cast your bait farther) as well as a decent sinker and probably a Carolina rig with a slide. There are no facilities here, this is a stretch of sand that you have to drive up to, and the trip back for bathroom breaks or snacks isn’t easy. However if you’ve seen pictures of people holding giant red drum on the shore, this is where it happens. If you’re up to the challenge, you can catch monster red drum at the Point in the fall when they run closer to shore to feed.
Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head
Located behind the 7-11 on the beach road in Nags Head, where the causeway and Highway 12 split, you can find Jennette’s Pier. It’s a fairly recent addition to the Outer Banks, and is part of the NC Aquarium system. If you’re looking for a place to fish that has all of the amenities, this is the place to go. There are fish cleaning tables and sinks throughout the pier area, a gift shop area inside with plenty of food and drinks, and you can even rent a fishing rod and buy your bait at the counter. If you’re here without your tackle and don’t want to spend the nominal fee for a fishing license, it’s an easy place to rent a rod and catch some fish. I enjoy fishing here during certain times of year, especially when Spanish Mackerel are biting and when Sheepshead are eating barnacles around the pilings. It’s a great place to take the family, if it gets too hot and they need to cool off they can always take a break inside. This is a fun way to enjoy Outer Banks fishing without dragging around your gear.
Makeup Charters at any Marina
Charter fishing can get expensive, but a great way to go deep-sea fishing without breaking the bank is to sign up for a makeup charter. A makeup charter is when a boat can accommodate 6 people, so you “make up” the party of 6 with 5 other folks. Or someone dropped out, and they need a replacement the day before the boat goes out. Deep sea fishing here is excellent, even in the dead of winter these boats are catching giant tuna. In the summer you might even hook a marlin or a swordfish. There’s an almost endless variety of pelagic fish that swim in the Gulf Stream, and it’s not a bad ride on some of these boats when you can relax in a lounge and watch TV in the air conditioning. The days of getting beat up by choppy ocean conditions on the way to the deep blue are over, with these boats having specially designed hulls (many done by local boat-makers) to cut through the chop and give you a smooth ride out. One of the best things about a makeup charter is that you can spend $250-300, catch a good run of bull dolphin (mahi) or tuna, have someone clean/fillet it for you at the docks, and go home with easily $200 worth of fresh fish in your cooler!
Coming Soon – The Bonner Bridge Fishing Bridge
My brother and I discuss this way more than two grown men should ever discuss NC DOT projects that excite us. But the Herbert Bonner Bridge that connects the South Nags Head area to Hatteras Island on Hwy 12 is being demolished as people are enjoying the new Marc Basnight Bridge when traveling between the northern and southern beaches of the Outer Banks. However, they’re going to leave a section of the bridge intact on the south side, and that’s where some amazing fishing will happen in the near future. I always enjoyed fishing the Bonner Bridge, even with the narrow walkway that ran alongside it on the south end. There’s parking available, and we’re all waiting to see what they do with that end of the bridge – will they just keep the existing catwalk on one side, will they turn the bridge section into a wide open fishing pier, who knows what’s in store. As far as fish “highways” however, a lot of fish traverse the Oregon Inlet from the ocean to the sound and it will be a great place to catch sheepshead and a variety of other fish moving in and out of the sound.
Useful Fishing Links:
TW’s Fishing Reports – I check in here almost every day!
Jennette’s Pier Fishing Report – Good to see if black drum or sheepshead are being caught at the Pier
Tides4Fishing – The most information on tides, pressure, water temperatures, and fishing conditions
Avon Fishing Pier – They catch everything from Tarpon to King Mackerel to Cobia here – a great follow