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What could be better than standing on the beach, casting your line into the surf on a warm sunny morning.  A fresh breeze in you face and the anticipation of catching a tasty fish.   The Outer Banks, NC is a place to experience some of the best surf fishing. 

You'll need a basic understanding of seasons, conditions, equipment and regulations.  You can always get lucky, but with a little preparation you'll get a better fishing experience. 

There are several bait and tackle shops on the Outer Banks that will sell rods and bait.  Additionally, these stores are often great places to get additional information about local fishing conditions.  Tackle can also be purchased from Walmart and KMART.

         ·         A light easterly breeze brings fish to the surf

·         Often the best surf fishing is early in the morning and right before dark

·         Fish often bite good right before a storm, weather change, or front (i.e.  a falling barometer) 

·         Keep your bait moving slightly across the bottom so you can cover more area and look more life like

·         When using squid for bait, cut it into an attractive tapered strip and hook it only once so it dangles off the hook

·         To catch stripers, fish early in the morning, dusk, or after dark.  Use bloodworms or artificial lures

·         A hurricane type sinker holds better than the traditional pyramid type.

·         The lighter the line, the further you can cast, and the less sinker weight it takes to hold (Use a 12 to 20 pound test line)

·         When using finger mullet, buy a "mullet hook" rig so you can thread the whole finger mullet on the hook

·         Try fishing with one rod out far with a whole finger mullet for blues or stripers, and a shorter rod in close with strips of mullet or pieces of bloodworm for kingfish, spot, and trout

·         When using bloodworms, keep your hook size down to a size #6 or #8.

·         When you can fish the inside a slough at high tide

·         Flounder are bottom feeders. Always use enough weight to stay on the bottom. If you are casting and retrieving, always retrieve with your rod tip down, so your hooks will stay closer to the bottom

·         If you want the kids to catch something use size #6 hooks on a top and bottom rig with a sinker and bait up with bloodworms and little strips of squid

Typically the very best times to surf fish are spring and fall.  There are a lot of fish varieties that can be taken from the surf:-

Channel bass (red drum, puppy drum)

Spring season: from April to early June.  Average size in spring is 35 to 50lbs. 

In September the smaller drum will enter the surf. These fish will range between 2 and 15lbs.  They are more plentiful than the larger variety and can be found in most sloughs. In late October the bigger drum (40-70 pounds) return through November.

Bait:    fresh mullet

Rods   9 to 11 ft with medium to heavy action

Size allowed is between 18” and 27” with a daily bag limit of 1 per person.

Bluefish

Blues are available April to December. Large size blues (8-12lbs) May through November.  In Nov we can see the arrival of the fall run of 15-20lbs "big" blues.

Bait     (mullet, spot, or menhaden) or almost any type of lure.

Rods   9 to 11 feet are preferred.

Bag limit of 15 per day per person. Only 5 allowed over 24” total length

Spanish mackerel

June to late September.

The Spanish Mac is delicious.  Averages 1 to 3 lbs and is a real fighter,.

Bait     fast moving metal lures.

Rod     9 foot light action. M

Minimum size allowed is 12” fork length. Bag limit of 15 per day per person

Striped bass

October through December, sometimes available as late as February.

In Atlantic waters, size limit is over 27” total length with bag limit of 2 per day.

For sounds and other areas, consult the NC Marine Fisheries website.

Flounder (summer, southern)

Start in May as the water warms. In June the fishing is going strong.

Southern flounder dominate the catch in inshore and southern NC waters, while summer flounder dominate the catch in offshore waters north of Cape Hatteras. Bait         cut baits and some are caught using jigs.  When jigs are used - tip with fish, shrimp or a mullet minnow.

Check the NC Marine Fisheries website to confirm size regulations before start fishing.

Surf fishing is a popular and fun activity with minimal expense, great fishing conditions and plenty of action. 

Location       everywhere on the beach

Cost             no cost after your rod bait and fishing license  http://www.outer-banks.com/fishinglicense.asp#buy