Dock Fishing in Cape Hatteras
We are dock fishing for monsters...we're not talking about 2 pound fish or even fish up to 10 pounds...we're not talking about tommy cod...we're talking about cobia up to 60 lbs. that will make your rod explode. How about a tarpon caught from a pier? Or better yet...a 40 lb. king mackerel screaming down the highway. There are around five piers along the Outer Banks that go straight out to the ocean and when the conditions are right and the water turns blue watch out and hold on to your socks.
Now let's just take a minute here...First you must put your time in and check the tides and water conditions too. Your regular light pier rods and reels are not going to work here. Unless you have dynamite to knock ou the fish. Or slip him a mickey in the bait to calm him down a bit. 10 pound test around a pier for fish this size...don't make me laugh...we're using cocktail blues for bait...alive!
OK, you get the drift where we are going...3.0 Shimano reels and up even a 9.0 incase of shark. Heavy duty rods that you normally use for deep sea fishing. Rod clamps to hold your rods...unless you want to sing "God Bless America" and watch your rod sail off into the ocean blue...I didn't think so! One rod will be your anchor with a heavy duty weight. You can buy one in Hatteras..they won't cost you an arm and a leg. Then catch your bait...that right! Keep it legal...croakers, small blues or grunts are good.
Load your second reel with good line and a lot of backing, preferably dacron or any of the samll diameter braided lines so that the fish won't spool you on his first run. Don't go cheap on the hooks and swivels...an extra buck goes a long way on a 50 pound trophy fish...or you can buy a handkerchief now for crying in, when you reel back with a straight hook or a broken swivel.
Using your second rod (the "fighting" rod) put your live bait on the hook and clip the line onto your "anchor" rod so that your bait swims on the surface or just below the current. Be sure to use a quick release down rigger clip on the anchor rod. When a fish hit the bait the clip releases off of the anchor rod and you are left free to fight using your second rod. Now wait...drink a cup of coffee, eat a doughnut...have a conversation with your hand...but keep alert. And while you're waiting there's fluke, grunts, bluefish and sea trout...you may be waiting a while for that snap off and screaming reel, so you may as well stay busy. So the next time you go down to Hatteras in the summer, take a shot at some monster fishing off of the local piers. This is a quest to conquer...not for whimps!
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Now let's just take a minute here...First you must put your time in and check the tides and water conditions too. Your regular light pier rods and reels are not going to work here. Unless you have dynamite to knock ou the fish. Or slip him a mickey in the bait to calm him down a bit. 10 pound test around a pier for fish this size...don't make me laugh...we're using cocktail blues for bait...alive!
OK, you get the drift where we are going...3.0 Shimano reels and up even a 9.0 incase of shark. Heavy duty rods that you normally use for deep sea fishing. Rod clamps to hold your rods...unless you want to sing "God Bless America" and watch your rod sail off into the ocean blue...I didn't think so! One rod will be your anchor with a heavy duty weight. You can buy one in Hatteras..they won't cost you an arm and a leg. Then catch your bait...that right! Keep it legal...croakers, small blues or grunts are good.
Load your second reel with good line and a lot of backing, preferably dacron or any of the samll diameter braided lines so that the fish won't spool you on his first run. Don't go cheap on the hooks and swivels...an extra buck goes a long way on a 50 pound trophy fish...or you can buy a handkerchief now for crying in, when you reel back with a straight hook or a broken swivel.
Using your second rod (the "fighting" rod) put your live bait on the hook and clip the line onto your "anchor" rod so that your bait swims on the surface or just below the current. Be sure to use a quick release down rigger clip on the anchor rod. When a fish hit the bait the clip releases off of the anchor rod and you are left free to fight using your second rod. Now wait...drink a cup of coffee, eat a doughnut...have a conversation with your hand...but keep alert. And while you're waiting there's fluke, grunts, bluefish and sea trout...you may be waiting a while for that snap off and screaming reel, so you may as well stay busy. So the next time you go down to Hatteras in the summer, take a shot at some monster fishing off of the local piers. This is a quest to conquer...not for whimps!
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The Marlin |
Renting a |
Staying |
Fishing |
Aboard |
Red |