Fishing in the OBX - couple of questions

[volcanomil]

I am taking the family for a week long vacation in the end of July and staying in Duck, NC in the OBX. This is only our second trip ever to the OBX and first time back in 6 years.

I would like to take my 8wt down and try my luck. I have been reading as much as I can on the net about the area and how to go about fishing the sound and surf.

My questions are as follows, if any of you can help with some pointers about fishing down there, I would love to hear about them.

Line - should I buy a sink tip line for throwing clousers? I was thinking the Cortland 333+ floating/sink tip would work. My only onther option would be the line I already own, which is a Cabelas floating bonefish line that I used last year in the Bahamas on a bonefish trip. Is the sink tip the way to go?

Flies - any colors or sizes in the box that are needed most?

Areas - is the best chance at bending the rod down at the Oregon inlet area or Bodie lighthouse? What are my chances in the surf or sound around Duck?

Any other pointers about must do's when we are down there? Probably can only fish a few times by myself, got to keep the 3 young kids and wife happy also. Where are some spots we could go to hand/line catch some crabs for fun. I am thinking lots of action for 2 seven year old twins and a 3 year old. We love the beach, sand, and sun so they are really looking forward to it. Any good nature programs or kid friendly outdoor activities happening down there?

Thanks for your help guys, always a wealth of information here.

 

[PSUFishMenace]

I've been down there a few times, some when I was really young so I don't remember much. I have not fly fished in saltwater before, but two years ago when I was down there my dad and I caught some nice fish at Oregon Inlet. He caught a 28" red drum and I caught a few snapper blues and small (less than 12") flounder. One day on the beach I lucked into a school of blues and in an hour caught 8 in the 13-16" range. surf fishing with bloodworms on the bottom was great for croaker and in some places you can get croaker, spot, and kingfish on every cast, but I'm not sure if they can be caught with fly tackle.

As for your other questions hopefully some more experienced people will chime in.

 

[Gorosaurus]

Also buy some crab traps and load them up before you head out. If the fishing ever stinks, you'll still have dinner!

 

[wgmiller]

Read this and peruse his website. That's all the information you'll need regarding OBX fly fishing. The "hot fly" is a black/orange Clouser with copper flash. Take a spinning rod just in case fly fishing is unproductive.

I fished the surf last year with my 8wt and pulled out a small flounder on that black/orange Clouser. It works. Wade fishing is best at the fishing center (Prop slough). Wading Bodie light can be tricky. The waters down there are best covered by boat (kayak, etc.). But there is some wade fishing to be had.

 

[ihrtffishing]

There's great fishing at the island of ocracoke in the surf. Also in the surf around the old frisco pier. The pier is falling into the ocean currently but holds some nice flounder. Never fly fished down there but im sure it would work in the inlet and Pamlico sound. Never fished around duck but there are some piers up that way i guess. I go up there annually in August but in the last few years havent caught much. Also in the harbors there are some nice sea trout to catch.

 

[wgmiller]

And just remember that saltwater fishing is very dependent on the tides. Follow the tide charts and don't get jammed up on an incoming tide if you're wading. Saltwater fish are very nomadic and don't have "holding water" like freshwater fish do. There is no real structure and they can be there one minute and gone the next. The trick is to keep your line in the water and hopefully it'll be in the right place at the right time.

If all else fails, head to the small Rt. 64 bridge from Manteo to the OBX and toss your line off the bridge for croaker. They usually don't disappoint! I've seen some specks hauled in from there as well, but it's a croaker hot spot!

 

[Sharpefly]

You can pick up some information from the www.outerbanksflyfishing.com web site. Great site and a good group of fisherman.

 

[jayL]

If the wind is SW (it will be that time of year), the only good surf fishing will be south of cape hatteras. It's absolutely a day and night difference, to the point that surf fishing isn't even worth doing north of the cape for anything but croakers. See a map of the region to figure out why. In the off chance that the wind is shifted or not blowing, all of the surf will hold gamefish.