LIFESTYLES
Kings Mountain Herald
July 12, 2001
Spend some time at one of North Carolina’s ocean piers
BY ALAN HODGE
Special to The Herald
One of the Carolinas’ best
coastal treats is to spend some
time on an ocean pier. Whether
your aim is to catch supper, or
just stroll along with the surf
pounding beneath your feet and
the sea breezes in your hair, a
walk on a pier means you've
really arrived at the beach.
There are over 30 ocean piers
scattered along the coasts of
North and South Carolina. Some
have been rebuilt several times
after being damaged by hurri-
canes. All offer visitors a chance
to try their fishing luck and do
some serious people-watching
while they're at it.
The great thing about pier
fishing is you don’t need a lot of
fancy equipment. A stout rod of
some sort with a reel, a few rigs
with two-ounce or so lead
weights and medium-sized
hooks, bait, and a plastic bucket
to hold your catch is all it takes.
Bait for basic pier fishing is
usually either cut strips or
chunks of mullet, blood worms,
and shrimp. Piers generally have
plenty of bait, and can even rent
you a rod and reel outfit for a
reasonable fee.
Attire for pier fishing
depends on the weather and can
range from next to nothing, to
heavy coats, wool caps, and
gloves. Whatever you do, wear a
hat of some sort and sun block
on the parts of your body you
intend to expose to the sun.
Species that can be caught
from a Carolina pier run the
gamut of aquatic life. Over the
years, folks have snagged every-
thing you can think of out of the
water. The most popular species
are flounder, spot, croaker, blue-
fish, sea trout, and King macker-
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el.
There are 25 piers on the Tar
Heel coast. Scattered from Kitty
Hawk southward to Sunset
Beach, these piers average around
700 feet in length. Rates for a day
of fishing are in the $6 range.
Here's a tour of some piers in
North Carolina.
The northernmost ocean pier
in North Carolina is located at
Kitty Hawk. This pier is 757 feet
long, originally dated to 1953,
and was just rebuilt last winter.
Rates for fishing are $6 for adults
and $4 for kids aged 7-12. The
Kitty Hawk Pier also has a snack
bar and tackle shop. The phone is
252-261-2772.
A couple of miles south of
Kitty Hawk is Avalon Pier. This
pier is 696 feet long, has a snack
bar, bait shop and video games.
Rates range from $7 for adults to
$3.50 for kids 12 and under. Call
252-441-7494.
The Nags Head Fishing Pier is
next along the North Carolina
coast. Originally built tin 1947,
the 762-foot pier has been washed
away three times by storms. Like
the other piers, Nags Head Pier
has restrooms, snacks, and a tack-
le shop. Fishing rates are the
same as Avalon Pier. Dial 252-
441-5141.
Also on the Outer Banks,
Avon Fishing pier is unique in
that it has a miniature golf course
as an added attraction. For fish-
ing, Avon Pier charges $6 for
adults and $5 for kids. The pier is
756 feet long and has a nearby
restaurant.
Leaving the Outer Banks, we
come to the Triple SW Fishing
Pier in Atlantic Beach. This 1,000
foot long pier was recently
rebuilt. Triple S has an observa-
tion deck, a restaurant, bait shop,
and equipment rentals. Cost to
fish is $6 for adults and $4 for
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those 12 and under.
Also at Atlantic Beach,
Sportsman's Pier is 1,100 feet
long and has the usual ameni-
ties. Rates are $6 for adults and
$3 for kids 12 and under. The
Sportsman's Pier also holds
weekly Spanish mackerel tour-
naments. Call 252-726-3176.
Named for a wrecked Civil
War ship that lies under the
waves nearby, the Iron Steamer
Fishing Pier at Pine Knoll
Shore has a motel, showers,
bait, and equipment rental.
Fishing is $5, and motel guests
fish free.
Site of an annual King
mackerel tournament, Bogue
Inlet Pier at Emerald Island is
1,000 feet long and has camp-
sites. Fishing at the pier is a flat
rate of $6 per person regardless
of age. A snack bar and
restrooms are also available;.
Calling itself a “family
pier” where no alcohol is
allowed, Seaview Pier and
Motel at Sneads Ferry is also
1,000 feet in length. Besides the
motel, this pier rents equip-
ment and has a bait shop. Kids
12 and under fish free, adults
pay $5.
Originally constructed in
1948 of steel, Surf City Ocean
Pier in Surf City is currently
940 feet long and made of
wood. Fishing rates at Surf
City are $6 for adults and free
for children age 5 and under.
This pier has a grill, bait shop,
and equipment rentals.
One of the most unusual
piers anywhere is the Jolly
Roger Motel and Pier at
Topsail Beach. Part of the pier
was once used as a missile
launch pad by the military. At
800 feet in length, Jolly Roger
has the usual pier amenities of
grill and equipment rentals.
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Cost to fish is a $9 for adults and
$4.50 for children under 14.
Motel guests get a discount.
Long a Wrightsville Beach
landmark, Johnnie Mercer's Pier
is being rebuilt out of concrete-
the first of its type on the coast.
The plan is for the new concrete
pier to open in August. Call 910-
256-3785 to find out more.
Boasting a lounge where
bands perform while folks do
the Shag, the Carolina Beach
Pier stretches 950 feet into the
Atlantic. A grill and bar add to
the pier’s snack bar and bait
shop. Cost to fish is $6 for adults
and $4 for the kids five and
under.
Down the coast about two/
miles from Carolina Beach is the
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Photo courtesy of NC Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development
Kure Beach Pier. Built in 1923,
this pier claims to be the oldest
on the coast. Fishing is $5 from
the 712 foot length. Near the
Kure Beach Pier is a huge block
of concrete that marks the spot
where the Dow Chemical Co.
drew in seawater for its ethyl
gasoline additive factory in
World War II.
Yapuon Beach Piér on Oak
Island is the spot where
Charlottean Walter Maxwell
landed a state record 1,152
pound tiger shark way back in
1966. Rates to try your own luck
are $6 for adults and $3 for kids
aged nine and under. The pier is
995 feet long.
Getting ready to add a two-
story observation deck, Ocean
Crest Pier on Oak Island is 993
feet long and features a grocery
store on site. Cost to fish there is
$5 flat rate.
The longest pier on Oak Island
at 1,056 feet, Long Beach Pier
offers free fishing to kids if they
are accompanied by an adult. A
grill, motel, bait shop and obser-
vation deck are other features.
This list is just a starting place
for information on Carolina coast
fishing piers. For more facts, Call
the North Carolina Department of
Tourism at 1-800- VISIT- NC, the
South Carolina Department of
Parks, Recreation and Tourism at
1-803-734-0122, or the chamber of
commerce for the area you want
to visit.
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