are running. The 

 water is just right 

 for king mack- 

 erel." 



Along the 

 Outer Banks, red 

 drum fishing has 

 become a fall 

 tradition. The 

 world record for 

 red drum — 94.2 

 pounds — was set 

 100 yards from 

 Avon Pier. 



"Drum 

 fishing is like a 

 ritual," says 

 Hawkins. "People 

 don't see each 

 other all year. It is 

 just like a club. 

 They come from 



all over the country. One guy comes from 

 Texas. They fish all day and night." 



In the fall, subsistence fishers also 

 flock to Outer Banks piers to stock up on 

 spot for winter food. 



"Some people still fish to supplement 

 their pantry," says Norman Bradford, who 

 serves on the North Carolina Marine 

 Fisheries Commission's Northeast 

 Regional Advisory Panel. "They salt the 

 spot down or will freeze it and use it in 

 the winter." 



Anglers aren't the only ones who 

 congregate at piers. During summer 

 evenings, there are as many spectators as 

 fishers. Most piers charge a nominal 

 amount for sightseers. 



At Nags Head Pier, the spectators 

 include a young college couple who sit on a 

 wooden bench and watch the seagulls 

 flutter over, and a large stingray being 

 pulled in. 



"It is fun because you get to see a lot 

 of interesting stuff," says Jackie Black, an 

 Allegheny College student who is dressed 

 in black sequined jeans. "You might get to 

 see a shark come around or see someone 

 clean fish." 



7a 



Hatteras Island Fishing Pier extends far into the Atlantic. 



First Public Pier at 

 Kure Beach 



In North Carolina, public fishing piers 

 became popular during the early part of the 

 20th century. Built in 1923, Kure Beach Pier 

 is the oldest in the state and possibly on the 

 Atlantic Coast, according to Coastal Fishing 

 in Carolinas From Surf, Pier and Jetty. 



"The first pier was 120 feet long and 22 

 feet wide," according to the Kure Beach 

 Pier's Web site. "Pier poles were cut from 

 the forest along the river and used as pilings. 



"Because very little was known about 

 sea worms or other marine borers, the pier 

 fell down or was destroyed the first year." 



Since then, the Kure Beach Pier has 

 been rebuilt many times after hurricane 

 damage, including major damage from 

 Hurricane Hazel in 1954. In 1984, Hurri- 

 cane Diana took about half the length of 

 the pier. 



In North Carolina, piers usually stretch 

 400 to 1 ,000 feet long over the ocean. "On 

 the northern end, the piers are shorter 

 because the water is deeper," says McCann. 



Most of the piers look alike with 

 wooden benches, lights and large basins for 

 washing fish. They are attached to tackle 

 shops, and some have full-service restaurants. 



At Nags Head Pier, customers are 



greeted by a sign: 

 "Happiest People 

 in the World Pass 

 Through This 

 Door!" 



Inside the 

 wooden-paneled 

 tackle shop, a 

 fishing board 

 boasts some 

 of the recent 

 catch — from an 

 18 3/4-inch trout 

 to a 26 3/4-inch 

 puppy drum. 

 Another board 

 shows when low 

 and high tide is 

 expected. Behind 

 a counter, there is 

 a wide selection 

 of artificial bait, 

 tackle, rods and other fishing equipment. 

 On the other side is a restaurant where 

 customers can order hot or cold food. 



"We have one gentleman who comes 

 to the pier every morning," says McCann. 

 "He always stops in the restaurant and talks 

 to the waitresses. He comes to the pier more 

 to talk than fish." 



During the summer, some parents drop 

 off their kids for the day. "In 15 years, we 

 have raised a lot of kids," says McCann. 



Fourteen-year-old Andrew Palomares 

 is a regular at Avon Pier during the summer 

 months. He either works at the tackle and 

 souvenir shop — where he swaps fishing 

 stories with Billy Hawkins — or fishes on 

 the pier. 



"I got a 1 15-pound ray," says 

 Palomares. "I wrestled with it for 1 1/2 

 hours until I got it in. It was as big as this table. 

 Tonight I am going to fish for 24 hours 

 straight." 



Palomares isn't the only diehard fisher 

 who spends the night on the pier. 



"We have had people stay for three to 

 four days on our pier," says Hawkins. "We 

 had one man who didn't leave the pier for a 

 month. One even brought a styrofoam 

 mattress. Some set up their sleeping bags 

 like a tent." □ 



10 AUTUMN 2000 



