The good fishing of November should continue into at least the first part of December. Most anglers stop fishing and many of the piers begin to close as soon as the fishermen and or fish become scarce. However, there is fish to be had on a North Carolina pier during the final month of the year. Because many piers close for the winter somewhere around the end of November it is a good idea to call first before you go. Some piers like the Holden Beach Pier, Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, the Jolly Roger Pier and Seaview Pier generally remain open all year long.
Speckled trout will be a favorite target in December fishermen will use Gulp baits, MirrOlures and live minnows. Fish right behind the breakers for best results.
Red Drum will also be caught. Cut bait and Gulp baits are primarily the best baits. Evenings and low light times will outproduce clear days.
Black drum on cut bait and shrimp will dominate the month. You can find them all along the north side of the pier. Bluefish, croaker, puffers and whiting will all be caught as well.
If the water cools quickly enough and the wind is out of the northeast, the northern-most piers might be fortunate to get some Chesapeake Bay striped bass blown in their direction. If this happens it can be intense but conditions have not been right for this in over four years.
Here are the numbers to check with your favorite fishing pier.
Kitty Hawk Fishing Pier – (252) 261-1980
Avalon Fishing Pier – (252) 441-7494
Nags Head Pier – (252) 441-5141
Jennette’s Fishing Pier (252) 255-1501
Outer Banks Fishing Pier – (252) 441-5740
Rodanthe Pier – (252) 987-2323
Avon Pier – (252) 995-5480
Oceanana Pier – (252) 726-0863
Bogue Inlet Pier (252) 354-2919
Seaview Pier (910) 328-3172
Surf City Pier (910) 328-3621
Jolly Roger Pier (910) 328-4616
Johnnie Mercer’s Pier (910) 258-2743
Carolina Beach Pier (910) 458-5518
Kure Pier (910) 458-5524
Oak Island Pier (910) 278-6464
Ocean Crest Pier (910) 278-6674
Holden Beach Pier (910) 842-6483
Ocean Isle Beach Pier (910) 579-3095
Sunset Pier (910) 579-6630
