Pier Fishing

Pier fishing varies from the most simple fishing to a few very complicated rigs. Beginners will feel very much at ease and many piers have a family atmosphere and lots of people willing to help each other learn.

Calling ahead to commercial piers is one way to prepare. Anglers can also check webpages such as the links listed in this lens for tips.

In either case its a good idea to create a list of items needed and bring them beforehand. You will also want to consider how you will transport all this gear!

Common items might include a cooler, ice, drinks, snacks, sunblock, a hat, light jacket, insect repellent, knife, bait, rags, pliers, rod and reels, tackle, and a camera.

Some piers will have a store and feature everything you need, even rental rods and food. Others have no resources.

Fishing varies with time of day, wind, season and other factors. You can check local fishing reports, call the pier or contact the local authorites. The best way to find out is usually to enjoy time on the pier itself though!

Anglers have a nice variety of fishing piers along the mid-Atlantic coast and in the Chesapeake Bay.

Starting in Maryland, Ocean City has 2 fishing piers, as well as the surf, a jetty and public bulkheads to fish from. Ocean city anglers catch a variety of fish including flounder, trout, bluefish, spot, croakers, striped bass, sharks and others.

Traveling south along the coast to Virginia, piers include the Sea Gull pier on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, and the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier. Both piers commonly experience catches of flounder, trout, bluefish, spot, croakers, striped bass, sharks, Spanish ackerel, black drum and others. Both Virginia piers are known for fantastic runs of spot, a small but tasty saltwater fish.

Both Maryland and Virginia also have an excellent variety of piers in the Chesapeake Bay. Locations include the Choptank Pier, Crisfield Pier, Saxis Pier, Morley's Wharf Pier, Kiptopeake Pier and others.

North Carolina has a wide range of piers to fish from. North Carolina piers often have more than one style of fishing. Along the pier itself, anglers fish for flounder, trout, bluefish, spot, croakers and Spanish mackerel. North Carolina piers experience runs of spot and Spanish mackerel that attract large numbers of anglers.

North Carolina Piers have a second fishery, usually done at the ends of the structures. Anglers use special tackle, employing 2 rods. "The Hatteras heaver" is a special rod that casts a large sinker out. A second rod is employed, using a release clip that allows a live bait to slide down the line of the first rod's line. When a fish takes the bait, the release opens, allowing the angler to fight the fish on the lighter rod. Anglers catch king mackerel, cobia, jacks and sharks this way. Some catches can be quite large. This fishing is one of the few fisheries where anglers can catch a trophy fish from shore.

North Carolina Piers are found in Nag's head, Kittyhawk, Manteo and other areas.

Choptank River Fishing Pier

Crisfield Pier

Saxis Fishing Pier

Morley's Wharf Fishing Pier

Kiptopeake Fishing Pier

Sea Gull Pier

Cape Charles Fishing Pier

Virginia Beach Fishing Pier

USA Recreational Saltwater Fishing

Marine recreational anglers caught more than 468 million fish in 2007,
down slightly from last year's historic high of 475 million fish, but
still the second highest recreational catch total in the last ten
years. The overall number of fish caught and kept also declined
slightly, from 214 million to 196 million fish, according to NOAA
Fisheries Service.

The 2007 data demonstrates a widespread turn toward "catch and
release" among recreational anglers. While anglers are catching about
27 percent more fish than a decade ago, they are also releasing more
fish than they keep. Of the 468 million fish caught by anglers in
2007, 272 million or 58 percent were released alive. The percentage of
fish released into the environment has increased steadily from about
51 percent in 1993.

Spotted seatrout was the most popular catch among marine recreational
anglers. The species is caught in the Gulf of Mexico and the south
Atlantic regions, which have the highest combined concentration of
saltwater anglers in the nation. The top catches in other regions were
lane snapper (Caribbean), striped bass (North Atlantic), Atlantic
croaker (Mid-Atlantic), chub mackerel (Pacific), black rockfish (
Pacific Northwest), and bigeye scad (Western Pacific).