# OBX Fishing through the winter



## dlpetrey (Oct 30, 2013)

I'm just getting my feet wet with surf fishing. There is a lot of wisdom on this forum and I'd like to ask for a little. Are there any fishing options on the OBX or the southern coasts through the winter? Stripers? Panfish? Thanks guys. I really appreciate it.


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## kayak456 (Jun 5, 2012)

Puffers


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

Depends on the weather some years you can catch puppy drum and Trout into February down Buxton Frisco way

February seems to be around the time when most every thing gets shut down due to the cold

Stripers have not been coming South to Hatteras due to the warmer water temps around the mouth of the Chesapeake bay

Giant Sharks will be around the Point area at Christmas Time............Do not go out and wade far out off the Point at that time....................The Gulls and Terns seem to get blasted by the Sharks while floating just off beaches, I think the Sharks know Winter is coming so they are on the feed


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## DrumintheSuds (Nov 19, 2007)

Winter fishing can be awesome for drum IF you have access to a boat to reach remote places AND you have the ability to hit said spots when conditions line up for good action. If you had to plan ahead and you are limited to surf fishing in a location where you will be staying you can never go wrong with Hatteras


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

What Garbo said.. Stripers have been a no show,even the ones in Manns Harbor have dwindled...


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## dlpetrey (Oct 30, 2013)

Thanks for the info guys. Probably won't be able to make it back down until the spring anyway. I've been sitting at my desk watching the webcams on the piers. It's pretty bad.


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## pods (Sep 10, 2013)

Garboman said:


> Depends on the weather some years you can catch puppy drum and Trout into February down Buxton Frisco way
> 
> February seems to be around the time when most every thing gets shut down due to the cold
> 
> ...


Sharks hitting birds on the water? That sounds like a nice way for me to earn my "stripes." Although I doubt I have the gear to land a tiger.
Might have to see about trying for some cold weather sharking. 
Any idea of the action up on Pea Island? I can make day trips there from the in laws in Columbia without too long of a drive. Still have some cob mullets to toss out.
Thanks,
pods


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

pods said:


> Sharks hitting birds on the water? That sounds like a nice way for me to earn my "stripes." Although I doubt I have the gear to land a tiger.
> Might have to see about trying for some cold weather sharking.
> Any idea of the action up on Pea Island? I can make day trips there from the in laws in Columbia without too long of a drive. Still have some cob mullets to toss out.
> Thanks,
> pods


Pea Island would be more of a Puppy Drum/ Trout proposition, if you want Sharks head further South

Water Temps in December around the South Side of the Point will to be in the 50-60 degree range depending on the Wind

Around mid to late December the Sharks are heading South and the Tiger Sharks what few are left are well offshore in warm waters, not inshore, very, very few Tiger Sharks taken off the beaches in the OBX these days

Sharks like the Dusky's, Sandbar and Scalloped Hammerheads congregate in the Point area and fellas casting and yakking baits out in the Hook area targeting Sharks do well


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## pods (Sep 10, 2013)

Thanks for the reply. I was wondering because the only shark I have seen attack sea birds with regularity is the tiger and they like it warmer. 
I figured Pea might be seeing Sandbars in December. I usually fish Pea or down on Topsail. New to sharking and haven't gotten the guts to start yakking baits out. Was thinking of trying for a day on Pea in early December. Can be a rough beach depending on the wind. It would be nice to see some hammers. I am definitely not point material right now.
pods


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## ncsharkman (Mar 12, 2011)

Big hammer heads, lemons, sand tigers and threshers can be caught through January at the south beach at Buxton. Also at ramp 34, especially big Hammers....


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## OldBay (May 15, 2003)

Are you guys fishing for those big sharks at night or during the day in the winter? I'd like to give it a shot X-mas through New Years.


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

pods said:


> Thanks for the reply. I was wondering because the only shark I have seen attack sea birds with regularity is the tiger and they like it warmer.
> I figured Pea might be seeing Sandbars in December. I usually fish Pea or down on Topsail. New to sharking and haven't gotten the guts to start yakking baits out. Was thinking of trying for a day on Pea in early December. Can be a rough beach depending on the wind. It would be nice to see some hammers. I am definitely not point material right now.
> pods


Sure you are, just stay a bit to the South of the Point and watch what the others do and try and stay out their way until you feel more comfortable............one of the young fellas from Buxton who fishes for the Sharks a lot was yakking his bait out and a Shark blasted the Kayak in an "Air Jaws" attempt on taking him out


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## KB Spot Chaser (Nov 19, 2009)

Garboman said:


> Sure you are, just stay a bit to the South of the Point and watch what the others do and try and stay out their way until you feel more comfortable............one of the young fellas from Buxton who fishes for the Sharks a lot was yakking his bait out and a Shark blasted the Kayak in an "Air Jaws" attempt on taking him out


A "Zack Attack"


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## dlpetrey (Oct 30, 2013)

By "yakking out" I am assuming you're talking about paddling out the bait in the kayak. Right? That's pretty intense. When you say south of the point Garbo do you mean down in the bend that curves back in, or just off the point on the south side? I could actually get into shark fishing. That would be pretty dang cool.


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## pods (Sep 10, 2013)

Garboman said:


> Sure you are, just stay a bit to the South of the Point and watch what the others do and try and stay out their way until you feel more comfortable............one of the young fellas from Buxton who fishes for the Sharks a lot was yakking his bait out and a Shark blasted the Kayak in an "Air Jaws" attempt on taking him out


Not helping with the confidence in trying to yak a bait out Garbo! I do want to visit the point, but I am really green when it comes to the surf. 
I guess yakking is a bit safer than stories I was reading about people swimming tuna heads out though. For now I will work on the cast. 
Next year I think I will be try to up the gear to be able to land something big. 
pods


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## pods (Sep 10, 2013)

ncsharkman said:


> Big hammer heads, lemons, sand tigers and threshers can be caught through January at the south beach at Buxton. Also at ramp 34, especially big Hammers....


I would love to put a thresher or a hammer on the beach. Going to have to save the vacation next year for some trips.
pods


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## ncsharkman (Mar 12, 2011)

pods,
I'm not kidding or "blowin Smoke" when I suggest that you start out small by maybe heaver fishing for smaller "biters" [100 lbs or less] from a pier or the beach before you try running big baits out or even fishing for the bigger ones. I caught my first real big shark in 1968 and did a lot of watching and learning before that. you can be seriously hurt or worse if you don't know what you are doing. No, I'm not talking about sandtigers although even they are dangerous at times. Garboman knows that what I say is true as he has been there and done that too.
Good luck, Dave


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## map120277 (Jul 17, 2008)

Drumdum said:


> What Garbo said.. Stripers have been a no show,even the ones in Manns Harbor have dwindled...


Manns Harbor used to be the spot for schoolly stripers. I can remember fishing the bridge and catching rockfish almost every cast. You would hear reports of 100 fish days all the time. Those were the good ole days. What happened?


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

map120277 said:


> Manns Harbor used to be the spot for schoolly stripers. I can remember fishing the bridge and catching rockfish almost every cast. You would hear reports of 100 fish days all the time. Those were the good ole days. What happened?


 Overfishing ruins everything doesn't it???


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## dirtyhandslopez (Nov 17, 2006)

Kenny, what are all those sharks feeding on Christmas time? Not a lot of meat on a seagull.


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## kayak456 (Jun 5, 2012)

Look at my pelican thread, I think I know what got him ...


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## dlpetrey (Oct 30, 2013)

EXACTLY what I was thinking. Poor little dude.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

dirtyhandslopez said:


> Kenny, what are all those sharks feeding on Christmas time? Not a lot of meat on a seagull.


 plenty on a speck,flounders, or a puppydrum... used to think they weren't fast enough to do that,but I promise you they are after watching them eat jigs and plugs presented to stripers and drum a few winters back.... talking anything from sandbars,hammers,lemons to spinies...


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## JDimig (Jan 23, 2004)

Drumdum said:


> Overfishing ruins everything doesn't it???


Some one said the other day that the ocean strippers stopped when the Spiny Dog Fish prohibition when into effect. And when you think about it they are correct. Do you think this was just a coincidence?


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

JDimig said:


> Some one said the other day that the ocean strippers stopped when the Spiny Dog Fish prohibition when into effect. And when you think about it they are correct. Do you think this was just a coincidence?


 It's got possibilities,the sorry basteds will eat about anything that moves.. Although,there are plenty of scenarios attributed to the decline of the stripers that headed our way years ago...


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## dirtyhandslopez (Nov 17, 2006)

Interesting.
Thank you kindly Kenny.


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## pods (Sep 10, 2013)

ncsharkman said:


> pods,
> I'm not kidding or "blowin Smoke" when I suggest that you start out small by maybe heaver fishing for smaller "biters" [100 lbs or less] from a pier or the beach before you try running big baits out or even fishing for the bigger ones. I caught my first real big shark in 1968 and did a lot of watching and learning before that. you can be seriously hurt or worse if you don't know what you are doing. No, I'm not talking about sandtigers although even they are dangerous at times. Garboman knows that what I say is true as he has been there and done that too.
> Good luck, Dave


Thank you for the warning Dave, I take all information from those who have done it to heart. Shark fishing is fairly new to me, and if there is one thing I have learned over my 40 years is some humility. So I will take any and all information that is available. I would like to set a goal for next season for a 6' or so fish (big fish, but not huge shark) and stick to casting gear. Reviving fish and releasing them has always been a top priority of mine. I once spent about an hour reviving a small muskie after it inhaled a stickbait deep. Even the few sharks we have landed I spent most of my time making sure they make it back out. I do not want to get hurt myself, and these fish definitely fit the bill for that possible outcome. But it would kill me to see a fish I catch for sport wash back up if there is any way I can avoid it. Maybe a couple years from now I can shoot for SoS class fish, but for now I just love to see the dorsal in the wash. I still get excited when seeing a sharpnose!
pods


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

Hey pods, i do to cause i think of eating the steaks and what a sick bait the rest will be!


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## ncsharkman (Mar 12, 2011)

Pods, I release all big sharks but I used to sell them back in the day to help pay for the weekend fishing trips! Catching 100-150 pound sharks is a lot of fun on a heaver or small standup set up from a pier or the beach. I use about the same set up as you would for cobia but with a bit stouter leader or float rig. I caught 3 nice 100 pound range brown sharks last month on my heaver that really gave me a fight while drum fishing. my only 'big" shark this year was one I caught in September from O.B.X. pier. it was a sandtiger in the 400+ pound range. you can see the last 9 minutes of the catch on you tube if you wish. it's under OBX pier sand tiger. you can see my tackle on the video. it's a custom 5 foot reverse real seat 80-130 rod and a Trinidad 50 reel with 1000 yards of 65 pound power pro line and about 100 feet of 100 pound mono shock. it's a bit of overkill for most sharks but it is capable of handling a real monster if you don't run out of line!
good luck, and "Keep on Sharkin"!
Dave


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