Outer Banks: 2.10.12 - Gorgeous Winter Day in Kitty Hawk
Good morning. Here’s your OBX Moment of Zen for Friday, February 10, 2012.
This video was shot just south of the Kitty Hawk Pier at 8:40 AM.
Gorgeous winter day. Sun, 50, almost no wind, fresh salt air, and a pretty longboard wave.
Great day to be at the beach!
Slow fishing.
Hope to see you soon. Have fun!
Outer Banks: 2.3.12 - Fresh Salt Air & Chilly Wind in Kitty Hawk
Good morning. Here’s your OBX Moment of Zen for Friday, February 3, 2012.
This video was shot just south of the Kitty Hawk Pier at 8:30 AM.
Happy Friday! The fresh salt air smells great this morning, but we have a stuff northeast wind sending the freshness our way. Chilly compared to the last few days; sun, 50, and a 15 mph wind off the ocean. Back up near 60 tomorrow.
Lots of wind swell churning up the water, but no surf. If you’re itching to get in the water, there could be a tiny longboard wave tomorrow.
Fishing is slow. Bright spot is the tuna offshore.
Hope to see you soon. Have fun!
Outer Banks: 1.29.12 - Gorgeous OBX Sunset
2012 is underway, and we now have one month behind us. I don’t want to jinx us, but it was a pretty fabulous month on the Outer Banks – bright sun, blue skies, 60′s, surf…we could use some more fishing, but overall no complaints.
As I’ve mentioned in my other Outer Banks Behind the Lens posts, each and everyday I try to make time to get to the beach to snap a photo and give a quick beach report. This morning routine has become one of my favorite times of the day. In addition to the morning photo, I do my best to snap great OBX photos anytime I see them.
I just put the finishing touches on a slideshow of all my Outer Banks pictures from January 2012 on Flickr, and in my humble opinion, it’s a great way to kill a few minutes.
Kick back, relax, and enjoy some OBX sights…
Outer Banks: 12.16.11 - December Perfection
Good morning. Here’s your OBX Moment of Zen for Friday, December 16, 2011.
This video was shot just north of the Nags Head Pier at the Bladen St. beach access.
Two days in a row of perfect December OBX conditions; sun, 60′s, offshore breeze, and great waist to chest surf.
It will cool off a bit for the weekend, but the weather is looking good through Christmas.
Outer Banks fishing is slow, but the stripers are stating to arrive.
Hope to see you soon. Have fun!
Outer Banks: 12.15.11 - Perfect OBX December Surf Day
Note: Sorry about the lack of audio. Not sure what happened there. But if you forward to about the 1:50 mark, you can get a look at the beach and waves. Enjoy!
Good morning. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report for Thursday, December 15, 2011.
This video was shot at the Nags Head Pier at 10 AM.
Amazing December day! Sun and temps at 65 degrees. Temps will dip back to 50′s looking ahead, but looks like great OBX weather all the way through Christmas.
Big news for the day is the surf. Perfect weather, a light southwest breeze, and clean chest high surf. Hit it if your on the OBX. Tomorrow looks like more of the same, but the wind will be stronger and the swell will fade through the day. Water temps at 52 degrees.
OBX fishing is slow, but stripers are on the way; so we should have a great striper bite soon.
Hope to see you soon. Have fun!
Outer Banks: 11.10.11 - Great Trout Fishing at Kitty Hawk Pier
Good morning. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report for Thursday, November 10, 2011.
This video was shot at the Kitty Hawk Pier at 9:00 AM.
Before I get into the report today, I’d like to wish all of the Marines a happy birthday. Today is the United States Marine Corps birthday, so Semper Fi to y’all!
We have a great fall day to celebrate. Sun, 60′s, light north wind at 5-10 mph, and water temps at 60 degrees. This weather will stick with us for the next few days.
The wildcard will be the wind. The wind should pick up to about 20 mph tomorrow, but it will slow down again for the weekend. The weekend weather looks great with sun and 60′s. Sunday’s weather for the Outer Banks Marathon looks fantastic; sun, 65 degrees, and a southwest wind at about 10 mph. Great day for running!
We have some big swell in the area, but the wind isn’t matching up. Although, today the wind is light enough where you could find some decent head high sections that are relatively clean. Tomorrow should be a mess with 20 mph winds out of the north and swell in the 6-9 foot range with a big storm moving north through the Atlantic.
The surf will clean up this weekend when the wind switches to the southwest, but the swell is going to fade at the same time. Seems like we should see waves in the keen to waist range for the weekend. Small, but clean and great weather. Could be worth getting in the water.
The big story over the past couple days is the OBX fishing. Trout fishing is going off on the piers and in the surf! There are some good striper catches in the Sound, and offshore they are pulling in yellow fin tuna.
Hope to see you soon. Have fun!
Outer Banks: 8.19.11 - Near Perfect at Kitty Hawk Pier
Good morning. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report for Friday, August 19, 2011.
This video was shot at the Kitty Hawk Pier at 9:00 AM.
Have we turned a corner? No more high heat and high humidity? Definitely starting to feel like the tail end of summer. I always have mixed feelings about this time of year. It’s no fun to watch summer slip away, but on the other hand, this weather sure is perfect!
Bright sun, blue skies, temps in the 80′s, low humidity, light onshore breeze out of the east, and water at almost 80 degrees! Can’t beat it. Perfect beach weather. And this weather will stick with us through the weekend…really, this weather will stick with us through October! September and October are definitely the best months on the OBX.
Unfortunately, there’s not much surf to report. There’s a tiny knee high wave coming through, but it’s not very consistent. If you find the right spot there could be some fun longboard waves today. Hopefully the swell will pick up early next week.
Fishing is going great though. Offshore is catching dolphin, wahoo, black and yellow fin tuna, and some bill fish mixed in. The bridges, piers, surf, and Sound are all very consistent with a wide variety of fish – croaker, speckled trout, spot, blue fish, Spanish mackerel, pompano and spadefish are showing up, and a cobia was even caught off the Avalon Pier yesterday!
Hope to see you soon. Have fun!
Outer Banks: 8.5.11 - Great Beach Weekend
Good morning. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report for Friday, August 5, 2011.
This video was shot at the Kitty Hawk Pier at 9:00 AM.
Before I dive into the report, I’d like to say a quick Happy Anniversary to my Grandparents who are celebrating their 67 wedding anniversary today. Considering that they are in their 90′s and don’t know how to use the internet, it’s a safe bet they won’t see this video, but I’m sending out my love and good vibes none-the-less. Thanks for being great role models!
Back to the beach! It’s a start to the weekend with great beach conditions. It’s been in the 90′s all week, but the temps have cooled to the mid 80′s today, and will stay there through the weekend. The sun is out, the sky is blue, and there’s strong wind blowing off the ocean out of the east, northeast.
The winds are chopping up the water pretty good for today and tomorrow, but the winds will switch offshore out of the southwest by Sunday…just in time for some surf!….hopefully.
There has been some excitement this week about the potential for surf from Tropical Storm Emily, but that storm dissipated over the Caribbean yesterday. Now that it has broken apart a bit, the surf doesn’t look quite as promising, but we could still have a great day of surf on Sunday and Monday.
The forecasts have dropped the swell from shoulder to waist +, but with a great offshore wind, sun, air and water temps in the 80′s, waist + surf could be all we need for some prime OBX summer surf conditions. Keep your fingers crossed!
As for OBX fishing, tight lines all around. Offshore is catching wahoo, dolphin, big eye and yellow fin tuna, and some bill fish mixed in. The piers, bridges, surf, and Sound are very consistent with a wide variety of fish – speckled trout, spot, croaker, blue fish, Spanish Mackeral, flounder, sea mullet, trigger fish, cobia.
Hope to see you soon. Have fun!
Outer Banks: 7.29.11 - Great OBX Beach Weekend
Good morning. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report for Friday, July 29, 2011.
This video was shot at the Kitty Hawk Pier at 9:00 AM.
Happy Friday! Last report of July! Time flies.
Gorgeous OBX beach day…and weekend. Temps are climbing back to the 90′s, the sun is out, there’s a nice offshore wind bringing a cool breeze, and the water is beautiful! Water temps have climbed to the high 70′s – almost 80! – and the water is amazing clear with a gorgeous blue-green color.
Unfortunately, there is no surf to report. The ocean is about as flat as it can be. And there won’t be any surf all weekend…flat, flat, flat. Hopefully the surf will pick up a bit more next week…fingers crossed.
OBX fishing is going great though. Tight lines all around. Offshore is catching dolphin, wahoo, big eye and yellow fin tuna, and some bill fish mixed in. The piers, bridges, Sound and surf are all very consistent with a wide variety of fish – speckled trout, croaker, spot, sea mullet, blue fish, flounder, Spanish mackerel, trigger fish, cobia.
Hope to see you soon. Have fun!
Outer Banks - 6.29.11 - Pretty at Avalon Pier
With all the Outer Banks has to offer – beach, wild horses, Wright Brothers, Black Beard the Pirate, surfing, fishing, Jockey’s Ridge, beach driving, art, seafood, nature preserves, amazing wildlife…the list seems endless – the OBX fishing piers are often overlooked.
Well, all the piers are the same, right?…long wooden structures with some good fishing and great views, but if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.
Not so fast. You may be surprised at just how much variety the Outer Banks fishing piers offer, and with the arrival of the new Jennette’s Pier, the piers have been taken to an entirely new level of fun, education, amazing views, and world-class fishing.
For today’s installment, we’re going to turn the “Spotlight” on the Outer Banks Fishing Piers.
The five fishing piers located on the northern beaches of the Outer Banks are Kitty Hawk, Avalon, Nags Head, Jennette’s and Outer Banks Fishing Pier, all of which are unique.
The Kitty Hawk Pier is now privately owned and part of the Hilton Garden Inn. The pier is still available for daily fishing, and the gorgeous pier house can be booked through the Hilton for private events…an awesome spot for an Outer Banks wedding!
The Avalon Pier is located on the Oceanfront in Kill Devil Hills, at Mile Post 6. It is 696 feet long. The pier is usually open from 5:00 am — 2:00 am during the summer months. During the Spring and Fall, they open at 6:00 am and close when things slow down which is usually right before 10:00 pm. They sell all kinds of bait including bloodworms, squid, mullet, shrimp, and artificial lures. They also rent tackle. When you enter the Avalon Pier, you almost feel like you are stepping back in time…in a great way. It feels like the OBX from the 70′s…complete with an old-school arcade!
The Nags Head Fishing Pier offers a great fishing pier as well as a bait & tackle shop for all of your fishing needs. Also on site is a The Pier House Restaurant and The Pier Cottages. There are 6 cottages available ranging from 1-bedroom to 4-bedrooms. Daily rates are available for the cottages, though there is a 3-night minimum stay. This pier is great for fishing or taking in the views, but the highlight for me is the breakfast! Arguably the best OBX breakfast spot. 1. Because the breakfast is delicious (classic diner style) and 2. Because you can’t beat the view overlooking the ocean!
Jennette’s Pier, the oldest fishing pier on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, was built in 1939. This historic ocean landmark has weathered dozens of hurricanes and nor’easters over the past six decades.
Now wwned by the North Carolina Aquarium Society, the oldest fishing pier on the Outer Banks provides a great fishing experience for the entire family. The main exhibit, Giants of the Sea, showcases state-record trophy fish mounts and five aquariums with indigenous fish species on display. The pier also houses an outpost for the North Carolina Aquarium Education Department, which offers a wide variety of coastal educational opportunities for children of all ages. Aquarium education classes run Monday — Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Last but not least, the Outer Banks Fishing Pier is open 24 hours a day. Daily, weekend and weekly passes are available, as well as group rates and senior citizen discounts. Bait and tackle are available at the Pier, as well as rentals of tackle, bicycles, umbrellas, chairs and boogie boards. Fishing charters are also available through Outer Banks Fishing Unlimited.
I’ll zip it so you can enjoy the tour…
