Ocean Isle Beach Fishing
There is a lot of great fishing in Coastal Carolina whether you choose to try your hand from a pier or go out on a boat. As with all fishing, the trick is to be in the right place at the right time. Both men and women enjoy this sport. Actually it is a great couples or family activity for young and old. Let’s talk about fishing from the pier in Ocean Isle Beach, NC. The pier is owned and operated by the same kind of friendly people you will meet while fishing. The pier features a well-stocked tackle shop as well as gear rentals.
You can fish for fun or food or both. Pier fishing usually attracts those who are not going to throw catch back, but take it home for dinner. People who fish this way are affectionately known as “pier rats”.
Fish pass under a pier in waves as a school passes through. Most of those fishing from the pier are “bottom fishing” using a multi-hook rig weighted down on the bottom. Fish such as whiting or croaker can caught several at a time. “Pier rats” bring their tackle and rods back forth in a variety of ways. Some simply use commercially advertised equipment. Those experienced in the sport are known to come up with some pretty ingenious methods so that they only have to make one trip from the pier to the car and still have everything they need for a successful fishing experience.
If you choose to walk way out to the end of the pier, you might be able to hook some larger fish like a Black sea bass or king mackerel. Everyone in Ocean Isle knows when the “spots” run because the parking lot at the pier is filled to capacity with pick-up trucks and the pier is filled people with their lines dropped in the water. This usually happens just as the ocean begins to cool a bit, about October. The spot is a tasty pan fried fish and loved by most locals. Grouper fish love to dine on them too so you had better be quick!
The pier is a great place for socializing and catching up with old friends when you’re not catching anything else. Many people catch their first salt water fish from a pier. There are not as many fishing piers today due to financial pressures of real estate development along the water. However, the NC ones that remain offer some of the best pier fishing in the world. Ocean Isle's fishing pier is located on the ocean straight off the Causeway. You do not need a license to fish off this pier as they have a blanket license.
For more information about fishing at Ocean Isle Beach or North Carolina, including how to obtain your fishing license, visit http://www.ncfisheries.net/ For fishing locations other than the pier in Ocean Isle, you can purchase a license at Island Tackle, 6855 Beach Dr. (Rt 179), Ocean Isle Beach, 910-579-6116.
If you are lucky enough to catch a few spots, here are a couple of great recipes to try:
Hits the Spot
- 2 pounds of fresh spots
- 1 ¼ tsp. salt
- Pepper
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cooking oil
Mix cornmeal and flour together. Rub fillets all over with salt & pepper. Roll in the flour and cornmeal mixture. Heat oil in skillet until very hot, (temp is right when a droplet of water along inside of pan sizzles.) Brown fillets for about 2 minutes on each side.
Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 4-6 minutes longer, depending on thickness of fillet. Fillet should flake easily with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges or tartar sauce.
Papaw’s Fried Spots
- ½ cup flour
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup water
- 1 egg white
- About a pound of spots
- A lemon
- Oil for deep frying
Combine the flour, cornstarch, pepper and salt and sift together onto a plate or piece of waxed paper. Beat the egg yolk and water to a smooth cream then mix the flour mixture a few tablespoons at a time. Just before using the batter, beat the egg white until stiff enough to stand in peaks when lifted on the beater. Scoop the egg white into the batter and fold in gently with a spoon. Heat the oil in a deep heavy pan. Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towel. Pick up the fillets with tongs and dip into batter and carefully drop into the hot oil. Deep fry for 4-5 minutes, turn them as they brown. Maybe 3 minutes. After they brown, transfer the fillets to a platter and serve at once with wedges of lemon.
Uncle Maynard’s Spot Amandine*
- 8 Spot Fillets
- 3Tbsp flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup sliced almond
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Mix the flour with the salt and pepper. Dust the spot fillets in the mixture and then shake off any excess. You can prepare these fillets up to 30 minutes in advance and store them between sheets of waxed paper in the refrigerator.
Heat the butter and olive oil in a non-stick pan over med-high heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the fillets, skin-side down. Sauté about 5 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. Carefully turn the fillet over. Lower the heat to keep the butter and oil from burning. Cook 3-4 more minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK! Put the fillets on a plate. Put the almonds in the pan and fry them for about 3 minutes until slightly browned. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Spoon the mixture over each fillet. Makes 2 servings.
*Amandine means garnished with almonds. It is often misspelled as “almondine”.
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