Pier Awards & a catching report

A dedication to both fishing and the community has led the North Carolina Fishing Pier Society (NCFPS) to the bestow two awards for achievement and community service to a legendary fisherman and a distinguished fishing pier, said Al Baird, NCFPS founder and fishing advocate

The award ceremony is slated for June 16 at 1 p.m. at the Jolly Roger
Pier, Topsail Beach.

At the ceremony, the NCFPS will recognize Angelo DePaola for lifetime
achievement in pier fishing. This is the first Lifetime Achievement Award given by the organization.

To fishing enthusiasts, Angelo DePaola is a living legend, Baird said recently from NCFPS headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina. DePaola’s king mackerel total is equivalent to baseball’s Cy Young record for total wins (511 wins). It will likely never come close to being broken by any fisherman at any pier in the near or distant future.

Since 1958 DePaola has dedicated himself to hauling the big ones and his 490 king mackerel’s are counted in that record. DePaola once caught five of the trophies in one day. He also managed to bring in other species from the pier including red drum, amberjacks, tarpon, bluefish and cobia. DePaola also has a 400 pound lemon shark to his credit and in 1978 he made the rarest of catch a 7-foot sailfish.

A second honor, this one the 2007 Community Service Award, is slated to be presented to the Jolly Roger Pier for its years of serving as a community fishing bulwark stretching out into the turbulent waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Jolly Roger Pier is a landmark in the community and rightly deserves the 2007 Community Service Award, Baird said. This fisherman’s bastion has stood proud and strong serving North Carolina and the eastern seaboard fishing community for over fifty years.

The Jolly Roger is renowned for rebuilding quickly after hurricanes and is an extremely popular with local fisherman and others from all over the eastern United States. Lewis Orr built the pier in 1954 and it is still operated by the Orr family today.

The North Carolina Fishing Pier Society was founded in 2006 to promote the history and traditions of pier fishing in North Carolina. The organization seeks to preserve waterfront access and has submitted testimony to the North Carolina Waterfront Access Study Committee earlier this year.

Catching Report

Drum are being caught in the surf around the inlets with many in the upper slot range. Some Pompano and black drum are also being caught by surf fisherman. Inshore the red drum are on the oyster rocks and nearby channels. Flounder are being caught in good numbers too.

Seaview Pier is reporting anglers catching lots of blues, Spanish and a few pompano and spots. Surf City Pier is also reporting similar catches but also has seen a king and a cobia landed this week. At Jolly Roger they are seeing plenty of Spanish and blues.

The Kings are moving in and can be found inshore near structures like natural and artificial reefs. Most are still in the 20 and under range. Anglers are reporting some very nice catches of cobia this spring with it shaping up to be one of the best cobia seasons in a while. The also are moving in closer with the warming water with some being caught recently in the 23 mile rock area.

Tight Lines to all!