Fishing out of Oregon Inlet remains steady and ocean piers in Nags Head were reporting a wide variety of catches.

Boats sailing from the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center also caught plenty of dolphin recently, according to booking agent Ayra Lynn. Several citation-sized big eyes have been brought back to the dock.

“Anything over one hundred pounds [is a citation], we’re pretty proud of that!” she said. “We’re pretty busy with most of the boats going out.”

Lynn also mentioned the sharks have been wreaking havoc on tuna catches and sometimes the guys are reeling only the heads. “You have to be real quick.”

They’ve also been hooking black and yellowfin tuna along with the big eyes, she said.

On the Miss Oregon Inlet with Capt. Chris Crockett, they’ve been getting keeper flounder, sea mullet, speckled trout, pigfish and northern puffers.

Inshore boats are catching cobia, red drum and speckled trout, Lynn said. Near shore Spanish mackerel, blues and cobia.

At Garry Oliver’s Outer Banks Pier in South Nags Head, Spanish mackerel fishing over the weekend was off “extremely good,” said Dale Curtis Monday afternoon.

In general, anglers have also been catching bluefish, sea mullet, a few keeper flounder and a few sea mullet, “not too many but some nice ones,” he said.

Two miles north at Jennette’s Pier, fishermen have been catching cobia, speckled trout, sea mullet and pompano.

Ron Robbins of Manteo had a nice catch of decent-sized pompano in his cooler by mid-morning. He fishes there nearly every day and likes to cook up his catches.

Jennette’s Pier is hosting its 9^th Annual Family Fishing Tournament this Saturday, June 8 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. with lines in the water from 8 a.m. to noon.

Open to anglers of all ages, compete for the longest fish in around 10 categories. For more information, call 252-255-1501, ext. 202.

Featured fish of the week – cobia

Cobia eat mostly shrimp and crab, but will also eat squid and smaller fish. The larger ones often prey on young cobia, but the ones that survive can live to 12 years old.

Cobia mostly swim alone but will sometimes form small groups. They can grow up to 6 feet long and weigh 100 pounds.

The fish are sometimes confused with sharks because of their similar appearance. In the winter, they migrate to warmer water and in general, they are commonly found near structures such as reefs, piers or buoys.

Editor’s Note: We are always looking for great fishing stories, so please send yours with any photos to obxfishnews@gmail.com.

READ MORE IN OUR ON THE WATER SECTION HERE.