What’s not to love about a fishing pier? They’re simply one of the best features of a coastal area. Walking out beyond the breakers and seeing the backs of the crashing waves is special in itself, but it’s direct access to the deep-water fishing grounds that makes them so popular. Outer Banks fishing piers – seven in total – offer spectacular Atlantic Ocean fishing all year round. Five of the Outer Banks piers are located in the central Outer Banks – one in Kitty Hawk, one in Kill Devil Hills and three in Nags Head. The other two Outer Banks piers are on Hatteras Island – one in Rodanthe and the other in Avon. All but one of the Outer Banks piers are of the nostalgic, wooden variety, with spaces between the warped, weathered boards where you can see the ocean swells below your feet. Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, the only pier open year round, is a modern concrete pier that some anglers love and some fishing pier purists avoid. At most of the piers you can find a bait and tackle shop offering the supplies, advice and snacks you’ll need for a successful catch. Some the pier houses even rent rods and reels. Species you might catch on an Outer Banks fishing pier, depending on the season, include spot, pompano, sea mullet, croaker, flounder, bluefish, gray or speckled trout, striped bass, red drum, cobia or king mackerel.
More Than Fishing at Outer Banks Piers
A trend at Outer Banks piers is to offer secondary activities like a bar, restaurant, live entertainment or event space – and it has proved to be an extremely successful move. At several of the local piers you can enjoy food and drinks, live music and arcade games. A couple of the piers have event space for gatherings and weddings. And, by their nature, Outer Banks piers attract surfers and beachgoers as well.
Outer Banks Fishing by Area
Corolla | Duck & Southern Shores | Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills & Nags Head
Roanoke Island & Manteo | Hatteras Island | Ocracoke Island
Outer Banks Fishing by Category
Outer Banks Piers
7223 S. Virginia Dare Trail, The Beach Road, MP 16.5, Nags Head
The place to be in Nags Head during the summer season, Jennette’s Pier offers anglers a wide variety of fish to target while sightseers can watch brown pelicans overhead and bottlenose dolphins swimming in the sea. The pier is surrounded by wide, clean public beaches, free parking and a bathhouse, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors from near and far. Owned and operated by the N.C. Aquariums, this state-of-the-art facility includes large aquariums in its pier house alongside educational exhibits, restrooms and a remodeled Pier Shop. There, visitors can find Jennette’s Pier t-shirts, hats, visors and plushies. Anglers can also find everything they need for a day of fishing, including different types of rod and reel combos, bait and tackle. Ice-cold drinks, snacks and souvenir items are also available in the gift shop.
The Pier property serves as a frequent venue for community events, and the upstairs Oceanview Hall is available to book for wedding receptions.
Education is a strong suit of Jennette’s Pier. The pier has emerged as a must-see place for schools to visit on the coast. In the past decade, they’ve averaged around 8,000 to 10,000 North Carolina students a year. They host school groups on field trips, offer week-long summer camps and teach Family Fishing – a rundown on the angling essentials – for $20. Check out the Surfside Classroom, or sign up for Family Fishing offered weekdays all summer at 9 a.m. Pier staff also keep busy with two important conservation organizations – the OBX Marine Mammal Stranding Network and the Responsible Pier Initiative, which promises to help protect sea turtles.
The pier has a blanket license for all anglers, so if you don’t have a fishing license, you’re covered. A daily fishing pass costs $14 for adults and $7 for children ages 12 and younger. A three-day pass costs $36, and a seven-day pass is $80 (children pay half on passes). Walk-on passes cost $2 for adults and $1 for children. Rods can be rented by the day for $12 (photo ID required). Ask about prices for annual passes, family passes and pin rig passes.
For more information about their events and pier programs, call or see their social media pages. Jennette’s is open year-round except on Thanksgiving and Christmas days. In season, from May through October, their hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Off-season hours vary, so call ahead.
The place to be in Nags Head during the summer season, Jennette’s Pier offers anglers a wide variety of fish to target while sightseers can watch...read more
The place to be in Nags Head during the summer season, Jennette’s Pier offers anglers...read more
Outer Banks Piers
7665 S. Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head/Manteo Causeway, Nags Head
Fishing Unlimited has everything you need for a great fishing trip on the sound – boat rentals, rods and reel rentals, bait and tackle and ice. If you're looking to catch fresh crabs, come try it here; they have the gear to rent or buy, plus a crabbing pier. The boats they rent are 23-foot or 26-foot pontoon boats, and they'll tell you everything you need to know about handling the boats and navigating the sound. Their boat renters almost always see dolphins in the sound areas near the shop and docks. Located on the Manteo-Nags Head Causeway, Fishing Unlimited is convenient for anglers fishing at the Little Bridge, the Nags Head piers and in the surf or for boaters using the boat ramp at Washington Baum Bridge.
Fishing Unlimited has everything you need for a great fishing trip on the sound – boat rentals, rods and reel rentals, bait and tackle and ice. If you're...read more
Fishing Unlimited has everything you need for a great fishing trip on the sound –...read more
Outer Banks Piers
7223 S. Virginia Dare Trail, The Beach Road, MP 16.5, Nags Head
The place to be in Nags Head during the summer season, Jennette’s Pier offers anglers a wide variety of fish to target while sightseers can watch brown pelicans overhead and bottlenose dolphins swimming in the sea. The pier is surrounded by wide, clean public beaches, free parking and a bathhouse, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors from near and far. Owned and operated by the N.C. Aquariums, this state-of-the-art facility includes large aquariums in its pier house alongside educational exhibits, restrooms and a remodeled Pier Shop. There, visitors can find Jennette’s Pier t-shirts, hats, visors and plushies. Anglers can also find everything they need for a day of fishing, including different types of rod and reel combos, bait and tackle. Ice-cold drinks, snacks and souvenir items are also available in the gift shop.
The Pier property serves as a frequent venue for community events, and the upstairs Oceanview Hall is available to book for wedding receptions.
Education is a strong suit of Jennette’s Pier. The pier has emerged as a must-see place for schools to visit on the coast. In the past decade, they’ve averaged around 8,000 to 10,000 North Carolina students a year. They host school groups on field trips, offer week-long summer camps and teach Family Fishing – a rundown on the angling essentials – for $20. Check out the Surfside Classroom, or sign up for Family Fishing offered weekdays all summer at 9 a.m. Pier staff also keep busy with two important conservation organizations – the OBX Marine Mammal Stranding Network and the Responsible Pier Initiative, which promises to help protect sea turtles.
The pier has a blanket license for all anglers, so if you don’t have a fishing license, you’re covered. A daily fishing pass costs $14 for adults and $7 for children ages 12 and younger. A three-day pass costs $36, and a seven-day pass is $80 (children pay half on passes). Walk-on passes cost $2 for adults and $1 for children. Rods can be rented by the day for $12 (photo ID required). Ask about prices for annual passes, family passes and pin rig passes.
For more information about their events and pier programs, call or see their social media pages. Jennette’s is open year-round except on Thanksgiving and Christmas days. In season, from May through October, their hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Off-season hours vary, so call ahead.
The place to be in Nags Head during the summer season, Jennette’s Pier offers anglers a wide variety of fish to target while sightseers can watch...read more
The place to be in Nags Head during the summer season, Jennette’s Pier offers anglers...read more
Avalon Fishing Pier was built in 1958 and is 696 feet long. They offer daily, three-day, weekly and seasonal fishing passes, and you can pay a modest fee...read more
Stretching about 600 feet into the Atlantic Ocean, Avon Fishing Pier opened its doors in 1963 and was the final pier to be built on Hatteras Island. It’s...read more
The popular 750-foot pier features a bait and tackle shop, game tables, the Pier House restaurant and an expanded outdoor area called Captain Andy's...read more
The 650-foot pier is lighted for evening fishing and open 24 hours a day in season. Rent tackle and buy bait here or bring your own. Daily, three-day and...read more
The Rodanthe Pier offers some of the best fishing on Hatteras Island and is dedicated to providing a family-oriented experience whether you want to fish or...read more
Beneath the Washington Baum Bridge on the Manteo side of the Nags Head/Manteo Causeway, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has a extensive public dock that...read more
