Divorce Diversion-Travel-Visiting Harkers Island-Straits Pier

 Divorce Diversion-Let's Travel

This was written last year, and since then, a few things have changed.  They have built a new bridge into Harkers Island.  The bridge is very nice, but I am worried that our little fishing pier will be gone.  I am headed down this week to check things out.  But this post shows how it used to be:-)

Lately, I have found myself in an area of NC that I did not even know existed.   It is a small island on the NC coast called Harkers Island. This is located in the Southern Outer Banks of NC. One day, when visiting Harkers Island, Rocky and I decided it was high time we went fishing.  

 This is what North Carolina Sportsman has to say...

"Where to fish on Harkers Island?

Fishermen can use the small pier on the island side of the bridge or fish from the rocks on the mainland side — or from a boat."

We did not have a boat, so we decided to go to the fishing pier beside the bridge that takes you into Harkers Island. Before we could do that, I had to get my very first fishing license. How exciting!

Lucky for me, Rocky had all the fishing equipment we needed, and he even bought me a crab net so I could do a bit of crabbing while he fished. 

So off we went to the pier...We crossed over the Harkers Island Bridge, and as we left the bridge, we saw the sign for the fishing pier. If you go, there is a small side area to pull off and park. We went twice the last time we were on Harkers Island, and we had no trouble finding a place to park.

I must stay. I have had issues finding the actual address. I will list two below.

*1650 Harkers Island Road

*Straits Fishing Pier, Bridge, 125 Harkers Island Rd, Harkers Island, NC 28531

According to Carteret Marine, The Straits Pier..."Boasting over 10,000 sqft of finished pier area, stainless hardware, and concrete decking, this project was a superior investment into the community".

People on the pier talked about how much they liked the new pier. I don't know how new it is, but according to the folks that have been here many times, this pier is an upgrade. The original pier was damaged by a hurricane, so it was relatively recently replaced.

They are also building a new bridge into Harkers Island that sits close to the Straits Fishing Pier. This project is called the Harkers Island Bridge Replacement Project. The projected end date is the fall of 2025. 

We made it to the pier now; let's go fishing...

We went to the pier twice on this trip. The first time we caught a few crabs which was fun. I was surprised when Rocky pulled up a pufferfish. We also saw a small shark swimming around the pier. On the second day, the bluefish were biting. One fish you will not see on the list below, but I did see someone catch, is the Pinfish.

I found a list of other fish you may catch on OBX Guides

• Spot
• Pompano
• Sea Mullet
• Croaker
• Flounder
• Gray or Speckled Trout
• Striped Bass
• Red Drum
• Cobia or King Mackerel

You know me, I could not sit still on the pier all day, so I went off with my camera to see what I could find. I left Rocky fishing, and he was content with his quiet time on the water.

The surrounding area...

It was also fun to watch the birds. The most abundant birds I saw were seagulls and pelicans. I love pelicans!

This young man began his fishing without a bird in sight. I watched the seagulls gather in the distance; before I knew it, he was surrounded.

It is nice to be kayaking beside a pelican...what fun.

What a great time we had fishing and sightseeing at the Straits Fishing Pier.  If you go, be sure and check the fishing laws for that area, and don't forget to have your fishing license handy just in case.

Happy Travels, Everyone!

KathieyV