Jennette's Pier Loaded with Green Fishing Fun

Anglers jam Jennette's Pier on a nice summer day

At mile post 16.5 in Nag’s Head, North Carolina one might expect to find a weathered and splintering fishing pier ready for action. Instead thanks to a complete rebuild in 2011, a brand new fishing pier shares access to the ocean with anglers, and it is loaded with green power too. Besides technology, Jennette’s Pier is favored by geography since the Outer Banks jut out into the Atlantic Ocean, giving anglers a little extra distance on each cast.

            

Beach goers just don't know what they are missing!

At 1000-feet in length this is the longest pier open to the public in North Carolina. Walking down the planks past solar panels and windmill turbines anglers can stop at education stations to learn about the green energy in use there each and every day. A couple of constants at any fishing pier on the beach is sunshine and wind, which is why sunscreen and a hat will always be part of essential pier fishing gear.

           

Big blue marlin mount

Fishing rods, a tackle box with fish hooks, pliers and a towel for fishy hands are also recommended. Most piers including this one sell the bottom rigs and the lead weights that work best in their area. Anglers usually pay a small daily fee to fish off of the pier, which furnishes rod holders, running water, fish landing nets and any pertinent information about what constitutes a legal to keep species of fish.

            

Lots of windmill turbines for GREEN energy

Starting with striped bass fishing in spring, and continuing with red drum, flounder and even king mackerel fishing in the summer and fall, the tradition of fishing here continues well after the original pier was built in 1939. The location was originally known as Whalebone Junction and whale sightings from the pier continue each winter. It was Hurricane Isabel in 2003 that knocked out and shut down Jennette’s Pier, paving the way for the N.C. Aquarium Society to acquire the property and to build the new pier.

            
The Outer Banks of  N.C. also  has a history of harnessing the power of the wind. In the 1800’s windmills churned from Raonoke to Ocracoke for grinding grain, though severe storms were always a threat to them. Don’t forget that the Wright Brothers selected the same area to test their airplane designs that eventually earned them the First In Flight honors. Today, the wind turbines at Jeanette’s Pier are 90-feet tall and are automatically rotated away from facing destructive winds.

To view this article in its entirety click on All At Sea.

To view past blog entries about pier fishing click on Folly Pier.