Jennette’s Pier Celebrates Anniversary With Family Fishing Tournament

Posted By Matt Artz on May 10, 2016

Plenty of hard-fighting bluefish and sea mullet are keeping anglers busy at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, and this spring bite is just in time for the Pier’s annual Family Fishing Tournament set for Saturday, May 21 from 7am to 1pm with lines in the water 8am to noon.

The tournament date coincides with the Pier’s fifth anniversary since it reopened as a State facility after two years of intensive reconstruction on May 21, 2011.

During the past five years, the Pier has provided a world-class fishing platform for hundreds of thousands of people. In addition, tens of thousands of visitors have taken an educational program or attended a wedding reception in Jennette’s Oceanview Hall. Exactly 189,538 people did so in 2015 alone.

The annual Family Fishing Tournament will conclude with a cake and Pepsi party (while supplies last) around 12:30 p.m. that Saturday. A short awards ceremony for tournament winners will precede the cake cutting. Tournament anglers are also eligible for door prizes.

“This event offers an excellent opportunity for families to enjoy fabulous fishing on a state of the art pier,” said Tournament Director, Daryl Law. “We hope plenty of folks will come on out and catch fish.”

Registration for the event is open now by either visiting the pier house to pay at the main counter or by going to www.jennettespier.net.

Adult entries cost $15; children age 12 and under cost $8. The entry fee includes a fishing pass for the entire day.

First built in 1939, Jennette’s Pier was the first ocean fishing pier in the region. The original structure succumbed to shipworms and a long secession of replacement piers were beat and battered by northeasters and hurricanes, including Isabel in 2003.

In 2009 the state of North Carolina agreed to replace Jennette’s Pier with the unique educational facility that exists today. The platinum LEED certified Pier has many sustainable features which helps the facility to operate self-sufficiently.

This year’s tournament is sponsored in part by the Outer Banks Visitor’s Bureau.

Austin Law, age 10, of Kill Devil Hills was one of the happy anglers who made the most of the sea mullet bite at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head recently. Come out to the pier to try your luck in the annual Family fishing Tournament May 21. (photo courtesy Jennette’s Pier)