The fishing piers start opening in March on the weekends and start staying open later depending on the fishing. The hours below are after Memorial Day through the summer months. They start to close down around the end of November.
You can also bridge fish from the catwalk on the south side of the bridge at Oregon Inlet or from the little bridge on the Nags Head / Manteo Causeway. There's also a good public fishing pier under the big bridge on that causeway, just turn down the road across from Pirate's Cove Marina and follow it back under the bridge.