Fishing the OBX?

[JakeyBaby]

I'm heading to the Outer Banks at the end of June and plan on trying to get on some fish! Anyone recommend a charter in the area? Would love to do an off shore trip but 2k for a day is a little out of my price range! Looking for something that's not going to break the bank since I will more than likely be taking the trip myself. Also anyone have any tips, tactics, or what equipment I need for surf fishing? Never done it before and I am extremely green to it so any help would be awesome!! Thanks!

[ignaszak]

My family and I stay in Avon every year for at least a week.  My dad enjoys fishing the Avon pier.  I prefer fishing the surf.  Going in June things will be a little slow on the surf.  i recommend using 1/2-3/4 ounce jigs tips with Berkley Power Bait in a Shrimp pattern.  Fish the first hour of light and the last hour.  You can also fish the 1-2 ounce weights with a double hook set up.  I only use cut bait for this rig.  If you want to use shrimp, just go to the Food Lion and buy raw shrimp there and thaw it out as needed.  Cheaper than the bait shop. As far as guides go, my sister brother and I took my Dad out for a charter out of hatteras.  Cost was $600 for 4 hours.  Lets just say, it took me three hours to clean all the Blues and Mackerel we caught.  I don't remember the guides name, but i just stopped and grabbed a flier and a gas station and started calling people.  Hope this helps and good luck.

[Reel Scream]

Hi,

Depending on where you are staying , I will try to give some info. If you are staying North(Duck,Corolla,Kitty Hawk,Nags Head) Then fishing out of Oregon inlet would be your best bet. There are two inlets, the 1st one you cross is Oregon inlet. There is a marina right before you get to the bridge. They have numerous charters that run from there. Offshore trips run about $1900 or so for the day plus tips. The inshore will guides will take you inshore(sound side) or near shore(ocean side). The inshore trips that time of year will target  flounder, blues,gray trout, small red drum, cobia & spanish mackerel. They will charge around $450 for a 1/2 day and $600 for 3/4. The offshore bite is going to be mostly Dolphin that time of year with a few yellowfin & wahoo mixed in & there is always a chance for a Marlin. Now, if you are staying further south on the island, say from Avon & south(Buxton,Frisco or Hatteras Village) you can then slide down to Hatteras inlet to fish. There are a number of great guides that fish out of Teach's Lair Marina. Inshore trips out of Hatteras run around $325/350 for 1/2 day and $500/600 full day.  The offshore trips are much cheaper as well. You can go offshore for a full day from around $1000/$1300 a day depending on the boat. Same fish inshore/offshore as mentioned above. The Cobia bite will typically be winding down by then, but there are always a few around. The inshore/nearshore guys will also run you to some of the numerous artificial reefs/wrecks in the area to bottom fish for Amberjacks, Almacojacks, Triggerfish & Black Sea bass. Beach fishing that time of the year offers numerous species, Flounder,Gray trout,Sea Mullet,Blues,Red Drum,Black Drum,Croakers.You can buy an over sands permit from the National Park service.We cruise the beach  looking for "holes" which are breaks in the outer sand bars that give the fish easier access to the troughs running parallel to the beach. Equipment wise, I would take a medium 7' spinning rod and a 10' to 11' surf set up with me. That way,you can cast plastics,jigs& bait to catch flounder,trout, sea mullet ect. Also,have some metal lures ready if some Spanish mackerel or Blues come crashing through. Tons of fun on lite tackle. You can then soak the big rod with fresh bunker or mullet for Drum & sharks. They always catch a few Cobia of the beach every year as well. We always stay at the south end of the island(Buxton,Frisco & mostly Hatteras). If you buy an over sands permit, make sure you take a jack,small shovel,a tow strap and a board to support the jack.We go down around 5 or 6 times a year.We just got back from a week duck hunting & a little bit of surf fishing,had a ball as usual. Here's a pic of the boss fighting a decent shark from the other day. Hope this helps, good luck and have fun!

 

Edited January 5, 2017 by Reel Scream

[skipper19]

Matt, I have surf fished the outer banks from avon to ocracoke for years usually in the fall during October. There are a few things that have changed down there over the last few years.
Number one, don't forget to get the marine fishing license for North Carolina.
Number 2 if you can, bring 4 wheel drive for best access to the beach fishing. You don't want to walk to something like cape point (usually great fishing but very popular) about 2 miles in soft sand. There are some good access point however by foot along the route 12 between Salvo and Buxton. Cross the dunes to the ocean, or find deep holes near shore in the sound side for trout and puppy drum. Use Google satellite image and you can find deep holes and dredged channels for deep water there (darker blue).
However if you plan to use a vehicle, be sure to get it registered with the National Park. Office located on the light house site at Cape Point south of Avon. Follow signs to the lighthouse. The office is there. You will need to get a week pass to drive the beach for 50 bucks, watch a short video info, and bring your driver license in. It's expensive yes, but if you want good access to all the beach that is open, it is necessary.
ATVS are not permitted at all anymore. Some beach closures to vehicles happen due to turtle nesting, or endangered bird nesting. There are several ramps over the dunes to access the beach by vehicle. Air down your tires to 15 lbs and you will be good to go in 4x4.
Carry your rods in a rack or just lay them in the vehicle so the tips don't break. Bring a decent cooler for your bait and catch. Buckets and sand Spikes to hold your rods on the beach so you don't get sand in the reels. Wash them good with fresh water too after use. In June you will want a beach umbrella cause the sun will bake you! Watch out for sunburnt feet too!
The best access to deep sea fishing or sound fishing is from Teaches Lair in Hatteras village. Down near the coast guard station. Many good charters located there and inshore for the sound.
http://www.hatteraslanding.com/things-to-do/teachs-lair
These guys are all great captains. The store can hook you up with anything that works for the beach. Talk to "Jam" , he can give you some very useful information on the bite, and all that you need to do it up right.
My personal favorite spots on the sound are behind the coast guard station. Good puppy drum and trout.
Go to the very end of the pavement past the ferry docks and station, and drive about 2 miles down the sand trail to Hatteras inlet. Good spot for flounder and puppies, and specs. On an outgoing tide. Your smaller spinning rods and gear will work fine for that with curly grub jigs
Small shrimp and live finger mullet.
For the mullet bring a cast net about 4 or 5 feet. You can catch hundreds of them yourself as they cruise the shoreline.
Matt, give me a pm. I can let you borrow anything you want for the beach. Even the transport rack for your rods and cooler. It fits in a 2 inch reciever hitch.
I just in Lyndonville not too far.
I plan to go down in May. Staying in Buxton so maybe I can give you a heads up on some stuff. Fishing the ocean is fun and very easy with a vehicle equipped for the beach, I hope you can use a 4x4.
Good luck, let me know if you can use anything, I have everything...Mark

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[JakeyBaby]

Awsome info thanks guys! Forgot to mention we are staying in Rodanthe.

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[skipper19]

Awsome info thanks guys! Forgot to mention we are staying in Rodanthe.
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Ahh, ok, well you're closer to Oregon inlet but if you drive down to Hatteras village you won't regret it. It's a cool place and lots of fishing related stuff. Very reasonable charter cost too!

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[Legacy]

The family and I went down around the same time last year and rented a house in Avon. We now plan on going there every other year for our yearly family vacation. No doubt one of the best places I have been. Pack your things and move there. Seriously. OBX= a great place.

 

As for fishing... Small boat charters fishing inshore or intercoastal is $350-600.  My plan was to do an offshore trip but the rest of the family balked at the cost for a charter. $1800-2400 to be exact. If money is no object then I would suggest http://instigatorsportfishingcharters.com/. I traded the crew one vermillion snapper for a tour of the boat and a cocktail. Beautiful boat, great owner, and experienced captain.

Another option is headboat fishing. I would highly recommend this option. My dad has fished with this captain a couple of times prior to us fishing with him last year.  http://hatterasfishingcaptain.com/ $125 per person for a full day. They supply all the equipment and bait. We had a blast. We killed all sorts of fish. 

Surf fishing is pretty easy to do. A large capacity spinning reel and medium action rod is all you need. There is a bunch of bait shops in OBX that can hook you up with bait/ hooks/ etc.I only managed to catch some tiny fish and a few small sharks. Avon pier is a great place to fish too. http://www.obxcams.com/avon_pier.html