# 1200 miles in 5 days



## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

Fair warning: there's some fishing stuff in here but not as much as you might expect.

Thanks to everyone who gave me advice about fishing further south than I'm used to going, from Wilmington up the coast. We left the DC area well before sunrise and got past traffic, arriving at Wilmington just after noon. I had to make my first stop at Wrightsville Beach to see the jetty where I learned to catch puppy drum at the age of 13 when I spent a summer down that way several decades back. It was hot and parking was expensive, so I quickly went out and talked to a few folks, including one woman who had just dropped her daughter off for another year at UNCW and came down to the jetty to fish for flounder. Back over the bridge and had lunch, then back to Wilmington to check into our hotel and head out to Front St. The next morning I woke up at dawn to return to the jetty and throw soft plastics. I stopped at Tex's Tackle and gave them the same line as every other place: "I'm not a local. Tell me where I'm going and what I should throw." Awesome shop with a helpful guy at the counter. No dice on the fish but it felt good to stand on that beach after so many decades.

*Overall impression*: My wife called Wilmington "Richmond on the coast." Dead on. A little hipsterish, mid-size city, lots of great breweries and food, excellent beaches within a half-hour drive. If I'm still alive 20 years from now this looks like a place worth retiring to. Front St. Brewery had great food.
*Back again?* Absolutely. She's sitting here looking at houses and jobs down there as I type this.

Next day was Topsail. Drove around to get a lay of the land, and started checking in at places. First stop was Seaview Pier, where I discovered that someone could piss me off in under 10 seconds. The guy in the pierhouse said nothing was biting. I noted that the wind was in our face at over 20 mph and he said "Wind ain't got nuttin to do wittit, muh man!" and then lectured me about how spanish hate warm water and how the water was 92 degrees the day before. Every attempt at friendly conversation and talking fishing got smacked back. So that was out. Given the wind direction and how muddy things were I looked at the map and thought the top of the island looked like a good way do get out of the wind. While I loved that you could just roll up and pay a parking meter to drive onto the beach, I was surprised you could fit that many Juggalos on one beach. Hit up Surf City Pier and had a fun conversation with an employee who was normal and actually knew something about fishing.

*Overall impression*: I'm sure it's a nice spot and the fishing is good in certain seasons but it was loaded with a younger crowd and was more of a party beach than I expected.
*Back again?* Hard pass.

Next day was Emerald Isle. First stop was Bogue Inlet Pier. Damn. That place put every pier I've ever set foot on to shame. An observation deck at the end to keep the tourons above the pin riggers? Rules about the hours you can fish for tarpon? (Seriously, y'all catch so many tarpon you have *rules*?) Second pier was Oceanananana. Oceanan-sha-nah-nah. Ocean...uh...how the hell do you pronounce it? Decent pier. As a functional alcoholic I appreciated the bar at the end. 

*Overall impression:* Crystal Coast Brewing was nice. Chasin Tails gave me great advice, same as Tex's. Nothing like a local shop and local knowledge. They recommended Spanish Candy lures and Ft. Macon to get out of the wind. Holy crap that's a beautiful rip at that inlet. I was certain the spanish/blues would be biting. I was wrong, but that's an excellent spot.
*Back again?* Yup.

Next day we left early after the bartender at Crystal Coast gave me the skinny on the ferry to Ocracoke the night before. Because I am a fool I expected it to run from Cedar Island like it does between Hatteras and Ocracoke: early and often. Turns out you should have reservations. And it's infrequent. I drove like a lunatic, got stuck behind a van full of Amish people also driving like lunatics, and made the ferry literally 6 minutes before it left. I am dumb. We had plans to have one beer at 1718 Brewing and take the next ferry north and get a motel in Nags Head. But why be sensible when you can get a local hotel on Ocracoke and put off the long-ass drive till the next day? We checked in, walked over to Smacnally's and started pounding shrimp and beers.

Later that night I fished around the Pony Pens (why must every touristy island have escaped livestock as an attraction?) and caught some small stuff. Next morning we took the 8:30 to Hatteras and headed home. While I waited for the ferry I watched a charter next to the parking lot bail one big puppy drum after another. I regretted not fishing there the night before.

*Overall impression:* 1718 is doing some of the best beers at a local brewery I've had in years. And Ocracoke is the Key West of the Banks: remote and hard to reach and full of oddballs.
*Back again?* Too far away. Great place but ferries suck.

It's good to get out on the road and try new places. I love NC from top to bottom. Y'all don't know how good you have it.


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## don brinson (Apr 8, 2011)

Very nice report Flea. Sounds like a great time. Its to bad a employee can really turn what should be a nice fishing experience into" lets get the hell out of here" one. I have fished Sea View Pier and the owner is a great guy. Surf City does seem like a party beach, lots of military and locals. But the Pier has some nice people who will help other fisherman out. The south end is quite a bit less party beach.


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## retired (Oct 20, 2016)

Enjoyed the read........good to hear of such a good time as well........thx!!


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## Bosco (Jan 2, 2017)

Your read was somewhat entertaining, but it is questionable. Some of your comments were borderline insulting,and I have to ask how many sugars do you like in your tea?


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

Bosco said:


> Your read was somewhat entertaining, but it is questionable. Some of your comments were borderline insulting,and I have to ask how many sugars do you like in your tea?


Yeah, I'm a fancy lad. One other thing I forgot to mention: as someone who fishes a lot further north most of the time, it blew my mind to see big live shrimp sold as bait in Chasin Tails and other southern shops. It's like seeing someone selling Kobe beef as brake pads


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## retired (Oct 20, 2016)

Well surprise surprise......I wondered how long a thread that's not all glowing would take to be downed. This from a life long tarheel who has fished for 50 years on our coast.


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## sixtysevensg (Aug 27, 2016)

Man! I was just 20 minutes south of you in Kure! If i'd known, y'all could have come down and we could've drank beer and wasted some bait!


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

Enjoyed your report. Sorry about the one bad experience. I fished Emerald Isle many years the second week in May. The Fort Macon jetty area was my favorite place all those years. Great places to eat between there and Beaufort. Trout and reds just love those big ole shrimp.


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## Guest (Aug 24, 2018)

sand flea said:


> Yeah, I'm a fancy lad.


I think Todd Chrisley is a fancy lad.


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

sixtysevensg said:


> Man! I was just 20 minutes south of you in Kure! If i'd known, y'all could have come down and we could've drank beer and wasted some bait!


I was actually on Kure Saturday morning. It was more of a quick look-see drive just to check it out for future trips. Catch you next time. Looked like a great spot and I'll definitely be back.


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

flathead said:


> Enjoyed your report. Sorry about the one bad experience. I fished Emerald Isle many years the second week in May. The Fort Macon jetty area was my favorite place all those years. Great places to eat between there and Beaufort. Trout and reds just love those big ole shrimp.


Thanks. And a few annoyances aside, I loved the entire trip. NC is such a great place. I'm still loyal to the Outer Banks but man, that entire coast has something going on. It's crazy to go from a subtropical climate/fishery to the mid Atlantic without leaving the state.

Back on the road in a few weeks. I'll be on Chincoteague in a few weeks after they re-open the Hook.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

One day I hope to do some "pier hopping" down south where you were.. I know some on Jolly Rodger but that's about it.. In my experiences with obx,va beach folks on piers are easy to get along with generally speaking...


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## LEADDRAFT (Oct 9, 2001)

> back to Wilmington to check into our hotel and head out to Front St.


Wish I knew you were downhere _SandFlea_.. You coulda stopped by the house, & had a beer or (3)… I reside just a few miles from Front street.. 
Coulda showed you around, or "turned you on" to some of the better "hotspots" around Wilmywood..


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## twbranch (May 28, 2014)

Now that was post worth reading on this site. I haven't seen one in a while. Thanks Sandflea. Keep it up bud.


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