Learning to Fish

July, 08
Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

After a few days on Ocracoke, we drove to Frisco, a short drive north up the coast to a new campground. We heard that these campgrounds fill up quickly, but there seemed to be loads of space available. When you arrive to a state park campground, they let you drive around and pick your top two choices, which gives you the chance to get really great sites in some cases. We chose a site that with an expansive view of rolling sand dunes covered with sea oats ending with the endless Atlantic ocean. The only downside was that there were no hookups, and no dump station nearby, which meant we had to be very conservative with water and electricity. Our week was mostly spent basking in the sun, reading, and of course, fishing. I went out nearly every morning to the shore with fresh shrimp and a fishing rod and fished for hours. Aside from a few croaker fish that were too small to eat, my fishing attempts were largely unsuccessful. But, I did get a nice tan on the left side of my body. Nevermind, it was fun, and I have a new appreciation for the art of fishing! Fortunately, there was a great local seafood shop a few miles away in Hatteras Village, where we bought fresh flounder nearly every night.

While we were there, Hurricane Cristobal threatened with floods and 60mph winds, but aside from some heavy grey clouds and pelting rain, what we saw of the storm was pretty mild, considering.

Although the beach here is incredible, it is a shame that trucks are allowed on the beaches. During busy afternoons, it's actually difficult to see the shore through all of the cars. There seems to be an intense debate on the Outer Banks on this: most locals insist that if the right to drive on the beach were removed, local businesses would suffer. On the other hand, environmental groups are pushing to ban vehicles entirely. I can see both sides of the argument, but from a tourists perspective, it really pollutes the beach experience. And, personally, I think that if you can't carry all of your things from the parking lot to the beach, you are simply bringing way too much stuff!

After a week there, we moved north to Oregon Inlet campground, just south of Kitty Hawk. The site wasn't as nice as Frisco, but the area is a mecca for shore and pier fishers, so we wanted to give fishing another shot. At this point, I have received quite a bit of "local" fishing advice: the most recent insisted that squid was the bait of choice. Armed with squid, a bucket, and a fishing kit, shaune and I went down to the Inlet bridge and fished off the rocks most afternoons. Finally, I caught a flounder that was just large enough to bring home. As a treat, we rented a double kayak and explored the Sound side of the strip. We paddled through marshy paths, some just deep enough to make it through. The sound is full of life: schools of shrimp leaping out of the water, herons, turtles, you name it.