Bryant, Shady, and Danny had never been fishing in their life before today. They didn’t really know what to expect, but I think their expectations were exceeded. We got a nice early start and headed to some old pilings that I knew were holding a few nicer fish. After a very detailed casting lesson, some practice casts with the spinning rods, and some instruction on how to work a topwater plug, we eased closer to the pilings. I made the first cast, as I was trying to show them where I wanted them to throw. I threw my spook into the pilings and on the second twitch of the first cast, I hooked a monster. I tightened down the drag so that we could get the fish away from the pilings and handed the rod to Bryant. He was a bit overwhelmed by the power of the fish and fish got the better of him and went into the pilings only to break us off and dehook himself. When the furious splashing subsided, all that was left from that was a severely frayed leader and my broken off spook floating through the pilings in the slick ca’m water. Next cast: one of the boys missed him on the Chug Bug. Next Cast: Chug Bug hung up on one of the pilings. Next Cast: Chug Bug floating away after being broken off by another fish going into a piling. By the next cast, the boat had drifted up in the pilings (which I knew were there but couldn’t see due to high water) and by the time we got the boat cleared out of there and everything back and retied, I think we had scared every fish within a 1/4 mile radius away. Maybe I should have saved that spot for a little later in the morning………..Lesson learned!
After a bit of stumbling around first thing in the morning and the boys getting used to casting and working the baits, missing a few fish, and seeing a few blowups (which is all to be expected), they looked like regular old pros by about 9 a.m. and were hooking and catching fish and having a great time. Excellent job fellas! This Pamlico River striper fishery presents excellent opportunities for anglers of all ages and skill levels. Beginner angler can learn how to do this quickly. On our charter, I will work diligently to make you a better angler, instill confidence in you or your child, and above all, make you have fun! Give me call to book your next adventure on the Inner Banks!
