Your Guides

Capt. Richard Andrews

Captain Richard Andrews is the owner of Tar-Pam Guide Service and has been involved in North Carolina’s charter fishing industry since 2001. Born and raised on the Tar River in Tarboro, North Carolina, he began fishing the rivers, estuaries, and gulf stream waters of Eastern North Carolina at an early age.  The day after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill, he moved  to Hatteras Village to fulfill a lifelong dream of working as a mate on an offshore charter boat.  Capt. Richard fished full-time for five seasons with some of the best captains in the business out of Hatteras and Oregon Inlet, commercial bluefin tuna fished in the winter, and traveled by boat to Mexico, the Bahamas, and South Florida to chase various billfish species,  A highlight of his fishing career was a 2nd Place finish in the Pirates Cove Billfish Tournament with a crew of anglers consisting of 4 boys between the ages of 7 and 13.  During these years, he was able to refine his fishing skills, develop an understanding of seasonal fish patterns within North Carolina, and cultivate the patience and experience necessary for a professional charter business.

Capt. Richard also has a masters degree in Natural Resources from N.C. State University where his graduate research focused on stream and wetland ecology.  Soon learning  that a “real job” just isn’t for him, he decided to pursue his passion of guiding inshore fishing enthusiasts to new experiences in the remote fishery of the Inner Banks region of North Carolina.   His goal is to create for you the absolute best fishing experience possible and provide a professional and consistently high level of service for his clients.  He now resides in Bath with his wife, Austin, and two sons, Tripp and Henry.

Capt. Scott Wood

Captain Scott was born in New Bern, NC and has over 44 years of fishing experience.  His knowledge and experience inshore fishing the Pamlico estuary is extensive.  Even though he doesn’t look it, he’s the eldest of our lineup.  Don’t let that fool you.  He’s one of the best speckled trout fisherman I know, and he’s no slouch on everything else.  Capt. Scott began his passion for fishing in the 1970’s in the Swansboro area.  His father taught him how to fish and how to think outside the box by experimenting with different techniques to respond to changing conditions.  He began fishing the Pamlico estuary in the 1980’s and has refined his techniques into an art.  His favorite type of fishing is targeting large speckled trout on topwater, especially at night.   He has caught lots of trophy trout and knows how to locate and catch the big ones.  If you’re looking for big speckles, he is definitely your man. Captain Scott resides in New Bern with his wife, Melinda, and son, Jared.

Capt. Kent Vaughan

Capt. Kent Vaughan has been a resident of Eastern North Carolina’s sound country since 1994 after graduating from UNC-Wilmington with a B.S. in Marine Biology. Kent has a passion for hunting and fishing. His experience working as a marine biologist, offshore tournament fishing from the Carolina’s to New Jersey, and running guided waterfowl hunts in the winter allows him to give you a quality and educational inshore fishing experience. He has a particular interest in and appreciation for “old time” methods of hunting and fishing and is a true all-around sportsman. His specialty is fishing for giant red drum but he might try to talk you into going speckled trout fishing because that’s his favorite. In the winter months, you will find him engaged in “real” duck hunting. He’ll be tucked in behind a decoy spread guiding “scissor rig” open water duck hunts in his 21’ Jones Brother Cape Fisherman. For more info on his duck hunts, visit www.nctailfeathers.com. Kent resides in Washington with his daughter, Claire.

Capt. Joe Hawley

Captain Joe began his fishing career in a farm pond at the age of 3, and since then has been honing his skills on every type of water from inland reservoirs to the Gulf Stream. The real obsession began when he realized there were great fishing and duck hunting opportunities in the same areas of the Pamlico Sound, so he moved to Beaufort County as soon as he graduated from college to be closer to the action. Joe has spent the last ten years focused on fishing the Pungo and Pamlico Rivers, and is always exploring different techniques and areas to stay on the bite. In the winter, Joe spends most of his mornings in a layout boat or scissor rig on the Pamlico Sound, but he can still be found fishing for speckled trout or stripers on a warm afternoon. Capt. Joe lives in Belhaven with his wife, Casey, and two sons, Isaac and Banks.