I am proud to announce that two new Captains have joined our lineup.  Capt. Hurley Raynor will be my right hand man going forward.  He is the person I’ve been looking for for many years.  He wants to fish everyday and doesn’t have any personal constraints holding him back.  He’ll be a joy to spend the day on the boat with,  and he is jacked up about providing the best possible experience he can for our guests.  Capt. Mike Tayloe “Tayloe” will also be joining us.  He has a “particular set of skills” and will enable us to expand more into fly fishing with in-depth on and off the water instruction as well as catching fish on the fly, especially redfish.

Here are their pictures and bios:

Capt. Hurley was born and raised in Raleigh, NC but took his first steps at a family cottage at Hawkins Beach in Bath, NC. Outside of school and sports he was fortunate enough to spend most weekends and all summers on the pamlico river and starting at 10 years old he already had enough experience on boats that his only limitation was how much fuel was in the tank of the old Boston Whaler! Times have changed on kids having that kind of freedom but the lessons learned on the water at early ages proved to be priceless in the coming years. He cut his teeth learning to fish our home waters and was lucky enough to have a neighbor, Dr Lynn Wiggs who took Hurley under his wing like his own son and introduced him to everything from farm ponds to offshore fishing and everything in between, especially fly fishing. “Uncle Lynn” was a patient teacher and taught the devotion, respect, and hard work needed to be successful on the water.. Hurley attended Auburn University and finished at N.C. State University with a Business Degree.  He admittingly preferred the outdoors to the classroom and would stack his classes on certain days so he could have more days on the water or woods!  Hurley has a lifetime of knowledge in our fisheries, and his experience in other fisheries in his travels gives hims a broader perspective on light tackle and fly techniques and makes him a more well-rounded guide.  He likes all of our fishing, but gets especially excited about our giant Redfish in August and September. After spring striper season in over on the Roanoke, Capt. Hurley will be guiding backcountry flats charters in the lower keys/Key West area, targeting the annual tarpon migration before returning to the Inner Banks for giant Red Drum season.  Hurley resides in Bath with his chocolate lab, Sam. 

Capt. Tayloe was born in Elkin, NC and has been called by his last name since birth.  If you call him Mike, he likely won’t respond. Tayloe has a wealth of experience in the outdoor arena.  He attended at least 6 colleges and amazingly never earned a degree.  He later attended St. Anthony’s EMS Institute’s Critical Care Paramedic Program in Colorado and spent nearly all of his adult life afterwards living out west, mostly in Montana and Colorado. While living out west, he worked as a Wilderness Paramedic, Ski Patrol, Mountain Rescue, Heli Rescue Tech, and started two of his own businesses, Finns West, which offers courses for fly fishing lodges and outfitters, and Katabatic Consulting, which offers medical support, consulting services, wilderness medicine education and field support for projects and individuals operating and traveling in remote locations.  He has traveled to many exotic destinations across the globe including Antarctica and Everest Base Camp.  His connection to the fly fishing industry led him to work as a guide for various outfitters in Colorado and as a Heli Fly Fishing Guide in Patagonia for Lakutaia Heli Fishing.  His fly fishing experience is extensive and ranges from nearly every major western river to the tropical flats of the Bahamas and Florida.  He has also fly fished in Africa, New Zealand, Belize, Honduras, Guyana, Costa Rica, and many other destinations.  Tayloe moved from living at 10,000’ in elevation on the shoulder of Pike’s Peak in Colorado to sea level here on the Inner Banks.  The untapped saltwater fly fishing opportunities and rural laid back quiet lifestyle drew him to the Pamlico.  He is our fly fishing specialist and not only enjoys putting our fly fishing guests on fish, but also teaching them how to become a more complete fly angler with improved casting and fishing ability.  He’s a great teacher and our guests enjoy hearing his stories and experiences as much as his instruction. He now resides on Bond Creek near Aurora, NC with his wife, Kristin, and trusty chocolate lab, Finn.