How Surf Fishing on the Outer Banks Got Me Hooked

By Denine Phillips on Feb. 28, 2023

Follow a one-of-a-kind Outer Banks of NC surf-fishing story and find out what equipment can help turn a beach day into something memorable.

When my husband John and I moved into retirement on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I did not expect surf fishing to become one of my passions. Casting into rough surf or quiet water brought a kind of suspense that was hard to resist. For years I watched John pack up his gear and head for the sand, and I sometimes went with him. Eventually, I got out of my beach chair and picked up a rod. Many missed casts, dropped poles, and hook-related mishaps later, I can now call myself a reasonably capable surfcaster.

Some anglers may be disappointed to hear that no fish has made it into our cooler. That has been intentional. We have caught keeper puppy drum, seatrout, mullet, and bluefish, but John prefers catch-and-release over bringing home dinner. He treats speckled trout with care, carrying them to the water and letting them go gently. Their shimmering skin is beautiful, though my instincts lean a bit more hunter-gatherer. Locals have told me that fried mullet, also known as whiting, is good eating, so whenever I land a decent-sized mullet, I still hope we might keep it. In our household, however, fish usually get another chance to swim.

The source article includes brief remembered comments from John and Denine Phillips, reflecting John’s preference for catch-and-release, Denine’s occasional hope of keeping a mullet, her eagerness to join a tournament team, and the familiar humor anglers use when fishing produces no catch.

Puffers caught by the author in Southern Shores, NC, Oct. 2022.

Why Surf Fishing Appeals

A big part of surf fishing is the surprise, and that is where the fun lives. Hours can pass with no catch at all while dolphins ride waves, sanderlings pick at tiny shoreline creatures, or huge flocks of seagulls trail shrimp trawlers. Then the rod bends, and everything changes. While reeling, you work to keep the line tight and let the waves help bring the fish ashore. You are eager to discover what is coming up from the ocean floor, and the suspense is genuine. In that instant, it feels entirely possible that a trophy fish is on the line. Just as often, all that comes back are two bare hooks.

Double catch for John: spotted seatrout, also called speckled trout, and black drum. Southern Shores, NC, Nov. 2022.

The First Fishing Memories

Surf fishing entered my life fairly recently, but fishing itself goes back to childhood days at backyard ponds and the occasional lake. Watching large carp marked with yellow and orange patterns take balls of bread was captivating. I am fairly sure the same fish was caught more than once. During trips to the Pocono Mountains, we would go out by canoe and jig for pickerel. If that experience does not make someone love fishing, very little will.

Because fishing was part of my early life, it felt natural that our daughter would fish someday too. During family golf gatherings, also known as hack fests, we would rise before sunrise to fish. Those ponds held beautiful large-mouth bass. Grandpop and the grandkids were part of the whole scene. Managing children in the dark was never simple, but the stories retold at dinner were worth it, especially the lively Dan Aykroyd and Bass-O-Matic reenactments, minus the blender and bass.

Heading Out

By fall 2022, OBX surf fishing was fully underway, which meant rigs and hooks were always in demand. The next stop was Walmart. Near the fishing aisle, I spotted a woman holding a ring of bottom rigs, exactly what I needed. After only a few minutes talking with this friendly woman, Sam, I had been invited to join a women’s surf fishing team competing in the largest fishing tournament in the world, on Hatteras Island. I was excited to tell John.

The Annual Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament, hosted by the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club, had been held for the past 64 years and was only one week away. After speaking with the team captain, Shirley, I learned that the team event is listed in the Guinness World Book of Records and has a 20-year waiting list for new teams. I agreed immediately.

Several days of preparation came next, including repeated visits to the tackle shop because I did not want to overlook anything. By the end, it felt as though a U-Haul would be needed for all the gear. Fortunately, Sam had a Ford F-250 Crew Cab pick-up truck. On November 2, we left for Frisco, NC, a small Hatteras Island village that had once supplied lumber for the boat-building trade.

Tournament Fishing Gets Serious

That night, at our oceanside rental house, Shirley went over the assigned-station paperwork. The two-day tournament includes two sessions each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Every station is located off a different beach access ramp. With one and a half hours between sessions, there is enough time to eat lunch and find the next ramp.

Before anything could begin, I reviewed the rules for tournament surf fishing. Scoring involves many details; 50+ roaming judges measure and record fish that meet the required size and species standards. Most important, no one, including another teammate, may help land a fish. The angler has to fight the fish to the beach without assistance. I hoped I would be lucky enough to face that problem.

Fishing Results by the Numbers

In a tournament or just for enjoyment, the real challenge is getting fish on the line. Across two days, our four-member women’s team landed only four scorable fish: three sea mullets and one gray trout, earning eight points. Tournament-wide, with 111 men’s teams and 17 women’s teams, 1,155 fish were caught by more than 700 anglers.

The first tournament day was intense, beginning with wind-driven rain unlike anything I had seen. We were soaked completely while an enormous thundercloud moved toward us. At first, no one worried much, until lightning struck far too close. One determined angler later came back out of her truck to finish the session. The afternoon could not have been more different, with sunshine and warm, pleasant conditions. Each of us caught one scorable fish.

The 64th Annual Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament in Hatteras, NC, drew 720 anglers. Nov. 3-4, 2022.

The second day brought far less action, without even a nibble. Even with almost no fish, Mother Nature provided plenty to watch: a rainbow on the horizon, seabirds diving after fish, and low-tide sandbars giving adventurous anglers a route toward deeper water. The beauty of Hatteras was clear during those long hours of waiting and hoping. Even hundreds of four-wheel vehicles lined up along the beach made an impressive sight.

What we did not see was fish being reeled in. By 4:30 p.m. on that beautiful Friday afternoon, we had officially been skunked. Other stations clearly had better luck. With fishing locations spread throughout Cape Hatteras National Seashore, there were certainly pockets, holes, and troughs where fish had gathered. The First Place Men’s Division caught 56 fish for 160 points. The First Place Women’s Division caught 13 fish for 38 points. Tournament standings are available at www.capehatterasanglers.club. Questions about the team waiting list can be sent to capehatterasanglersclub@gmail.com.

Top 10 Lessons Learned

Although we did not place in this tournament, I feel hopeful about making a stronger showing at our next event on Ocracoke Island, in May. I plan to use the practical knowledge my skilled, generous teammates shared:

Keep your fishing license easy to access.
Choose high-quality braided line.
Replace bait every 10 minutes.
Bring a five-gallon bucket marked with your name.
Use circle hooks so fish do not swallow them.
Carry hooks in multiple sizes.
Attach and remove rigs more easily with snap swivels.
Pack a Sputnik sinker when the current is strong.
Use a sand spike that includes a pole holder, bait box, and cutting board.
Bring heavy rain gear, because a wind-whipped poncho is not enough.

The Stormy Gales pictured (L-R): Denine Phillips, Sam Jones, Linda Moore, Shirley Lutz (team founder). Nov. 4, 2022.

After two days with experienced saltwater anglers, I now feel able to manage on my own. I learned real, usable skills, from rigging a pole for the first time to cutting fresh bait fish. John no longer has to bait my hook, even when bloodworms are involved, and they do bite. He also is no longer asked to take fish off my hook. I imagine he is quite glad I went to Hatteras.

Author

Denine Phillips is a retired technical writer with numerous published works. Ms. Phillips is also the author of two books: Don’t Give Up on That Dog, a popular photo journal about lessons learned while raising a German Shepherd Dog, and Through the Magic Shed, A Grand Adventure Lies Ahead, an educational read-aloud book that takes children to 10 of America’s most iconic landmarks. She can be reached at denine.phillips@charter.net.

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