Outpost

Off Shore

Hatteras

Even if you don't snag a Marlin or Sailfish, you'll still be using the chair, because several other fish put up a pretty good fight, too. And the fishing is only part of the experience. We have seen flying fish, giant sea turtles, porpoises, sharks, manta rays, various large seabirds, octopi and on a few occasions whales.

These boats carry a captain, a mate, and six customers. The $300 per person fee is expensive, but we budget for it ahead of time. It's a great investment, especially figuring the fish you bring back. Obviously, the boat supplies all fishing equipment and bait and gives everyone all the help they want. You do need to bring a cooler with your lunches and drinks. Also remember hat, camera, sunblock, raingear and sunglasses. The hardest part of going offshore fishing is that you'll need to get to the dock at about 5:30 am, and you'll return at about 4:30 pm. It will be a long, exhausting day. But there are couches in the cabin and the hold where you can take a break from the sun and even catch a nap. The boats keep a large ice bin which they use to layer ice over the fish you catch all day. You can store your drinks in that bin, meaning they'll be nice and cold when you want one.

If you only have one or two people, you can sign up for a Makeup Charter. Call or visit the marina as soon as you arrive on the island, and sign up as many people as want to go. They'll find enough other people to fill out a group of six and call you back, or you can call them each evening. We find that once you sign up, it takes about three or four days for the office to put together a makeup charter. Part of the fun will be making new friends from farflung parts of the country; we've fished with people from California, Wyoming and even Quebec.

It's a hard life, waking up at 4:00 a.m. seven days a week, going out in all kinds of weather, and putting in 12 hour days. The handling of huge fish, many of which are still resisting even when brought aboard, requires top physical condition and stamina. Despite all this, the lifestyle can be addicting, and many First Mates wouldn't do anything else.

The rising cost of gasoline presents a serious threat to these charter boats. Their customers already have to pay more for the gas to get to Hatteras. Then the Captains have to raise the prices they charge their customers. They know they can't raise prices too much, or they'll lose their customers. But we watched Tuna Duck Captain Dan Rooks pump in 76 gallons of gasoline for one day's run. Their 80 gallon tank costs almost $300 to fill up. They were already paying for insurance, equipment, bait, maintenance on the boat, docking fees, and other business expenses. Then the salaries of the captain and first mate have to come out of what's left. Everything else keeps going up. It's the salaries which have to keep shrinking to balance the books. Running or working on a charter fishing boat is no way to get rich. The men who already have their boats paid for can weather tough economic times by just taking home less income. But those still trying to pay off the boat will be in serious difficulty and may not survive.

There are different kinds of fish and different strategies for organizing a party of six people fishing for them. In a hot spot of smaller fish, every one will be standing around the rail with a rod in hand (see photo below left), and sometimes many may be landing a fish at the same time. When seeking out bigger fish, everyone may agree to take turns and will draw for position in the rotation. Eight lines will be set. As a fish takes the bait on any line, the next person in the rotation hurries to the chair, and the First Mate lifts the rod from its slot and inserts it into the slot in the chair. With kids or inexperienced customers, either the First Mate or another member of the group will help the person in the chair, sometimes holding them in while they fight the fish, sometimes helping them pull the rod back to gain enouigh slack in the line to let them crank it in on the downsweep (see photo above right).

Reeling in one of the bigger fish (Amberjack, Yellowfin Tuna, etc.) can be exhausting for a kid or anyone not experienced with ocean fishing. After 15 - 30 minutes of fighting the fish, we have lots of kids go in the cabin, sprawl out on a couch and rest up for their next turn. It's also exhausting for mainlanders, who "don't have their sea legs," to balance against the incessant rocking and rolling of the deck. You're on the open ocean, 27 - 30 miles from land. By the time we get back to the harbor at 5 p.m., everyone is ready to grab a quick shower and dinner and collapse into bed.

A little bit of rain won't affect the boats, but high waves or thunderstorms will. You may get up at dawn and drive down to the marina only to learn the storm flags are up and the trip has been postponed until the next day. To protect yourself, we recommend scheduling your trip as soon as you get to Hatteras. Then, if you have to postpone, there will be time to fit it in,. If you try to schedule it as a grand finale to your time on the island, if a one day postponement is needed you may miss the experience altogether.

If you want to get a good photo of someone hauling in a fish, you need a camera with a sport burst option, so the camera will automatically take several photos in a row. You can then pick the best. But you'll still need some luck, since you'll be trying to get a good angle while poles, lines, the fisherman, the mate, and a very big fish will be struggling against each other on a fairly small deck.

Or you could take the Miss Hatteras (252-986-2365) from Oden's Dock. On alternate days, she offers Sound, Inlet and Shoreline fishing for $75 (half day) or $140 (full day) per person. There will be many more people on board, so you'll get much less individual attention, and you will bring back far fewer fish. However, it's a great introduction.

Regardless of how you catch them, when you get back to the harbor, you need to have your fish fileted, wrapped and packed. If you go with the Albatross fleet, they'll do this for you at the dock. Otherwise, you can take your fish to the Hatteras Harbor Processing Station.

We just have them wrapped and place them in an ice cooler, because we intend to fix them for dinner immediately and every night during our stay.

But if you're taking your fish home, you want them vacuum packed so you can place them in dry ice. We have found that a cooler filled with dry ice and duct taped shut can keep fish fresh for a three day trip home. For forty pounds of fish you'll pay the processors about $30.

You need a pair of sticky soled water shoes ("river shoes"), which you can buy before you leave home or at one of the Windsurfing outlets. The boats will be pitching and tossing in the waves, the deck is wet and slippery, the deck is very low, and there is nothing to hold on to. For you to keep your balance, you have to have shoes which grip the deck. Backpacking shoes, sneakers, basketball shoes, shower thongs or leather sandals don't work. You also need a few bottles of water each and you need to drink it often. It's easy to become dehydrated in the bright sun and high wind and by noon you'll find yourself feeling exhausted. A final tip : If you're coming to Hatteras primarily for the beach, come in July or August. But if you're coming primarily for fishing, come in June or even May.