Trip to Hatteras...

[big country]

Fellas,

I am planning a trip to Hatteras in May of next year ('05). I have a ton of questions.

here they go...

1) where is a great family place to stay. I want a cottage, on the Ocean front, big enough to hold 2-3 families. (6-8 bedrooms)... Ive seen a bunch of rentals on line, but Im not sure of location which is the best location (Avon, Buxton, Hatteras??)

2) what is there to do down there besides fishing? is there shops, restaurants, golf? things to do besides hitting the beach?

3) Surf fishing wise, what should I expect at that time of year? Im assuming the Bass will have moved thru. Am I looking at bluefish, Specks, Red fish maybe? Drum? what about 4x4 permits, can I get them for the week?

4) How is the weather in late May? I would think it would be in the 70's-to lo 80's? Is that correct? can we swim in the Ocean?

Thanks in advance fellas.. as we get close, Ill ask for tackle shops, etc...

BC

[Steve in Mass]

BC.....I stay in Avon....it is pretty central to the other places, and is a good family town with lots of rentals in varying price ranges and sizes, has a bunch of places to eat, is close to the grocery store. etc.

Golf - only one course on Hatteras Island down in Frisco.....other than that, you have to go back up to Kitty Hawk or over to Currituck.

Shopping - lot's of small stores to keep em interested. NO MALLS though....

There is also a movie theater in Avon, if you MUST.....

Plenty of restuarants of varying choices of fare from cheap to mid-range to pricey, but you won't find a McD's or Wendy's or KFC or Papa Gino's.....the only "chain" I know of on the Island is Subway in Avon......

Ocean swimming.....depends on when in May, and what you consider cold....late May you will see mid to high 70's water temps in Avon. Earlier May might be a bit cooler, depending on the weather pattern. The water temps are usually a bit warmer south of Cape Point (Buxton, Frisco, Hatteras) in early May than up in Avon and Rodanthe. Air temps should be in the 70's and 80's, again, depending on the weather pattern.

Fishing - might be a bit early for Spanish (though there may be some around), a bit late for drum (maybe a few) and bass, but you will be in prime cobia season. You'll also find croakers, sea mullet (kingfish), summer flounder, blues, specks and grey trout, along with maybe some blowfish. Could be some puppy drum.

Tackle Shops - Frank and Fran's in Avon is my home away from home....Frank is a super guy, and his staff is also great.....

Plenty of places to rent yaks, sailboards, kite boards, etc. if you or the others are into that.

As for rentals, ya got Outer Beaches Realty, Hatteras Realty, Sun Realty, Colony Realty, Surf or Sound Realty, and one or two others.

I've done Colony (years ago), Hatteras, and Outer Beaches, but mostly Outer Beaches. They all have websites with online catalogs. Sun and Outer Beaches are the two largest with the most choices. Sun generally offers the more pricey renatls. Outer Beaches ranges from cheap to some of the most expensive on the Island.

[Steve in Mass]

PS.....on the rental agencies, they all have various fees aside from the rental cost (Reservation fee, pet fee, cleaning deposit or cleaning fee, early check-in fee, Vacation Isurance Fee, etc.), and the charges vary from one agency to another (with Outer Beaches be one of the more expensive on those), so that is something to take into consideration when deciding who to go with.

And the Vaca insurance....I would pass on that for that time of year, as the chance of evacuation due to a storm is slim. And I've heard some horror stories that is really just a rip off with many, many strings attached to actually collect.

Oh, and one other thing.....the bars and restaurants on Hatteras Island can only serve beer and wine (and wine based mixed drinks). No hard liquor. Some places have a BYOB policy and will serve you set-ups for mixed drinks. There is a ABC store to buy hard liquour in Buxton, but they have strange hours. And you can't buy beer or wine on Sundays until noon. Just in case that's an issue......

[big country]

Steve,

awesome info, thank you. I know nothing about that area accept for the fact that everyone who goes there loves it. Ive seen a few of the websites and Im surprised how cheap it is in the "off" season. I want to go in May and that is considered off-season until may 28th.

Do you recommend Oceanfront? All the ocean front Ive seen have an ocean view and what looks to be a big walk to the actaul beach.

Im thinking maybe I can get a better place if I go oceanside (or not ocean front) being that I have a long walk anyway. Im going with another couple or two and there will be two young babies 8 months and 10 months so you can imagine how much crap im gonna have to lug to the beach everytime. Oh, and what about 4x4 driving on the beach? Is that a possibility? it would be great if it was.

The cobia interest me. you can get them from the beach?

What about Redfish and specks, can you get them on the other side???

Thanks again...

BC

[John M]

STeve answered most of your questions.

No permits needed south of nags head.

Fish wise depends on which end of may your there......early mid may drum will still be aorund. late may cobia show up and a few straggler drum are around.

oh if you want to stay in nags head, village realty has houses right ont he golf course there. Pretty nice, my inlaws stay there allot.

[big country]

John,

so I can drive right out on the beach in front of my cottage?

bc

[billy g]

ditto what Steve and John says, best bet for ocean front is Avon, it is about in the center of the OBX,most ocean front house are only about 100yds from the ocean,at the most ,around Avon. Don't believe much is happening in the sound in may unless you are in a boat. Most of the fishing action will be at the Point at Buxton or at Hatteras Inlet for Cobia, the south beaches and them at Ramp55 will have Sea Mullet [kingfish], blow fish and maybe a few bluefish.

[big country]

Thanka fellas... when the time comes, if I can meet up with one of you "regulars" down there for a little "guided excursion", Id be more than happy to pay back the favor up here in my neck of the woods if youre ever up here (Montauk,Shinnecock, etc...)..

Im excited for this trip..

BC

[vasurfisher]

**edited - no commercial links please TimS
And yes you can drive in front of most cottages from labor day to memorial day no permit required.

[ 10-29-2004, 01:29 AM: Message edited by: TimS ]

[Steve in Mass]

BC - in the Northern end of Avon, the Oceanfront properties are really not that much closer to the beach than some of the "Oceanview" or "Oceanside" properties. Up that way there are generally two lines of dunes. The oceanfront properties sit along the western edge of the western dunes, then there is a gully, and then another dune, and then the beach. Properties that are "one or two lots back" are literally only 40-50 feet farther away than the ocean fronts. Of course, the further back you get, the farther the walk. I think they got back 8 to 10 lots before you are on Highway 12. This past year, we stayed at a cottage that was one lot back, and it was exactly 225 steps to the beach (I counted many times..... )....that included walking a few yards down the road to the access ramp, over the ramp, and over the dunes.

In the south part of Avon (Kinnekett Shores) there are the oceanfront properties that sit behind the dunes, rather long driveways from the street to the cottages, and then another row or two of houses across the street, so the walk from the oceanside houses is a bit further (not much) than in northern Avon.

Most of the catalogs have pretty good maps showing you the location of the houses on the particular block you are staying on.

I am not sure about driving on the beach in Avon proper in the off season. I know that when we go down in June, you can't drive there, but as VaSurfisher said, perhaps before Memorial Day it is allowed. You can drive on the beach year round just to the north (for about 16 miles all the way up to Waves) and just to the south (for about 6 miles, all the way down to Buxton) of Avon, where there are no houses. There are access ramps off of Highway 12 just to the north and just to the south of Avon proper.

There are also access ramps in Buxton, at Cape Point (near the lighthouse), in Frisco near the airport, and at the southern tip of Hatteras Village.

[steve andrews]

Hi Big County,
Avon is overdeveloped for me, I prefer Buxton, not only because I have a place there, but it is more centrally located to the southern end of the Island, where Cape Point is and less populated.
Cape Point and Hatteras inlet are going to be your best fishing along with North and South beaches. No permits to drive on the beaches.
There two very good tackle shops in Buxton, The Red Drum and Dillon?s Corner and in Frisco, Frisco Rod & Gun.
If you are into doing your own seafood, Risky Business in Buxton has great prices and seafood.
Since you are going to be down for awhile, take a day and catch the ferry to Ocracoke Island, nice beaches, good fishing, nice shops and restaurants. Bob and Nancy at
Tradewinds Tackle on the island can but on fish.
You catch the ferry in Hatteras village about 15 min. south of Buxton, there is a small but very nice shopping mall where you catch the ferry.
There are a lot of large houses for rent on the south side of Frisco near the pier, check with Midgett realty in Hatteras.
**edited - no commercial links please TimS

Happy fishing

[ 10-29-2004, 01:30 AM: Message edited by: TimS ]

[John M]

Originally posted by big country:
Thanka fellas... when the time comes, if I can meet up with one of you "regulars" down there for a little "guided excursion", Id be more than happy to pay back the favor up here in my neck of the woods if youre ever up here (Montauk,Shinnecock, etc...)..

Im excited for this trip..

BC

come on down with me scout it out one long weekend. Im always looking for someon to share the ride with. December has been very good on big bass.

[HatterasJack]

Lots of good info here . . .

I personally use either Outer Beaches or Midgett Realty to arrange my rentals. Have been going down on and off for 40+ years. Hope to move there in the not too distant future.

I agree that vacation insurance is not needed when you go, but I can attest first hand that it is a wise move. $75 fee and when we used it, it was comprehensive and liberal. We had a great time on that insurance money (all things considered).

[Jay Dimig]

You might consider these places:
**edited - no commercial links please Thanks - TimS

[ 10-29-2004, 01:27 AM: Message edited by: TimS ]

[Large John]

Big Country,

As stated from the guys above no fee to drive on the beaches but they are controlled by the Park Service and are subject to closure for narrowing, bird, turrles and seasonal closures near the towns. Early May will still have big drum as well as puppies. Sea Mullet, blues flounder, some trout ans maybe Cobia. Cobia will show by late May water temp depending. The warmer water will be south of the Point. There is usually a 5-10 degree difference from the Point to the North side of Buxton( maybe a 2 mile area)Lots of good access south of the Point thru Hatteras. Okey Island is also a really nice day trip by ferry. Some of the north beaches by Avon can be narrow and tend to be very soft....lower your air pressure. The listed bait shops are excellant, Frank and Frans probably has the best bait and prices.

Cobia can be had from the beach either by chunking bunker or throwing jigs to fish. They are visible from the beach. If they show be prepared for a crowd esp. if fishing the Point. Great place to fish but tends to get tight if Drum or Cobes are around. Plenty of other less crowed spots if you prefer that.

Cant really give you a realty to deal with as I stay in a motel type place that only sleeps two.
Not realy a vacation for me when I go, more of a 4 to 6 day fishing marathon.