need the whole nine yards

[JohnnyStriper]

Folks-

I need some advice. I am considering setting up a trip to the outer banks 12/11-12/22. I know very little about the area other than it's reputation as a great fishery. Can anyone suggest:
- guides
- places to stay
- what types of fish are around that time of year
- where to go
- any on-line info source

Basically I need the whole nine yards. I am a dedicated New England fisherman (mostly surfcasting).....blues, stripers, albies,etc...

Any advice or suggestions would be great.

Thanks,

John

[derf]

ok ; thats a BIG question ......
i'll start with some of them & let others jump in :
1 fish = stripers that time of the year
2 location = nags head , oregon inlet , pea island , avon ,
just depends where they are , usually its a drive the
beach looking for bird action . metal & soaking bait
3 where to stay depends on what you want ; a room ; a condo ; rates are good that time of the year
that gats it started ; i will let some one else chime in ...
derf

[John M]

stripers......bigguns usually. metal, bait, eels and plugs will work. the areas mentioned but dont forget the point either.

site wise cant really post them here as they are commercial site, but do a search on hatteras island tackle shops and you will find sites for frank and frans, red drum tackle and others........

[Plug]

If you're staying that long think about a house. Plenty of room under the house for fish gear, a hose, washer/dryer, lots of space, full kitchen.

You can rent a 3br for a little less than 300 for a week, 1br for 200. Off season houses on the OBX are a great bargain.

Google "Hatteras Real Estate" There's a ton of choices.

[pksurfish]

I second recommendation to rent a house if you have anyone else going with you to share the expense. Weekly rentals are down to in some cases 20% of the summer rental cost for the same house. And there are many awesome houses available. Check out the selection at Midgett Realty and Hatteras Realty on the Internet. For food try Pops Raw Bar for cheap and fun. Try the place at Oden's Dock in Hatteras Village for a great (but expensive) dinner once while you are there. For bait and tackle shops, my favorites are Red Drum in Buxton and Fran and Franks - in Avon as I recall. I am going back in November, and I can't wait for it.

[Steve Coleman]

Early Dec. is beach seine season too, you may want to schedule your trip after it is over imo.

Usually that's hard to get a read on because in the past they kept it open until the quota was reached and couldn't say in advance when that would happen.

[Bill Dickinson]

A house is definitely the way to go. Several good realties. I rent a place that sleeps 10 for $1700 (including all of the taxes and fees)for 3 weeks. Some realties will split weks and some won't. Shop around. Plenty of good values available.
Fish wise that time of the year you could find them from Carolla to Buxton. As far as methods, a striper is a striper whether its in New England, New York, New Jersey, or North Carolina.
You will see a lot more bait fishing in NC but you can catch them the way you catch them anywhere else when the conditions present themselves. Be aware that the bait fishing there requires big weight (8 oz) and tackle that will deliver it a good distance.
I addition to the shops metioned above, check out TW's in Nags Head and Kitty Hawk if you're up that way.
Good Luck.
Crazy Bill

[JohnnyStriper]

thanks guys!

JB