I have to admit I have never been on a fishing trip like this before. I was guaranteed to catch a wide variety of things.  It almost sounded too good to be true. I had been in contact with the Outer Bank’s Visitors Bureau about arranging a fishing trip in the Manteo area of North Carolina. Their representative, Aaron Tuell, assured me that he had a unique adventure guaranteeing a large catch.

“What are we going to use, a net?” I asked.

“Precisely,” he answered.

He went to on to say Captain Josh Daniels had a fishing charter business in the sound.  He not only offered rod and reel fishing, but also included fishing with trawl nets and pots.  

At first, I was a bit unsure about the offer, but curiosity got the better of me. I agreed to try it. The next Sunday, we met Captain Josh Daniels at Wanchese on the Oregon Inlet.

This area was once the home waters of Captain Black Beard, the pirate.

Five Akron area residents, Jim Yates, Chuck DeLong, Tim Reece, Ted Folk, Rick Mauss and myself got aboard the 31 foot boat.  It was bright and clean.  It looked like a commercial fishing boat, with its ample space in the stern. 

Captain Daniels said he was a third generation commercial fisherman and wanted to share his experience with his customers.

“People are amazed at what we bring up from the sound’s bottom,” said Josh.  “Almost anything can be in the net.  It can contain shrimp, oysters, flounder, star fish, squid, sea horses, jelly fish and other surprising things.”

We couldn’t wait to get started.  The boat’s motor hummed as we cruised into the sound. Even with a fairly stiff wind, the water was fairly calm. The sound is like an inland sea. The islands and surrounding land inhibits large waves.

Our first stop was at an eel trap.  Inside were two writhing large eels.  When I tried to grab one with my bare hands, they just slithered through my grasp.  Only a pair of gloves let me hold them.

Other pots yielded blue crabs. Next, the trawl net was released and dragged across the sound’s floor. There was a great deal of anticipation when the boat slowed, and they pulled in the net. Its contents were dumped into the cull box.  It was alive with crabs, small fish, clams, shrimp and other unnamed things.  Before we could go through the pile of living creatures, a large sting ray had to be removed by Captain Daniels.

Josh told us as the waters warm more fish and  creatures migrate into the sound.   Captain Daniels should have been a biology teacher.  He would lift a specimen from the box. Next, he would tell us what it was, along with a host of fascinating facts about the subject in hand.  My grandsons would have been enthralled. 

One word of caution, don’t wear your Sunday finest, especially if you are a hands-on person. Those of us who dove into our work wore some of the residue on our clothing.  Even though our wives didn’t agree, it was worth it.  Like battle scars. 

Our last net trawl only lasted about 10 or 15 minutes. It produced enough oysters to almost fill our five gallon bucket.  Jim and Chuck ate the freshest oysters possible because Captain Daniels shucked open several. They immediately ate them right off the half shell.

If you are a fisherman or a person who likes to learn about the creatures beneath you, seriously consider booking a trip with Captain Daniels on the Premium Life.  It was an enjoyable, eco-experience that I won’t soon forget. 

For additional information, look on Josh’s web site: www.fishpremiumlife.com or call 1-877-240-crab. For other information about the Outer Bank’s area, check out their web site at www.outerbanks.org.