06/15/2026
Outer Banks Recap š£š
Iām gonna start off by saying if you havenāt been to OBX, I would highly recommend it. Iāll gladly make the extra 2ā3 hour drive to go there over Ocean City any day. If you get a group together and rent a big house like we do, it only comes out to around $1,400 for the week per family. Pool, beachfront, game room, theater, sauna, hot tubā¦ hard to beat.
Going into the week I thought I had a plan and was gonna rip lipsā¦ boy did I get humbled quick.
After reading reports before heading down, I started getting worried. Everyone was talking about how tough the fishing had beenāand they werenāt wrong.
We put in the work though. Traveled around, changed locations, tried different baits, fished different tides and times. Thatās why they call it fishing.
Sound side started off decent. We landed some rays and some nice croaker. Usually that place is loaded with trout and bluefish, but this year it felt empty. Even talking with locals and seeing kayaks out, everyone seemed to be grinding for bites.
Surf side was just as tough.
First attempt got wrecked by salp. Then we tried shark fishing and couldnāt even get crabs to touch our bait. That tells you something.
On the final evening, I gave it one more shotāand finally connected. Landed 3 flounder. Two came on a high-low rig and one smoked a paddle tail. There was bait in the wash, crabs working the cut bait, birds feedingā¦ finally signs of life.
What worked:
š£ Cut bait ā Rays loved it
š¦ Shrimp ā Pinfish and croaker destroyed it
š¦ Sand fleas + shrimp ā Produced 2 flounder
š Paddle tail ā Produced my best flounder
If I was heading back this week, Iād avoid the area from where theyāre pumping sand down to Jennetteās Pier. To me it felt like a dead zone from the dredging and beach nourishment.
Jennetteās Pier seemed to be one of the more productive areas with blues and Spanish showing up.
If I had more time, Iād spend more of it heading south toward Hatteras. As the week went on, reports seemed better down there with sharks and whiting.
One bright spot was the sound side. Rays are underrated fun and those big croaker made great bait.
Skipped Bonner Bridge Pier this trip. Locals and shops were saying sand buildup has changed things and the sheepshead bite hasnāt been what it normally is.
Kill Devil Hills gave the most encouraging signsābait everywhere, dolphins working, birds divingāand thatās where I ended up finding those flounder.
Seems like a combination of things made for an off bite this year: water temps, fluctuating weather, winter freeze, beach nourishment, salinity changes, and large bluefish in the sound.
But we adapted, changed plans, caught fish, and still made memories.
Already counting down until next year. š£šš„
