FISHING/CRABBING/SHRIMPING AT OCEAN ISLE
We have one fisherman in our family and he is twelve years old. While we are not expert, we have learned a few things about fishing around Ocean Isle.
shrimp, whitie, and a few others. Mostly, we have caught things using a cast net. You can get a cast net at Wal-Mart in Shallotte for about $20. The cast net gets a lot of use during our visits. We also take it to the streams around the island and in the surf. We have had our best luck catching shrimp around dusk and during tide changes. We have done some night fishing off the pier. In June and July, it is fairly easy to catch young sharks. Most of our catch is for fun, and we return it to the water. You can eat the crabs if they are large enough. Crabs are fairly easy to catch with a crab cage and some chicken, right from the dock at the house. If you don' t check the cage often enough, the crabs will eventually get out of the cage and your bait will be gone. We like to use the shrimp we catch as bait for night fishing. If you are interested in deep sea fishing, there are charters in nearby Calabash and Little River.
We have noticed many fishing addicts wandering around the island. We have seen some of the big ones reeled in. But bait, skill, and time of year (and some luck) are very important to this. If you stick to the small stuff, you can have some fun for all ages.
The place we were crabbing while photos were taken is located on East End of Island on the waterway and is easily accessible by car or bicycle. As you can see, our fishing/crabbing spot was not crowded. Across the waterway is a campground.
