The point at Cape Lookout, NC can be as docile as it is violent. As it recedes twice a day, it exposes the sandy underbelly of that which holds the fish we hunt. The sandbar just below the froth that floats above it is like a refuge for unsuspecting prey. As the tide rises, so does the opportunity for drum and others of their ilk to rise with it.

Like hungry beach goers standing in line at the local seafood shack at supper time, I imagine the predators that lurk in the deep follow their instinct to keep their bellies full. It’s at these times, when the opposing tides from the north and south side of the point, which flow and blend over one another, resemble a civil war battlefield of strength and power. It’s also a time to retreat from the surf lest your salty beach wagon be consumed by that which we love…the ocean.

I’ve had good luck here, but luck is all I’ve ever had. Some days, although my fishing calendar doesn’t always align with the quarry I pursue, sitting in my beach chair at the point feels as if I’m a boatswain minding my bow with nothing but ocean all around.

Some friendships here are made between tides, when times are slow and stories are traded like baseball cards on the playground of our youth. Surf fishing alone never really feels lonely here, or really anywhere as long as sand sticks to our tires and salt to our skin.

It’s a site to behold and one which is cherished by anyone who’s been there. Whether camping, fishing, shelling or just wading in the frequent tidal pools, it‘s a destination of which takes effort to reach but its effort worth giving.

Tight lines y’all!