While visiting my sister in North Carolina, I had inquired about the dedicated groups of local fishermen. It seems that along this stretch of rolling Atlantic whitecaps, there is a booming affinity for recreational fishing. The cooler October climate does little to deter the everyday casting from either Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier or the sandy beaches themselves. On Emerald Isle, a length of beach that runs along the Intercoastal Waterway, Bogue’s is known as the local’s favorite fishing dock. Within minutes of arriving, a school of Bluefish passes underneath signaled by diving flocks of seagulls overhead. Fishermen immediately drop down hooks and sinkers into the rippling water, pull up and release their catch onto the knotty, sun-bleached slats of wood. Their lines are a blur, flying back over the rail and into the water as to not miss the next opportunity. This fortuitous blitz yielded an average of four Blues each. Add to that the range of fish caught earlier in the day, now being held in their scuffed, foot-high plastic buckets. Leading the list is the Pompano, a silvery, scale-less fish with a sunburst of yellow on its tail. Next is the Spot fish, a bony yet meaty variety, aptly named for the small brown spot on its neck. Tossed back into the water for being unappetizing is the Skate, looking similar to a small stingray with its kite-shaped body and sinewy tail. There were also additional varieties that such a fishing novice like myself was unable to identify. $8.50 will allow you to cast off for the day, unless you opt for the season pass: $200 for bottom fishing and $250 for a king pass.

Back on the beaches, you can follow the deep tire-treads to find the four-wheel drives that line the shores. Fishing poles are sunk deep into the sand with lines cascading into the surf while their owners sit back in beach chairs and converse about other daily events. Once again, each fisherman had a bucket containing a few Pompano. Not so many Bluefish in this group, but the Pompano seemed to be the fish of choice as told to me by a ‘sort-of’ local. This North Carolina transplant, originally from New Jersey, said that he catches them with gold-toned hooks and uses shrimp as bait. Then he puts about six of these fish in a pan every morning for breakfast. Without scales, they are supposedly easy to clean and cook.

Walking a bit further down the beach, and being temporarily distracted by a man kite-surfing in the choppy autumn waves, was yet another of these die-hard fisherman. He was having luck with Bluefish, indicated by a nice sized catch that lay on the sand behind him – "a keeper". His lesson was about using a smaller bait-fish, a finger minnow, instead of shrimp. He said, “If you wanna catch a fish, use a smaller fish”. I promised him that if I ever decided to move to these shores, and pick up a rod and reel, that's exactly what I would do.

For more Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier details: http://www.bogueinletpier.com/