It’s a big day for Kitty Hawk Kites blogger Brian Tress as he sets off on his first kayak fishing trip. – Credit: Nicole Hossler
It was a long-awaited moment — a chance to try out a Hobie kayak, often called the Cadillac of kayaks, on the Roanoke Sound. Even better, I was going fishing — red drum, speckled trout, bluefish, and other delectable catches were destined for my dinner plate.
As our guide Alex readied the kayaks, he briefed us on the day’s prospects. “It’s a really shallow-water day today, so we have a chance to catch a bunch of red drum,” he said, noting that any between 18 and 27 inches were fair game to take home.
He wasn’t exaggerating. The 20-mph northeasterly winds had turned sections of the sound shallow, pushing water westward and reducing the depth to less than two feet in some places. But we were well-equipped with our Hobies — remarkably stable, with high-backed seats that felt more like lawn chairs than kayak saddles, and a unique pedal-powered system using fins beneath the hull for smooth, hands-free control.
The other guest on the tour, Nicole — a retired state trooper from Pennsylvania visiting the OBX — climbed into her kayak, pedaled out a bit, and promptly got stuck, her fins mired in the sand. She freed herself easily by thrusting a paddle into the bottom to push forward. A little wind hardly seemed worth worrying about, especially with the red drum biting!
Can you name these three types of fish commonly found in Roanoke Sound?
Answer is at the end of this blog!
As we pedaled across the rippling surface of the open sound — the wind at our backs lending a helping hand — we passed marshy inlets on our way to Bell Island, our designated fishing spot. “The trout wait at those openings to the marsh islands for mullet coming in from the ocean — then eat them,” Alex observed. “Everything in the Roanoke Sound is chasing mullet or shrimp.”
Rounding Bell Island, we spotted an egret sheltering from the wind just inside the protective marsh — a white silhouette against the green needlerush. On a nearby sandbar, we stretched our legs while Alex baited our hooks, explaining, “We’ll pedal for a while along the marsh edge and let the wind carry us back while we fish.”
Clockwise from top—Guide Alex McGowen preps the kayaks for fishing;
Guest Nicole Hossler fishing along the marsh edge of Bell Island;
An exposed sandbar on Bell Island.
– Credit: Brian Tress
We’d been fishing for about an hour when Alex suddenly shouted, “Fish on!” He’d hooked a red drum — easily recognized by the single black spot near the base of its tail. Alex lifted it into his kayak and quickly removed the hook. After measuring it at about 17 inches — an inch shy of the keeper threshold — he eased it back into the water, where it floated for a few seconds before darting away.
Suddenly, the wind swept through the reeds with a low, rushing roar, thousands of stalks bowing and brushing in unison. Within minutes, the weather had shifted from a blustery afternoon to the leading edge of a nor’easter — lashing rain, powerful gusts, and waves rising almost a foot high. Parallel to the oncoming swell, the kayaks tilted and rocked in the chop. We all agreed it was time to begin the long, wet journey back.
Heading directly into the wind and waves this time, the return journey took twice as long as the outgoing one. By the time we made it back to shore, we were wet, tired, and grinning — even without a fish to show for it, we knew we’d earned a story worth telling for years to come.
Answer to fish quiz: Clockwise from top—Speckled Trout, Bluefish, Red Drum
Written and crafted by Brian Tress. Read more adventures from Brian here.
