Tidelines – September 26, 2013
Fisherman’s Post Publisher Gary Hurley and Capt. George Beckwith, of Down East Guide Service, with a 49″ red drum they caught and released after it fell for a chunk of mullet in 13′ of water in the Neuse River near Oriental.
On a recent Fisherman’s Post trip to Pamlico County to target some big reds, the weather tried to be the main character in the story. Northeast winds blowing 15-20 mph with gusts well above that had fashioned three foot waves every 2-3 seconds (with a few 4+ foot waves mixed in), and these conditions brought with them an element of adventure to what is often an easy and simple fishing operation: soaking baits on the bottom and waiting for citation class red drum to pick them up and run off drag until coaxed back for a photo and release.
On this day, however, the weather was relegated to supporting cast, as Capt. George Beckwith and his wife Anna, both of Down East Guide Service, took the starring roles on our Pamlico fishing adventure.
Max (Editor), Joshua (Sales Manager), and I met up with George and Anna at their waterfront condo at the marina at River Dunes, a brand new and beautiful development just 10 miles outside Oriental. Their condo was easy to spot—it was the one with 20 or so rods stacked up on the back porch, right in front of George’s 25’ Parker that held another dozen or so rods ready to go at a moment’s notice.
On the winding road to the marina, we had seen the white caps and high chop that awaited us, and these were on our mind as we shook hands with George and said our hellos; however, George immediately took center stage when he announced that we were going to do something a little different.
He wanted to make a quick (and wet) run across the Neuse to a skinny grass island where he could park the boat on the backside and out of the wind. Then we could walk to the windward side to cast cut mullet from shore and target these big reds while wade fishing.
It was a “hero or zero” trip, he warned, but George’s plan had quickly turned the weather from an adversary into an ally, as the high northeast winds would be pushing bait and the big reds within casting distance.
Cut mullet was prepared on a cutting board made to fit a 5-gallon bucket, and we were instructed to check and change out bait often, as the bait stealers (pinfish) could be especially bad in this area. The pinfish feeding, though, would attract the attention of bigger fish, George told us, and that’s exactly what happened.
We had plenty of bluefish bites but only landed a few of them, primarily because we were using big chunks of bait on Owen Lupton rigs with circle hooks sized for trophy reds. The puppy drum bite was a little slow, too (when Anna, sitting in a beach chair and reading a book while sipping some red wine, was asked why she wasn’t fishing, she replied simply, “You’re not really catching anything”), but we did note that the size of each red drum brought to shore was getting progressively bigger.
Fisherman’s Post Editor Max Gaspeny with a citation-class red drum that inhaled a chunk of mullet in a slough along a Neuse River shoreline off Oriental while he was fishing with George and Anna Beckwith of Down East Guide Service.
Just after a slightly over-slot red came through the suds and up on the grass, Max’s rod took a significant bend, announcing that we had perhaps found our target. The fish took Max a little ways down the beach before showing itself to be about a 40-inch red.
Anna (who did graduate work studying red drum in the Pamlico/Neuse and currently serves as both Vice Chair of the NC Marine Fisheries Commission and as the NC representative to the SAFMC) identified it as a female fish that had just finished spawning, and subsequently an isolated fish as opposed to one of a large school of fish.
“Where do we go to catch the really big ones?” Joshua asked, as he was new to the Pamlico fishery and hungry to put a citation from the area on his resume.
George instructed us to pack up and put on our raingear—we were headed back across the Neuse to try and get close enough to land to find some shelter from the wind.
At the first spot George selected, in about 16’ of water, we couldn’t even get a pinfish to harass our baits, so he quickly decided to move in closer to about 13’. And it was at this second location that both George and Joshua provided me with my first citation red of the day.
George had the boat and baits in the right location for the bite, but it was Joshua standing behind me that also deserves credit. Joshua saw the rod bend and as he started to grab the rod yelled, “There he is.” However, what I heard him say sounded more like, “Hey, Gary, turn around and grab that bent rod out of the rod holder right before I can get to it.” And I followed the instructions I thought I heard.
The salesman wasn’t robbed of a citation, though. He was only delayed, as before long another rod took a bend and the head shakes telegraphed that it was yet another big red.
The photos tell the story of the fish, but our day with Capt. George Beckwith and Anna certainly go beyond a fish count.
George had tailored this day specifically for us, as he knew we had recently done some Pamlico red drum trips and would appreciate trying something unique, and it’s that emphasis on customer service that George and Anna have branded into Down East Guide Service. They’d love for you to go to their website at www.pamlicoguide.com and check out not only their North Carolina fishing opportunities, but the international trips they also feature: Coast Rica (sailfish, marlin, and tarpon), Belize (bonefish, permit, and tarpon), and Argentinian duck and dove hunts. Down East Guide Service is a one stop destination for these international trips, handling all the details including hotels/condos, transportation, tours, and fishing/hunting.
Back at the River Dunes docks, George prepped some blue crabs for dinner before walking 50 yards to his porch to fill out the citation paperwork on our fish. He’s living a good life, and would love the opportunity to share that good life with others. Give him a call at (252) 671-3474.
