I'll be sailing from Atlantic Beach, NC up to Gloucester during Easter weekend, and the plan right now is to stay inside up to OI, get some petro...and probably some more frosty beverages, then go out, drop lines and troll north for a while then run the rest of the way home.

Well, I've never been through Oregon Inlet. So the questions I have is how much should I expect to pay for gas in OI? Is there anything tricky I should be know about going through the inlet on the way out (I'm figuring around high tide or right after)? And the most important question of all, how far should I go out before dropping lines and turning north?

Any help would be appreciated.

Chris

I dont know about gas prices but I do know that before you get to the bridge make sure you are between the channel markers. I would recommend going in during high tide and unless you are very familiar with the inlet I wouldn't suggest trying to take any shortcuts. While inside the inlet keep a close eye for the markers because it is kind of easy to miss them and even easier to run aground on of the many sandbars out there. My OI experience is rather limited and that is just what i have found out. Im sure others will post much more useful info.

-Justin

Thanks Justin,
I've heard that inside the inlet can get pretty tricky if you aren't paying attention with all the sandbars. A friend of mine told me that he saw one of the red buoy's on dry land once when he went through.

Chris

I think diesel in Hatteras is about $2.59/gallon? Not sure about gas.

The best would be to follow someone since it's your first time. As far as the tuna bite, right now the bite is more to the South of OI down around the point, but there are some being caught east of the cigar when the right water is there.

Are you planning on doing this in 1 day?

I sent my boat, Water Dog, down to Hatteras on Wednesday of this week. I was busy, so I used a very good ferry captain to re-position it for me. A buddy of mine, who has a 40 foot Cabo, ran agound inside the bridge a month ago - directly between the channel markers. As a result, I warned my man about transiting OI. His response was "don't worry I came through there 7 days ago on 54 foot Hatteras delivery without a problem, I know what I'm doing".
He got through ok with my boat (a 38 ft Rampage), but he told me he scared the hell out of himself on the bar outside, when he went from 25 feet of water to 5 feet in about 3 seconds -in the breakers. In fact, he rode the back of a swell through the rest of the way. He told me he is not going through there anymore on low tide, because it was pure luck he got through this time without hitting. I can tell you for sure - he is 100% credible.
If you are transiting the area, with any signifcant draft, particularly at low tide, you had better know what you are doing and follow a trawler.

We refueled with a 140 gallons of diesel at Teach's Lair @ $2.39 per gallon.

I am going to try to do it in one day...as long as the seas go along with my plan. We'll get here well after midnight, but I know this area fairly well. It's pretty common for us to head out to the canyon in time to see the sun come up when we get there. It'll be a long trip for one day, but I'm still looking forward to it.

I thought the bite would be a little more south, but it would be a shame to go through the area without getting some lines wet for a little while atleast. Thanks.

Chris

Thanks for the tip, I've heard a lot about the moving sandbars in that inlet. A friend of mine ran aground in the breakers last year in a 47', and won't go back through to this day. I don't blame him. Is Hatteras Inlet any better? I've also thought about topping off there, then coming out, but if I go fishing after. Especially with the bite that's going on there right now.

Chris

[quote=rockfishin,Mar 30 2007, 07:09 PM][quote=gradyman,Mar 30 2007, 02:16 PM]I sent my boat, Water Dog, down to Hatteras on Wednesday of this week. I was busy, so I used a very good ferry captain to re-position it for me. A buddy of mine, who has a 40 foot Cabo, ran agound inside the bridge a month ago - directly between the channel markers. As a result, I warned my man about transiting OI. His response was "don't worry I came through there 7 days ago on 54 foot Hatteras delivery without a problem, I know what I'm doing".
He got through ok with my boat (a 38 ft Rampage), but he told me he scared the hell out of himself on the bar outside, when he went from 25 feet of water to 5 feet in about 3 seconds -in the breakers. In fact, he rode the back of a swell through the rest of the way. He told me he is not going through there anymore on low tide, because it was pure luck he got through this time without hitting. I can tell you for sure - he is 100% credible.
If you are transiting the area, with any signifcant draft, particularly at low tide, you had better know what you are doing and follow a trawler.

We refueled with a 140 gallons of diesel at Teach's Lair @ $2.39 per gallon.
[/quote]
Thanks for the tip, I've heard a lot about the moving sandbars in that inlet. A friend of mine ran aground in the breakers last year in a 47', and won't go back through to this day. I don't blame him. Is Hatteras Inlet any better? I've also thought about topping off there, then coming out, but if I go fishing after. Especially with the bite that's going on there right now.

Chris

[/quote]
I have considerable experience at Hatteras Inlet. It is really quite easy, if it isn't blowing (which is almost never), but the inlet itself, as far as depth is concerned, is no issue. If fact, I have heard they have done a lot of dredging, that even straightened out the channel, but I don't know this firsthand.

[quote=gradyman,Mar 31 2007, 05:12 AM][quote=rockfishin,Mar 30 2007, 07:09 PM][quote=gradyman,Mar 30 2007, 02:16 PM]I sent my boat, Water Dog, down to Hatteras on Wednesday of this week. I was busy, so I used a very good ferry captain to re-position it for me. A buddy of mine, who has a 40 foot Cabo, ran agound inside the bridge a month ago - directly between the channel markers. As a result, I warned my man about transiting OI. His response was "don't worry I came through there 7 days ago on 54 foot Hatteras delivery without a problem, I know what I'm doing".
He got through ok with my boat (a 38 ft Rampage), but he told me he scared the hell out of himself on the bar outside, when he went from 25 feet of water to 5 feet in about 3 seconds -in the breakers. In fact, he rode the back of a swell through the rest of the way. He told me he is not going through there anymore on low tide, because it was pure luck he got through this time without hitting. I can tell you for sure - he is 100% credible.
If you are transiting the area, with any signifcant draft, particularly at low tide, you had better know what you are doing and follow a trawler.

We refueled with a 140 gallons of diesel at Teach's Lair @ $2.39 per gallon.
[/quote]
Thanks for the tip, I've heard a lot about the moving sandbars in that inlet. A friend of mine ran aground in the breakers last year in a 47', and won't go back through to this day. I don't blame him. Is Hatteras Inlet any better? I've also thought about topping off there, then coming out, but if I go fishing after. Especially with the bite that's going on there right now.

Chris

[/quote]
I have considerable experience at Hatteras Inlet. It is really quite easy, if it isn't blowing (which is almost never), but the inlet itself, as far as depth is concerned, is no issue. If fact, I have heard they have done a lot of dredging, that even straightened out the channel, but I don't know this firsthand.

[/quote]
That's sounds alot better. Hatteras was my original plan, and I'm not really sure why I changed to OI, except maybe it was closer to the half way point. I'll be drafting 3'5" in a 32' Ocean Super Sport. Besides, I've heard alot about Teach's Lair and kind of want to get by there to check it out.

Good choice, I go out of OI about 2-3 times a month and when ever I feel I know it something happens, always follow someone of equal or greater draft in and out of there, One Capt down there said he was gonna wait for another to go out because he had not been out of there in a week. I almost got stuck in a place where i had come out of in the am one day and it was a clear after noon, when the fog comes in or it is dark it is TRICKY esp inside the bridge. I am not familiar with HI so can not compare the two.

Just got back from Hatteras (driving) and when I saw Oregon Inlet going down I near shi-.
It was blowing NE when I crossed the bridge and it was whitewater to the horizon! Closed out completely and could barely make out the channel markers. I wouldn't go near it in anything but calm.
HI a much better choice. Can get spooky but it's mostly a clear shot a and well marked. Follow the charter boys if you can.
Good luck.

[quote=oldbull,Apr 3 2007, 08:42 AM][quote=FelixtheKat,Apr 3 2007, 07:54 AM]Good choice, I go out of OI about 2-3 times a month and when ever I feel I know it something happens, always follow someone of equal or greater draft in and out of there, One Capt down there said he was gonna wait for another to go out because he had not been out of there in a week. I almost got stuck in a place where i had come out of in the am one day and it was a clear after noon, when the fog comes in or it is dark it is TRICKY esp inside the bridge. I am not familiar with HI so can not compare the two.
[/quote]
Just got back from Hatteras (driving) and when I saw Oregon Inlet going down I near shi-.
It was blowing NE when I crossed the bridge and it was whitewater to the horizon! Closed out completely and could barely make out the channel markers. I wouldn't go near it in anything but calm.
HI a much better choice. Can get spooky but it's mostly a clear shot a and well marked. Follow the charter boys if you can.
Good luck.

[/quote]
This post is very much on point. OI will close out on NE wind quite readily. In addition careful attention should be paid to any condition generating a singficant sea swell. Big swells breaking over the bar on the outside are the biggest risk, whereas running aground in the sound will merely piss you off and cost lots of money. On the other hand, on a SW wind OI is relatively benign.
Hatteras Inlet is passable on a stiff NE breeze without problem, but once you are outside all bets are off. They call it the grave yard of the Atlantic for a good reason.
A stiff SW wind at Hatteras will put the fear of God in you in the Inlet. There is real risk (I mean dangerous), if it comes up big SW while you are outside and you have to transit back through. The inlet will get real steep and break (eight foot is common on a significant wind) and it is easy to broach or pitch-pole at the bottom, i if you surf down the face of one and are inexperienced. The charter boats circle outside on big days and time their entry to cruise on the back of a roller all the way through. If it is really big, they come through two at a time. I once asked them why they did that and the response was " Well, sometimes bad things happen on those days" This from guys with 40 years experience in HI. I have learned from bitter experience those are the days I enjoy a beer while I wax my boat at the dock, no matter how bad I want to go fishing.

I've made the trip up and down from Hatteras to Virginia many times over the years and have had a few close calls in Oregon Inlet. Nothing major, basically what you would expect from a rough inlet. Ran a Charter boat out of Hatteras for 6 years and have fished out of there for 25. My preference would always be to run up sound and out OI. You have to be real careful once you enter Old House Channel from the sound and make sure you make turns where necessary. Leaving out of HI traveling North puts you into the run around Diamond Shoals. Lot of additional miles, fuel and weather.

Well thanks for all the good advice and tips, but the weather for this weekend is starting to look a little meek for running outside. I'll make that choice when we get close to HI, and possibly take a slow ride up the inter-coastal depending on how it looks at mid-day. I'll let everybody know how the trip turns out. Tightlines.

Chris

The Pamlico Sound can get pretty snotty as well. I've been caught in it a few times in smaller boats. Don't just assume that since it's rough off the beach that it will be calm in the sound. Plus, you know what happens when you assume.

Safe travels Chris.
Dave

Well, we almost made it in one day, but it sure wasn't saturday. We woke up saturday morning listening to the wind howl with the gale wind wornings in Morehead City and decided by 6 am that it wasn't the day to travel and pushed to Easter Sunday. We left the slip around 8 am, topped off the tanks and hit the inter-coastal up to the Nuese River and out into the sound. We got to OI just about 5:30 and topped off again just as they were closing. The sound was okay for most of the way and got pretty rough the closer we got to OI. We decided to go outside and try to make it to Rudee Inlet just as the sun was setting. We made through the breakers just in time to see it get dark and turned north about 5 miles out. It wasn't a bad run at all, and by the time we got to Rudee, we still had more than a half tank and decided to make a run for Gloucester Point. When we came around Cape Henry, it got choppy with 6' seas, which really isn't uncommon for the area, but the wx channel was calling 1' in the bay so we chugged through it hoping for calmer water on the inside of the CBBT. We passed between the 3rd and 4th islands with a ship following us through at about 1 am, and within 10 seconds or so, the bow went under and the boat stood up almost on end in the atleast 10-12' seas (not really sure...it was dark and we never saw them coming). we limped out of the ships way and decided quickly to go back out to Lynnhaven for the night. Got into Lynhaven around 4 monday morning and took a nap waiting for the fuel dock to open and the sun to come up. Had much better conditions when we left around 8 am and made it back home with no problems.

Thanks again for all the tips and advice. Tightlines.

Chris

Holy $hit!

How did it take 9.5 hours to get from Morehead to OI? Was the sound that rough?

[quote=fordbjr,Apr 11 2007, 04:49 PM][quote=rockfishin,Apr 10 2007, 09:32 PM]Well, we almost made it in one day, but it sure wasn't saturday. We woke up saturday morning listening to the wind howl with the gale wind wornings in Morehead City and decided by 6 am that it wasn't the day to travel and pushed to Easter Sunday. We left the slip around 8 am, topped off the tanks and hit the inter-coastal up to the Nuese River and out into the sound. We got to OI just about 5:30 and topped off again just as they were closing. The sound was okay for most of the way and got pretty rough the closer we got to OI. We decided to go outside and try to make it to Rudee Inlet just as the sun was setting. We made through the breakers just in time to see it get dark and turned north about 5 miles out. It wasn't a bad run at all, and by the time we got to Rudee, we still had more than a half tank and decided to make a run for Gloucester Point. When we came around Cape Henry, it got choppy with 6' seas, which really isn't uncommon for the area, but the wx channel was calling 1' in the bay so we chugged through it hoping for calmer water on the inside of the CBBT. We passed between the 3rd and 4th islands with a ship following us through at about 1 am, and within 10 seconds or so, the bow went under and the boat stood up almost on end in the atleast 10-12' seas (not really sure...it was dark and we never saw them coming). we limped out of the ships way and decided quickly to go back out to Lynnhaven for the night. Got into Lynhaven around 4 monday morning and took a nap waiting for the fuel dock to open and the sun to come up. Had much better conditions when we left around 8 am and made it back home with no problems.

Thanks again for all the tips and advice. Tightlines.

Chris
[/quote]

Holy $hit!

How did it take 9.5 hours to get from Morehead to OI? Was the sound that rough?

[/quote]
The no wake zones in the inter coastal take forever to get through.