Phares
Mostly Useless
On November 20, 2020 we loaded into the 80 Series and took off for Morris Marina in Atlantic, NC to take the ferry boat over to Portsmouth Island in the Outer Banks for a weekend of relaxing and surf fishing. Our goal was to eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, sleep when tired and to catch some fish. We caught the ferry back on the afternoon of November 22, 2020 and headed home for Charlotte, NC.
Dates: November 20, 2020 to November 22, 2020
Weather: Sunny and Warm with lows in the upper 50s and highs in the upper 60s. Very little wind. Sunday morning was overcast and a little cooler with light showers starting approx. 1200
Vehicle: 80 Series Land Cruiser w/ lift on 35” tires
Lessons Learned:
Call early for the ferry. I called November 6th and had one option for travel times. Ferry ride was 160$ round trip and took 50 minutes dock to dock
Reduced tire air pressure to 28 PSI from 36 PSI once on the island. Not sure if it was even necessary
Drove up and down the island, never had to shift into Low, but did drive in ‘2’
You CAN buy ice from the Marina in the standard cubes or in giant blocks. Blocks might work better for your "caught fish" cooler.
You CAN NOT buy bait from the Marina
There IS NO gas or ice for sale on the island
Neuse Sport Shop has all the gear/bait you need for the trip
The sun set at 1730 and it got very, very dark. Have everything setup for bed/dinner before then.
It is worth waking up at some point in the middle of the night to look at the stars. Incredible.
Trip from Marina back to Charlotte took 6 hours with several stops for gas and pee breaks
Bring a kite/ball to play for the kids.
Bring more clothes than you think you will need in case you get wet etc.
Sand will get everywhere.
Bring lots of water
There are people to ‘jump’ you if your battery dies but I was still a little stressed about this
A recent fluids flush would be beneficial.
One of our reels ‘busted’ so bring at least 2 rigs.
We had 3 coolers, one for food, one for beer, one for anything we caught/bait.
Modifications that were worthwhile/necessary:
A stock Land Cruiser can make this trip. It is only a matter of convenience or personal needs. Don’t let any of this stop you from going.
The outlets/USB ports I added to the center console provided all the power necessary for our phones for the drive. And because it is wired directly to the battery it isn’t necessary for the truck to be ‘On’ for them to charge.
The lift with AT tires handled the sand with no issues of clearance or traction. I didn’t make any water crossings because I couldn’t find any.
Modifications before the next trip:
Helton Hot Water System
On Board Air System
Dual Battery Setup
I used an 11’ pole with a 6000 series reel and 20lb monofilament. We also had a couple 9’ poles with braid and mono and a 7’ pole. We caught black and red drum, sting rays and skates, puffer fish, a shark, blue fish. We had this pamphlet (Amazon product ASIN 189377032X) to help with fish ID and a copy of the NC fishing regs to ensure we complied with all laws and regulation. You can get a great copy of regs with pictures for free at Neuse Sport Shop.
I will be sure to update this if I can think of anything else. If you have questions about anything specific let me know. This was my first trip but will not be my last.
Dates: November 20, 2020 to November 22, 2020
Weather: Sunny and Warm with lows in the upper 50s and highs in the upper 60s. Very little wind. Sunday morning was overcast and a little cooler with light showers starting approx. 1200
Vehicle: 80 Series Land Cruiser w/ lift on 35” tires
Lessons Learned:
Call early for the ferry. I called November 6th and had one option for travel times. Ferry ride was 160$ round trip and took 50 minutes dock to dock
Reduced tire air pressure to 28 PSI from 36 PSI once on the island. Not sure if it was even necessary
Drove up and down the island, never had to shift into Low, but did drive in ‘2’
You CAN buy ice from the Marina in the standard cubes or in giant blocks. Blocks might work better for your "caught fish" cooler.
You CAN NOT buy bait from the Marina
There IS NO gas or ice for sale on the island
Neuse Sport Shop has all the gear/bait you need for the trip
The sun set at 1730 and it got very, very dark. Have everything setup for bed/dinner before then.
It is worth waking up at some point in the middle of the night to look at the stars. Incredible.
Trip from Marina back to Charlotte took 6 hours with several stops for gas and pee breaks
Bring a kite/ball to play for the kids.
Bring more clothes than you think you will need in case you get wet etc.
Sand will get everywhere.
Bring lots of water
There are people to ‘jump’ you if your battery dies but I was still a little stressed about this
A recent fluids flush would be beneficial.
One of our reels ‘busted’ so bring at least 2 rigs.
We had 3 coolers, one for food, one for beer, one for anything we caught/bait.
Modifications that were worthwhile/necessary:
A stock Land Cruiser can make this trip. It is only a matter of convenience or personal needs. Don’t let any of this stop you from going.
The outlets/USB ports I added to the center console provided all the power necessary for our phones for the drive. And because it is wired directly to the battery it isn’t necessary for the truck to be ‘On’ for them to charge.
The lift with AT tires handled the sand with no issues of clearance or traction. I didn’t make any water crossings because I couldn’t find any.
Modifications before the next trip:
Helton Hot Water System
On Board Air System
Dual Battery Setup
I used an 11’ pole with a 6000 series reel and 20lb monofilament. We also had a couple 9’ poles with braid and mono and a 7’ pole. We caught black and red drum, sting rays and skates, puffer fish, a shark, blue fish. We had this pamphlet (Amazon product ASIN 189377032X) to help with fish ID and a copy of the NC fishing regs to ensure we complied with all laws and regulation. You can get a great copy of regs with pictures for free at Neuse Sport Shop.
I will be sure to update this if I can think of anything else. If you have questions about anything specific let me know. This was my first trip but will not be my last.
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