jonathan creason

I appreciate the advice, guys. I was leaning heavily towards the Vibe, and I think y’all just nudged me the rest of the way.

I've been saving up and I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on a new (to me) fishing vessel. It'll mainly be used on rivers and small lakes around me (piedmont NC), with the occasional trip to the coast. I'm over 200#, so I've been looking for a 12 footer just for extra stability. I've got my options narrowed down to 2 choices, and am looking for some advice on which direction to go. 1- Vibe Seaghost 130 that can't be more than a couple of years old. I can get this one for $500, with paddle included 2- Pescador Pro 12 that is a little older, and has the molded seat instead of an elevated one. I can get this one for $350 I'm leaning heavily towards the Vibe, just to have the more comfortable seat, but if anyone has any advice on either I'd love to hear it.

Several good ramps within 15-20 minutes in either direction from Avon. Didn't think to mention earlier, but if you are planning to drive on the beach you will need a permit which requires sitting through a video and a fee. The NP's website has all that info. I'd highly recommend stopping by Frank and Fran's bait shop in Avon. Great folks that will help you figure out the best place to wet a line.

Most of the white bass in my area have been displaced by perch, unfortunately, the spring runs up the river used to be a ton of fun. One of my all-time favorite fishing trips was several years ago when my dad, brother, and I found a big school of healthy females along the edge of a sandbar off the main river channel. For a while it was a big white bass on every cast. Wish I could put my boys on fishing like that now.

Where will you be staying? There are 72 miles of coastline in the CHNP, so it's pretty hard to point you in a direction without knowing what you'll be near. Will you have a 4WD vehicle? If so, that will make your life much easier, because access areas are very limited and will involve a decent hike to even get over the dunes. Carrying all your gear can be tough. Depending on when you go there can be closures along the shoreline for nesting birds, further limiting the areas you can get to. Up to date maps of closures available online.

I think you'd be better off on the ocean side. Being shorebound on the sound side will severely limit your available locations. Do you have a surf rod capable of throwing at least 6 oz, plus bait? If so, a fishfinder rig with a small piece of cut mullet will probably be your best bet. I don't know what your surf fishing experience is, but learning to read the water is the most important aspect for locating fish. There is a really good thread on the stripers online forum for this. I used to have it bookmarked, but recently got a new computer and lost it, or I'd link it. Just go to the forum and search for "reading surf" or similar terms and you should find it. The pier and surf forum is also a good resource for surf fishing info, and has a NC subforum that will help you get and idea of what's working at the time.

Thanks everyone. I tore it down and gave it a real thorough cleaning again. There was some nasty gunk under the pivot end of the release arm I missed the first time around. Seems to be working ok now.

I have a 6500 that's giving me some trouble, and was hoping some of you guys might be able to help me figure it out. When you engage the clutch, about half the time I will not release when I start turning the handle. The handle will just spin until the trigger finally catches and releases. I tore it down and cleaned everything up, hoping some cruddy old grease was causing it to stick, which seems to have helped some. It hasn't completely fixed the issue, though. Anyone out there have any idea of what I need to do?

I wade fish the rivers around here a lot, and all I use is a backpack or sling pack. For the backpack I just use one my kids have retired. Gives me plenty of space for bait, plus extra pockets to hold snacks, TP, and emergency items separately.