Kayak fishermen wanting to improve their fishing and kayaking skills should consider attending the Kayak Fishing School presented by the Oak Island Parks and Recreation Department on May 11, 2019. The day will begin with classroom activities and conclude with kayak demos on the water. Captain Jerry Dilsaver, of the Hobie Kayaks Fishing Team, will lead the sessions, with a special visit by Jonathan Grady, Hobie Kayaks Top Gun, for the ocean fishing and demo sessions.
The school will begin with an overview of fishing safety specifically geared to kayak fishing. Next up will be a session on rigging kayaks for fishing and then comes the tips on tackle, techniques, tactics and more to catch your favorite fish. The inshore fishing session will concentrate on speckled trout, red drum, black drum, and flounder. There will also be an introduction into launching through the surf to catch Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, bull red drum, cobia and more in the nearshore ocean waters.
After lunch, there will be an on-water demo session with kayaks provided by area kayak dealers, plus opportunities for one-on-one assistance on casting skills and throwing cast nets to catch live baits. The sessions will be informal with questions welcomed.
The day should prove to be entertaining as well as informative as Captain Dilsaver is a Southport-Oak Island native and intertwines fishing tales and coastal humor into his presentation. Grady, who will join Capt. Dilsaver for the session on ocean fishing has won the North Carolina Kayak Fishing Association Oak Island Ocean Slam twice and holds the (unofficial) N.C. kayak king mackerel record at 38.5 pounds, with a fish caught off Oak Island. These instructors combine for more than 20 years of kayak fishing experience, so there will be boatloads of useful knowledge.
Most importantly for aspiring kayak anglers, Captain Dilsaver and Grady enjoy helping kayak fishermen improve their fishing knowledge and skills and they stress doing it safely.
Aspiring kayak fishermen should make plans to attend this event. Captain Dilsaver and Grady will share tips, techniques, and tactics with the participants. This will be the ninth Oak Island Kayak Fishing School and they tend to fill in advance. The Oak Island Recreation Department promises it will be entertaining and chock full of tips on how to make kayak fishing more productive, more fun, easier and safer.
The 2019 Oak Island Kayak Fishing School will be held Saturday, May 11, at Dutchman Creek Park, 4750 Fish Factory Road, Oak Island, N.C. The day will begin sharply at 9:00 A.M. and should conclude by 4:00 P.M. In addition to the sessions, each participant will receive a goodie bag with samples and there will be door prize drawings. A sandwich lunch is included.
Registration for the school is $45 in advance or $55 at the door – if seats are still available. For more information contact the Oak Island Recreation Department at 910-278-5518 or Capt. Dilsaver at 910-279-6760. Information is also available on-line at https://oakisland.recdesk.comandwww.captjerry.com.
