Bear Island 2020, Dad Went!

 We finally got to do Bear Island in 2020!

    If you have not followed my previous trips, it entails a 3 mile trip over to the island to a mainly deserted saltwater island on the NC coast. I have been making the trek since 2012. 

   For my very first trip, I acquired a 17'4 Old Town canoe. This thing was a beast and could hold tons of gear. A canoe this size can also have some cons due to the size of the thing. After two trips I traded it in for an Old Town Predator 13. What an awesome kayak for this kind of trip. I used this up through 2018. It seemed like each trip we took more and more gear. My fellow campers had mostly added trolling motors to their rides, leaving me behind or paddling hard to keep up. I found I would not venture far from the island during day fishing outings. I bought a boat.

    If you saw my 2019 trip you were introduced to Lil Salty, a 13 foot Boston Whaler with a 15 hp motor. This is what I took again this year. 

    This old boat has proven to be a great boat for Bear Island. It allows me to take extra gear as well as carry some of the other guy's stuff. I would say its only downfall is that it is a little underpowered. The little 15 hp zips around nicely when the boat is empty with a couple of guys and their fishing gear. When loaded with the camping gear and another person she is slow, to say the least. 

     I want to start this blog by showing some of what is involved in getting ready for the trip then get on with the good stuff!

 This year my Dad was able to go with me so I had to pack for two as far as camping gear. He does not camp so he did not have any of the gear so I brought everything he would need. This year there would be 8 of us. Ironically it turned out to be a father-son trip for almost everyone. My dad and myself, Steve and his son Coleman, and Rufus and his son Brantley. The other two consisted of Ray and David. We just told Ray he had to adopt David to round things out LOL. 

   I digress, having so many requires some extra gear for food and cooking. This year I was in charge of a cooler and the grill. I opted for my 22 inch Blackstone griddle. Before this gets too boring, let's get into1 some pictures. I mean pictures are worth a thousand words!

 What  I took ...

    Boat gear... Oars, life jackets, tackle box, bait bucket, bubbler, fish finder, battery, anchor/push pole, and a boat cooler. Other various boat needs were with the boat in NC.

 Grill and cooler (Blackstone and a Polar Bear roller cooler) as well as a couple spatulas, propane, and ice packs. I also was in charge of coffee so I took my Jet Boil Base Camp (packed with camping gear) and a container with coffee, sugar, cream, etc.

 Fishing rods to include three surf rods (one I gave David) one 9 foot rod, and two boat rods ( one for me and one for Dad), and three rod tubes for surf fishing.

 The camping gear. Since I was packing for two, I decided to risk the bulk and pack everything into my large Coleman cooler with wheels. This turned out to work great! The rubber tires glided along the sand and the large pull handle made pulling it a breeze, unlike the Polar Bear that would keep hitting the back of my legs.

 Gear comprised of a dry bag with my rain gear and coat, two two-man tents, a sleeping bag, sleeping quilt, two ExPed mattresses, two emergency blankets, two chairs, a sledgehammer, lantern, and the Jet Boil Base Camp. I also took two dry bags, one for me and one for Dad. These held our pillows, sleeping bag liners, electronics (chargers, cords, etc), as well as our clothes, towels, Dad's rain gear, and toiletries. I basically told Dad what I was putting in his bag and he could bring whatever else he wanted as long as it fits in the bag. 

 Last but not least, a pile of stuff I was giving to my buddy steve. I did not have to bring this stuff back home! 

 Not shown here are the various drinks and snacks I packed up and my Yeti Hopper cooler to hold snacks on the boat. 

 As the norm, I pack up and head to Steve's place in NC. I always arrive early so I can get the boat ready and help him pack if needed. We had plenty of time and still got to hang out and talk about previous trips over shots. Thanks so much to Susan for accommodating my Dad and myself before and after the trip! 

Cinnabon Shots, 4 oz Fireball to one 12 oz bottle cream soda. Whip cream and cinnamon on top.

 

Dad showed up the day before and everyone met up Sunday AM for the convoy to the Island. A couple guys met us there and we lost the others along the way but showed up about the same time. 

    We knew the weather report called for AM rain with a window of possible storms throughout the day, ending with storms overnight. The 5-hour trip down was pretty much rain all the way. It did seem to let up at the right moments. I stopped while we stopped for groceries and for the most part, at the ramp and boat ride over to the island. That being said, it was very windy and the water was rough! It was so bad, the guys in kayaks and canoes had to wait for the boats (3) to go over and unload so they could go back and make gear for them. Everyone made it over and the weather calmed down. The following days were near perfect albeit the nights were somewhat stuffy in the tents.

Once everyone was set up and organized, we caught some bait and managed some fishing. We finished up the first day with steaks on the griddle! The following days we had fish (of course), steamed crabs, hamburgers/hotdogs, eggs, fried potatoes with onions, sausage, tortillas, etc etc. Needless to say, we carried a little more weight back to shore when we left LOL The Polar Bear cooler did a great job!

I won't break the trip down any more than I already have but rather I will share the photos over the next few days of the fish caught, beautiful scenery, and good friends.

I think my Dad really enjoyed this trip and I sure hope we can do it again. He actually caught the first and I think the biggest fish while we were there. Here is a quick video of his Red from the surf!

Here he is reeling in a nice Redfish on the Whaler (FAIL but FUN)

Here is a quick video of Steve catching a "Puppy Drum"

We finished up the trip with a trailer mishap! At some point, my guess on the way down from Steves, a bearing let loose. We managed the repair without too much trouble. I also purchased the hub for the other side so I would be good to go. Mostly it was just time-consuming. Overall it just added to the memories of this epic trip!