Dating back to the 1950s, Oregon Inlet Fishing Center is a legendary Outer Banks marina. With its fleet of colorful, Carolina-style sportfishing boats run by highly experienced local captains, along with the distinction of being the closest marina to Oregon Inlet, it’s an iconic fixture in offshore fishing.
“It’s the premier sportfishing marina on the East Coast,” says Russ King, manager of the marina. “People come from all over the world to fish here.”
With 47 inshore and offshore boats as well as the Miss Oregon Inlet head boat and The Safari dolphin tour and sunset cruise, the marina offers a trip for every type of angler. Fishing options range from a half-day family-oriented head boat trip to a half-day inshore charter on the sound to full-day offshore charters to the Gulf Stream to catch the big guys. Services include centralized booking online or with knowledgeable phone representatives, make-up charters, expert fish-cleaning services and daily fishing reports.
However, the 60-year-old National Park Service-owned building that houses the ship’s store and fish-cleaning center and some of the other facilities at Oregon Inlet Fishing Center (OIFC) don’t quite meet the standards of the fleet’s reputation. But that’s about to change.
King and his siblings, Stephen King and Kristen King Robinson, the current 20-year leaseholders of OIFC, are working hand-in-hand with the National Park Service to construct a complete overhaul of the marina building and upgrade facilities around the marina.
“We have an elite fleet of charter fishing captains, and their reputation is second to none,” Russ says. “Now we will have facilities to meet the reputation of the fleet.”
Starting this winter, construction will begin on a new and improved, two-story marina building designed in the old Coast Guard architectural style. For longevity and storm resistance, the building will be perched 11 feet above sea level and built using environmentally friendly, extra-strong techniques that are above and beyond local building code.
“This is a building that can last for the National Park Service and the community for 40 to 60 years,” King says “It’s something that’s going to be around for a long time.”
The new building will house an expanded ship’s store and retail area, a new booking area, a restaurant, museum-like exhibits and a new fish-cleaning center on the first floor and offices and a conference room on the second floor.
Oregon Inlet Fishing Center used to have a restaurant, which King remembers visiting when he was younger and taking fishing trips with his family.
“When I was coming here in the ’80s, it was a tradition to go to Oregon Inlet Fishing Center and eat in the restaurant and see the catch being brought in,” he says. “We’re going to make this a destination like it used to be.”
King says the yet-to-be-named restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and will have a big deck and tiki bar for outdoor dining. They plan to offer online food reservations so that anglers can order meals in advance when they’re booking the charter online. “We’ll have the food on the boat waiting for you when you show up in the morning,” he says.
The museum will highlight the history of the fishing center, Outer Banks fishing and the inlet. King is eager to include a Captain’s Wall of Fame to honor the captains who founded the fishing center as well as local fishing icons. There will also be historic fishing gear, artifacts and aquariums.
The fish-cleaning area will be upgraded with state-of-the-art packaging techniques and a picture window so visitors can watch the cleaners at work. Improvements around the site will include in-slip fueling and a new transient fueling dock, a small gas station for vehicles, an open-air pavilion for tournaments and events, and new landscaping. Construction will begin this winter and take a year and half to two years to fully complete. All services will continue to be available during construction.
“We want to make this a memorable and fun place where customers can come and spend several hours,” King says. “We want it to be something the community can be proud of.”
More than anything, King wants to help people create fantastic fishing memories, the same kind he has from all the trips his father took him on when he was young. Since his first Gulf Stream charter with Capt. Sam Stokes on the Fight-N-Lady out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center at age 8, he found the fishing addiction early and has since hooked his own children on fishing.
Now, as manager of the fishing center, he and his siblings are in the perfect position to help others make their own fishing memories.
“It’s my dream job,” says King, who moved to the Outer Banks three years ago from Texas for the opportunity to run OIFC. “I’m still pinching myself every day.”
He wants people to experience the excitement of showing up at Oregon Inlet Fishing Center in the pre-dawn hours and heading out through the inlet in the company of all the legendary Outer Banks captains on their locally built boats. And, of course, he wants them to experience the thrill of fighting fish in the Gulf Stream and coming back to the docks in the late afternoon with the fish box full or the marlin flags flying.
He wants families with young children who aren’t yet ready to go offshore to enjoy half-day inshore trips or a head boat trip. He wants people to experience the thrill of seeing dolphins cavorting in the inlet at sunset.
He wants people to enjoy the simple fun of gathering on the docks at the end of the day, watching the mates fling the catches onto the docks and the anglers pose for pictures. He wants people to spend time here, right where the Pamlico Sound meets the sea, looking over the inlet and marshes while enjoying a meal or learning about the history of the inlet.
He’s over-the-moon excited about what’s to come.
“This place played such an important role in my life when I was growing up,” he says. “I’m so honored to be taking it to the next level. My brother, sister and I now stand on the shoulders of captains and boat owners who have gone before us, and we will build on this legacy of sportfishing on the Outer Banks.
“The most important and rewarding part of this will be providing opportunities for tight lines and life-long memories. Just like in my family, the love of fishing is being passed down from generation to generation. I want to see other families creating those memories too. If I can do that, I can sit back and say that’s enough enjoyment right there.”
Book Your Charter at:
(252) 441-6301
oregon-inlet.com
Located 8 Miles South of Whalebone Junction on NC 12 on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore
About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.
