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Learn More About Fishing North Carolina’s Crystal Coast
Beaufort, Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle & the Crystal Coast
The North Carolina coast offers some of our nations most diverse fishing. From shallow water inshore fishing for redfish, cobia and false albacore in the ocean and excellent bottom fishing for grouper we offer one of the most versatile guiding platforms with two custom rigged boats. With experience and top-notch equipment, we are prepared to chase whatever is biting!
Captain Tom Roller is one of the regions most experienced veteran guides with over 16 years of full time guiding experience. With more than 30 years of experience fishing the crystal coast, Capt Tom has a passion for his job and the future of the fishery.
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Experienced Full Time Guide who has been guiding since 2003 (16yrs+ experience).
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Nice to be back on the #roanokeriver for a couple weeks. Low water and good fishing so far - pretty good fly bite early and late. Some big fish around too.
Looking forward to some beautiful weather and another couple of weeks enjoying the serenity (and good fishing) up here.
#stripedbass #stripedbassfishing #roanoke #onthefly #flyfishing #orvis #daiwa #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #zman #rapala #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #catchandrelease #waterdogguideservice
May 3
Will I ever post about the saltwater? Well, I’m headed to the Roanoke River, for my annual pilgrimage this week. Then back to the big pond.
In the meantime I got to spend some time with some Indiana smallmouth on a beautiful southern Indiana stream. One of the finest freshwater gamefish that exists.
Variety is the spice of life.
#smallmouth #smallmouthbass #indiana #hoosierstate #daiwa #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #zman #rapala #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild
May 1
This is one of the best trail camera photos I’ve ever captured. A face-off between an Indiana bobcat and a coyote. I would’ve loved to hear it - I wonder…what were they arguing over? A recent kill? Territorial dispute? Or do dogs and cats not get along?
Just look at that big kitty’s arched back! #meow
#indiana #bobcat #coyote #trailcam #trailcamera #seewhatsoutthere #sitkagear #spypoint
Apr 26
My Indiana excursion was a true sojourn. Opening day, two hours in and I pulled this guy from his 3 lady friends. The LC Smith did it again at 29 yards with the full choke left barrel. Not even a flop.
26lbs on the scale - by far the biggest bird I’ve taken. With a mild winter, they grow big here in the Midwest.
Another bird taken with my 100yr old gun and 2.5” bismuth #5 non-tox. Yall keep your fancy gadgets.
#turkey #turkeyhunting #wildturkey #doublegun #sidebyside #lcsmith #vintage #morningthunder #thunderchicken #dinosaur #findyourwild #sitkagear #hunttoeat #seewhatsoutthere
Apr 25
It’s been a tough year for me to find time to get out into the woods, but after a couple near misses, I was finally about to harvest my first NC bird of 2024. I found the right birds, in the right moment, and after 15 minutes of back and forth 4 came runnjng to me at full speed dropping into strut inside of 20yds. I took the lead bird at 15yds - a 22lb hog, 11” 1 1/8
Y’all keep your fancy gadgets, extra extra full chokes, 3.5” shells and TSS, etc. The old LC smith did it again with 2.5” bismuth #5s.
#vintage #lcsmith #doublegun #turkeyhunting #gobbler #morningthunder #sitkagear #hunttoeat #findyourwild
Apr 19
Switched gears for a few days and fished jnside - good smattering of trout, reds, black drum and sheepshead. This 8.5lb sheepshead was our catch of the day!
One thing people don’t realize about #sheepshead is how slow they grow - a 5lb+ fish in the Carolina’s is over 15-20yrs old. Bigger fish like this are likely in their 20s!
enough!
#speckledtrout #redfish #flounder #inshorefishing #mercurymarine #contenderboats
#lighttackle #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild
#zman #finsfishing #rapala #heedthecall #fishing #topwaterfishing #beaufortnc #moreheadcitync #atlanticbeach #atlanticbeachnc #emeraldisle #emeraldislenc #crystalcoast #crystalcoastnc #harkersisland #coresound #capelookout #americansaltwaterguidesassociation #betterbusinessthroughconservation #waterdogguideservice
Nov 5
A welcome site after a few tough days of sledding. N25 but we ground out a few!
#templeforkoutfitters #orvisflyfishing #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #saltwaterguidesassociation
#flyfishingguide #guideservice #falsealbacore #albies #albiesonthefly #catchandrelease #beaufortnc #beaufort #harkersisland #crystalcoast #capelookout #emeraldisle #stripstrike #doublehaul #onthefly #saltwaterflyfishing #flyfishing #flyfish #flyfishnc #ncflyfishing #sightfishing #saltwaterguidesassociation #waterdogguideservice
Nov 2
You never know what you may see out there - particularly on a slick calm day when every ripple and disturbance stands out. This big hammerhead cruised right on by when we were catching #amberjack and #false albacore over a wreck.
#sharks #hammerhead #hammerheadshark #templeforkoutfitters #orvisflyfishing #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #saltwaterguidesassociation
#flyfishingguide #guideservice #albiesonthefly #catchandrelease #beaufortnc #beaufort #harkersisland #crystalcoast #capelookout #emeraldisle #stripstrike #doublehaul #onthefly #saltwaterflyfishing #flyfishing #flyfish #flyfishnc #ncflyfishing #sightfishing #waterdogguideservice
Oct 30
Albies. Some days have been exceptional. Some days just good. Some days the wind has blown. Other days have been tough. But that is part of the excitement of chasing these amazing fish - the bit of luck when all those conditions align and you get to experience that magical day.
#templeforkoutfitters #orvisflyfishing #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #saltwaterguidesassociation
#flyfishingguide #guideservice #falsealbacore #albies #albiesonthefly #catchandrelease #beaufortnc #beaufort #harkersisland #crystalcoast #capelookout #emeraldisle #stripstrike #doublehaul #onthefly #saltwaterflyfishing #flyfishing #flyfish #flyfishnc #ncflyfishing #sightfishing #waterdogguideservice
Oct 25
As good as it gets. All day long. Still have some open October dates.
#falsealbacore #albies #onthefly #saltwaterflyfishing #lighttackle #capelookout #harkersisland #beaufort #beaufortnc #crystalcoast #crystalcoastnc
#contenderboats #mercurymarine #templeforkoutfitters #daiwa #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #getoutdoors
Oct 6
Jessie and her hard earned #wahoo from an epic day of #offshorefishing !
#beaufort #beaufortnc #emeraldislenc #emeraldislenc #moreheadcitync #atlanticbeachnc #contenderboats #mercurymarine #mercury #daiwa #zmanfishing #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #costasunglasses #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #waterdogguideservice
Aug 25
Dave and Jesse, who’ve been fishing with me for a long long time, wanted the express credit for landing the first billfish on the contender - and it was hause of a sail too! Just one highlight of an amazing, beautiful day offshore!
#billfish #sailfish #offshorefishing #beaufort #beaufortnc #emeraldislenc #emeraldislenc #moreheadcitync #atlanticbeachnc #contenderboats #mercurymarine #mercury #daiwa #zmanfishing #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #costasunglasses #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #waterdogguideservice
Aug 24
With the capabilities of my new @contenderboatsofficial 28T I’ve really started expanding my horizons as I can reliably fish offshore a lot more days. One of those things has been deep dropping for tilefish and snowy grouper - among other things! Here’s me with a 8.5lb blueline tilefish and a snowy from a recent fun day. Put the #daiwa tanacoms to work this day!
#deepdropping #deepdrop
#mercurymarine #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #grouper #offshorefishing #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #fishtoeat #costasunglasses #beaufort #beaufortnc #emeraldislenc #crystalcoast #crystalcoastnc #waterdogguideservice
Aug 21
yellow cheek wrasse. ID thanks to my neighborhood ichthyological expert
Never know what you might catch #offshore bottom fishing!
#offshorefishing #beaufort #beaufortnc #emeraldislenc #emeraldislenc #moreheadcitync #atlanticbeachnc #contenderboats #mercurymarine #mercury #daiwa #zmanfishing #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #costasunglasses #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #waterdogguideservice
Aug 20
This is by far my catch of the year - and I doubt I’ll top it (this year anyway!). This spiny lobster went 12.5lb on the scale and had a taste for squid getting tangled in a beeliner/trigger rig. My freak out was one for the ages. A common find by divers in our area, and a rare but not uncommon hook and line catch for bottomfishers!
#spinylobster #bugs #lobster
A big thanks to @marshhester for the awesome photo!
#grouper #offshorefishing #beaufort #beaufortnc #emeraldislenc #emeraldislenc #moreheadcitync #atlanticbeachnc #contenderboats #mercurymarine #mercury #daiwa #zmanfishing #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #costasunglasses #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #waterdogguideservice
Aug 17
The albies have shown in great numbers the last couple weeks at cape lookout. Was able to tag a dozen this past weekend for the @saltwaterguidesassociation #albieproject ! Great fishing and helping gather needed science to protect this valuable fishery for future generations!
#falsealbacore #saltwaterflyfishing #onthefly #orvisflyfishing
#mercurymarine #contenderboatsofficial
#seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild
#zman #finsfishing #rapala #heedthecall #fishing #gottabenc #beaufortnc #moreheadcitync #moreheadcity #atlanticbeach #atlanticbeachnc #emeraldisle #emeraldislenc #crystalcoast #crystalcoastnc #harkersisland #coresound #capelookout #americansaltwaterguidesassociation #betterbusinessthroughconservation #waterdogguideservice
Aug 16
Another view of that #smoker. 38lbs Mike did a great job getting her to the boat!
#smoker #kingmackerel #kingfish #treblehooksandwire #gofast #contenderboatsofficial #mercurymarine
#daiwa #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #offshorefishing #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #fishtoeat #costasunglasses #beaufort #beaufortnc #emeraldislenc #crystalcoast #crystalcoastnc #waterdogguideservice
Aug 15
Mercury Missile Delivery.
#smoker #kingmackerel #kingfish #treblehooksandwire #gofast #contenderboatsofficial #mercurymarine
#daiwa #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #offshorefishing #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #fishtoeat #costasunglasses #beaufort #beaufortnc #emeraldislenc #crystalcoast #crystalcoastnc #waterdogguideservice
Aug 14
Pete deserves a lot of credit for crushing this big gag - expertly anticipating the bite from a nervous bite and ripping him out of the rocks. One of my boats best gags of the year (so far). Upper 30”s and mid 20lbs. He even had a big scamp on the previous drop! I was particularly jealous of the pics I got of it topped with a fresh fruit salsa…
#grouper #offshorefishing #beaufort #beaufortnc #emeraldislenc #emeraldislenc #moreheadcitync #atlanticbeachnc #contenderboats #mercurymarine #mercury #daiwa #zmanfishing #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #costasunglasses #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #waterdogguideservice
Aug 1
A bit a unicorn for us here in central NC - a keeper red grouper! Let us hope it’s a sign of good things to come as red grouper used to be a very reliable catch for us here.
#mercurymarine #daiwa #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #grouper #redsnapper #offshorefishing #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #fishtoeat #costasunglasses #beaufort #beaufortnc #emeraldislenc #crystalcoast #crystalcoastnc #waterdogguideservice
Jul 31
Baybeeeee #redfish. This little guy ate a jig nearly his own size this morning- it was intended for a trout. A lot of people ask me about the size and age of drum in the marsh. For the most part we are targeting juveniles - a fish like this is an “age zero” which was spawned probably sept last year. Typically under -slot fish are just that - under a year. This time of year a 2yr old fish will be low to mid/slot, and a 3 year old fish will be upper alot to just over. A fish that’s over? Well they can be quite old - their growth rate slows considerably once they reach maturity in the low 30”s.
#findyourwild #inshorefishing #outdoorwomen #seewhatsoutthere #rapala #daiwafishing #finsfishing #templeforkoutfitters #simrad #minnkota #contenderboats #speckledtrout #redfish #inshorefishing #beaufortnc #atlanticbeachnc #emeraldislenc #crystalcoast #crystalcoastnc #waterdogguideservice
Jul 28
The circle of life.
Carnivores.
This 12lb dolphin had a much smaller dolphin in its stomach. They grow quick and rarely turn down a meal….even if it’s one of their own.
#contenderboats #contenderboatsofficial #mercurymarine #daiwa #templeforkoutfitters #costa #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #fishtoeat #crystalcoastnc #beaufortnc #beaufort #offshorefishing #mahi #kingmackerel #waterdogguideservice
Jul 20
The nearshore live bait trolling bite has been quite good this summer - a good king mackerel bite and a steady number of dolphin almost every trip as well as amberjack, cudas and the occasional cobia. This day - we absolutely crushed the dolphin with several double headers, even a couple on poppers - boating double digits. Awesome work boys!
#contenderboats #contenderboatsofficial #mercurymarine #daiwa #templeforkoutfitters #costa #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #fishtoeat #crystalcoastnc #beaufortnc #beaufort #offshorefishing #mahi #kingmackerel #waterdogguideservice
Jul 19
Red Snapper mini season, day 2/2. Started off rough but not as rough as yest - did a comfortable 30kt in the #contenderboats 28T. Blew up at 12, go quite rough on the way in. Thankfully our fishing was over quickly - in 30 mins we had our two reds and a keeper gag. Mirror image of our catch yesterday. Beautiful day on the water - I just cannot get over how much of a battleship my contender is - doing things I could never dream of doing! #mercurymarine #daiwa #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #grouper #redsnapper #offshorefishing #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #fishtoeat #costasunglasses #beaufort #beaufortnc #emeraldislenc #crystalcoast #crystalcoastnc #waterdogguideservice
Jul 15
Red Snapper mini-season day 1. It was rough. Like always. But the Contender 28T does amazing things. We got our snapper, a nice gag and headed in early. #contenderboats #contenderboatsofficial #mercurymarine #daiwa #templeforkoutfitters #costa #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #fishtoeat #crystalcoastnc #beaufortnc #beaufort #offshorefishing #redsnapper #grouper #waterdogguideservice
Jul 15
I never post dead fish photos….but when it’s red snapper mini-season, and it’s blowing 20 out of the SW, I feel that’s sort of the point. It was a good day. A better dinner awaits us. #redsnapper #offshorefishing #bottomfishing #grouper #daiwa #templeforkoutfitters #contenderboatsofficial #mercurymarine #beaufort #beaufortnc #moreheadcity #emeraldisle #emeraldislenc #crystalcoast #crystalcoastnc #findyourwild #seewhatsoutthere #waterdogguideservice
Jul 14
Scamp! Every one in a while I get to catch one..My absolute favorite grouper to eat.
#grouper #offshorefishing #beaufort #beaufortnc #emeraldislenc #emeraldislenc #moreheadcitync #atlanticbeachnc #daiwa #zmanfishing #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #costasunglasses #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #waterdogguideservice
Jun 13
We finally got some good weather, and I was able to get out and do some offshore bottom fishing in the #contenderboats 28T. Marsh had a killer day - he got a big scamp, finally got his bucket list fish - a keeper cobia, and we landed a bunch of graysby, limit of Beeliners, tons of jacks and descended some very large American Reds. More stories later. Incredible day! #grouper #redsnapper #offshorefishing #beaufort #beaufortnc #emeraldislenc #emeraldislenc #moreheadcitync #atlanticbeachnc #daiwa #zmanfishing #templeforkoutfitters #finsbraid #costasunglasses #seewhatsoutthere #findyourwild #waterdogguideservice
Jun 11
