Fin 'n Feather: Cape Lookout 2010

Where We Went:
South Core Bank (a/k/a Davis Island), Cape Lookout National Seashore

Time to Slow Down

What We Caught:
Flounder, Bluefish, Florida Pompano, some Puffers and one Toad:

Now that there is one UGLY fish!
(But excellent eating.)

Things We Learned (In No Particular Order):

That commercial ferry operators generally don't like it when you pull into their parking lot at 1:52 PM for a 2:00 sharp ferry reservation. (The drive from Winston-Salem to Davis is farther than it looks.) And still have to pack one truck into the other.
Air mattresses, while certainly more comfortable than hard sand, do tend to get a little chilly after three am.
High tide at four am is noisy.
That we have a lot to learn about reading the surf and finding good places to set up for fish.
King's BBQ, Kinston, NC: New favorite fishing food. Goes great with eggs, too.
The minimum length for a tent stake is 18". Otherwise, expect that you will have a large kite.
Proper rationing of sunscreen: one-half bottle per person per day. SPF 30 is just getting started.
It is not the quality of rods you set out (though there is a certain minimum threshold), it is the quantity.
Even the dogs don't like the NPS drinking water on the island.
There is plenty of bait in the sea, you just have to go find it - but you must also have the proper hooks to catch it.
Fillet knives, fish scalers, rubber gloves, kitchen shears, and cutting boards - these items should not be considered optional.
Boot-foot chest waders and ten-weight fly rods - while these items are in fact optional, I want both.
There is not enough bug spray in the world.
Do not expect to stop for lunch. Especially while the fishing is good.

Looking to the Future.
Andrew and I agreed on two things very early on: first, that we were coming back, and second, that we should treat the trip as a scouting expedition for future trips. Therefore, think about this:

Late in October, starting on the Sunday after the Tennessee-Alabama game, for at least three nights (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday).

One of the 8- or 10-Man NPS Cabins,
with a second one to the right.
We hope to get one of the NPS cabins reserved (a six man for four people, and eight for six, etc.). Should come to ~$125/person for the trip.
Out-of-staters should look into flights in and out of Jacksonville, NC (will need to coordinate flights and getting a rental car, which will then be left at the ferry landing).
If we have more than four people we will need at least two 4WD vehicles, meaning we need a second.
Expect a couple of dogs.
While we need to make reservations no later than March 1, there is no need to say yes/no until Christmas at the earliest.