Outer Banks Fishing School | Fishing Instructors

Saltwater Angling
Instruction

Saltwater Sportfishing Instruction

(252) 255-2004 P.O. Box 2525, Kitty Hawk, NC, 7949 info@obxfishingschool.com

OBFS Instructors

Captain Jimmy Hillsman-Offshore, Drum Surf/Pier, OBXROCKFISHING

Jimmy Hillsman is a is U.S. Coast Guard licensed Captain. He is originally from Richmond, Virginia where he began fishing as a young boy on the James River. While a student of Virginia Tech, Jimmy fished the mountains of the Shenandoah Valley. His obsession for bigger and bigger fish led him to the Outer Banks where he worked for TW's Bait and Tackle for a number of years, learning the local methods from the tackle up. Jimmy has worked as a professional offshore mate out of the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center for five years where he has accumulated expertise in catching White and Blue Marlin, Wahoo, Tuna and Dolphin. In the off-season he runs private charters on his 27' center console. Jimmy is a widely recognized and accomplished local expert on surf fishing, pier fishing, inshore fishing from small boats and offshore big game sport fishing. He especially loves catching sight casting for Cobia from his boat and long distance casting for Drum from the piers and surf. Read Jimmy's weekly Outer Banks Fishing School fishing report in "The Mid-Atlantic Fisherman" magazine.

Captain Bryan DeHart -Sound and Backwater Fishing , OBXROCKFISHING

Captain Bryan was born and raised in Dare County. Since 1994 he has been guiding clients throughout eastern North Carolina as owner of Coastal Adventures Guide Service. This experience has led to invitations to television appearances on Carolina Outdoors and ESPN2. In addition to TV appearances, he has written numerous articles on back water and sound fishing in the Roanoke, Croatan, Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds and associated rivers. Captain Bryan has taught numerous fishing schools and seminars and is widely recognized as an authority on Outer Banks Sound fishing. In addition to light spinning tackle, fly fishing is also one of his areas of expertise. Captain Bryan is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed Captain and he holds a degree in Commercial Recreation and Tourism Management from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He and his family reside in Manteo on Roanoke Island.

Captain Dave Rohde -Fly Fishing, Sound Wading

During Captain Dave's fourteen years as a fishing Guide, he spent four of them (1999-2003), as a fly fishing guide in Chile. Captain Dave is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed Captain. He has been a fisherman since his childhood in Seattle where he fished for Trout in his back yard stream. As a young man in San Diego, he started fly fishing in the Sierras . Captain Dave eventualy moved to Oregon where he fly fished for Steelhead and Salmon. In 1987 he moved to the Outer Banks where he continued to pusue his passion for fishing. Since 1994 Captain Dave has been one of just a handful of skilled and successful fly fishing guides in the Oregon Inlet area. He specializes in wading trips around Green Island slough and the salt pond north of the inlet. Captain Dave also takes clients extreme fly and light spinning tackle fishing for False Albecore at Harker's Island. Captain Dave has attended numerous nationaly recognized fishing schools to enhance his knowledge of fishing and his teaching skills.

Eric Burnley- Kayak Fishing

Ric Burnley is a widely published outdoors writer and a Regional Editor at Saltwater Sportsman magazine. An avid kayak fisherman, Burnley has chased nearly every species of saltwater fish that swims within paddling range. His recently released book, The Complete Kayak Fisherman, gives practical advice on outfitting and fishing from a kayak and is illustrated with stories of his experiences as a kayak fisherman. “The best part of writing a book about kayak fishing is the research,” Burnley says, “the hours and hours I spent on the water were a labor of love.”

within paddling range. His recently released book, The Complete Kayak Fisherman, gives practical advice on outfitting and fishing from a kayak and is illustrated with stories of his experiences as a kayak fisherman. “The best part of writing a book about kayak fishing is the research,” Burnley says, “the hours and hours I spent on the water were a labor of love.”

Captain Lee Johnson- Nearshore/Inshore Ocean Fishing

Captain Lee is a third generation captain with twenty years experience fishing out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. His love of freshwater, saltwater, inshore, and offshore fishing has been an important part of his entire life. Fishing has taken him to the waters of Venezuela, Mexico, St. Thomas, the Caribbean, Florida, and Texas where his expertise and skill have helped him win or place in several tournaments. Captain Lee currently operates "Gouger" charters where he offers Nearshore ocean and Sound charters. Lee is looking forward to working with the impressive OBFS staff and sharing his fishing knowledge and experience with participants of The Outer Banks Fishing School.

Al Minter- Surf Fishing, Pier Fishing, Trout Fishing

If you ask the folks at the Nags Head fishing pier who spends the most time fishing the pier and the surf they will tell you Al Minter. Al is retired after thirty years of teaching in the public scool system. He moved to the Nags Head seven years ago after coming here since the 1950's to fish. Al spends over 250 days per year fishing on the pier or in the surf. He holds more citations for Speckled and Grey Trout than he can count. Al has mastered both pier fishing and surf fishing in the OBX and is know for his friendly and helpful personality. Al will be teaching "OBXTROUTFISHING" in the Fall and our "QUICK START SURF FISHING" and "QUICK START PIER FISHING" clinics at TW's during the Summer months.

Captain Mark Peters- Seminar Moderator, Business Manager

Mark Peters is the Business Manager and owner of the Outer Banks Fishing School. He is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed Captain and a multiengine, instrument rated, land and seaplane pilot. He is also a PADI certified scuba diver. During his career, he has been instrumental in the development of several regional and national businesses. Captain Mark has had a passion for fishing all his life and he began fishing the Outer Banks surf as a teenager. Having operated a private boat in the Outer Banks for over two decades, he knows the sound and ocean waters well. In 1994 he and his family purchased a home in Southern Shores, NC (Kitty Hawk). Captain Mark usually can be found on the water fishing the sounds, the nearshore ocean and offshore gulfstream on his boat "NOYZBOYZ" or in the surf.

Captain Jason Peters-Assistant Instructor

Jason is an Eagle Scout and an accomplished saltwater angler. He has been a PADI Certified Scuba Diver since he was thirteen and at the age of eighteen, he earned his U.S. Coast Guard Captain's license. Jason is an avid outdoorsman with over seven hundred miles of backpacking the wilderness, including summitting Mt. Rainier. He is a student at Christopher Newport University where he is an Environmental Sciences major with a strong interest in Marine Biology. Jason has been fishing in the Outer Banks since he could hold a rod and continues to be passionate about sharing his knowledge of the sport. This past summer Jason worked at TW's Bait and Tackle and was welcomed aboard several of the Oregon Inlet offshore charter boats as an observer and mate.