Anybody ever camp on Portsmouth island??

PPosey

Twelve Pointer
Instead of going to Ocracoke for a week I am thinking of Camping on Portsmouth,, Just me and the son, what say ye? any experience there?

I know that It's down there, no nothing, and I kinda like that thought.

And we would be fishing, alot... Sometime in June
 
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Blackwater

Twelve Pointer
Probably fun but at my age I'd rather start the day with a cup of coffee overlooking Silver Lake, watch the tourists who read too many travel mags and avoid being eaten alive by black gnats. Have always wanted to go over to Portsmouth but could never interest my wife in doing so.
 

quackNcluck

Six Pointer
If you are planning a trip in June be prepared to be taken away with green flies and mosquitoes. I went in July about 3 years ago and it was the worst fishing trip I have ever been on. 100 degree days and a nonstop battle against insects ruined the trip, with only 1 keeper flounder and 1 keeper red drum to show for it. I'd keep looking if I were you
 

Pirate96

Twelve Pointer
Never stayed overnight on Portsmouth and not made it much further south then the village and beach directly across the tidal flats from there.

Can imagine it would be like how camping was done 300 years ago. Certainly take your bug spray. The green heads and mosquitoes are legendary on Portsmouth.
 

Pirate96

Twelve Pointer
well Ok then,,, I figured that the bugs would not be to bad on the beach,,, :confused:

Based on my experience if the wind is blowing on the beach it is not bad. If you are in the tidal flats watch out.

That is extensive experience over years up and down the Outer Banks. Watch out for the large size of pests on Portsmouth in the tidal flats.
 

PPosey

Twelve Pointer
We would be on the beach almost all of the time.... are the bugs there lots worse than Ocracoke?
 

Pirate96

Twelve Pointer
We would be on the beach almost all of the time.... are the bugs there lots worse than Ocracoke?


Yes, because they do not spray on Portsmouth to prevent them! They are bigger and more plentiful.

Once you make the beach as long as the winds are blowing from the ocean side it should be fine.
 

nchunter

Twelve Pointer
I stayed there many times, longest stretch was 10 days, but I had a truck camper. Always have a great time.
If the wind is coming from the dunes the bugs can be really bad.
Only time I was almost eaten alive was the time I decided to go check out the village. Drove as far as I could then walked into the village. I was spraying Deep Woods OFF constantly and it did no good. I think they like it.
 

hunthard2

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I went a long time ago in October (or maybe September) i believe. Can't say how bad the bugs were or how the overall experience was to the men of the group. I was a boy, and I was in fishing, camping, no showers and beenie weenie heaven for 4 days. Got a cooler full of drum and had the time of my life...can't wait to talk a few of my friends into going down




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PPosey

Twelve Pointer
ABSO-DAMN-LUTELY!!!!!! Be sure to keep a couple of IV blood packs handy. You'll need it!

I survived the Wonder Lake Blood Bank, Alaska,, those flying in formation and wall to wall skeeters seemed to have a taste for O-,, but I do not think the son would care for it and I would rather avoid if I could.
 

waymoe1

Ten Pointer
worst blood sucking insects in the world!! but they do have cabins to rent to i think. go give it a try at least you would have some good stories
 

hunthard2

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
worst blood sucking insects in the world!! but they do have cabins to rent to i think. go give it a try at least you would have some good stories

You are right about the cabins...at least when I went


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PPosey

Twelve Pointer
Yes I looked at the cabins, it's a thought, we will research some more, looking for something a little different than the usual week at Ocracoke,,,,,,, figured I could save a few bucks as well and get farther away from the world at the same time
 

mumbo_Pungo

Banned
Have camped on Cape Lookout for many years. Its the island just south of portsmouth island. In the late spring and summer the bugs will be terrible if you are out of the wind. Also a good idea to have some way to provide shade, it will be hot. Best times of year in my opinion are mid April through late May and then mid October through mid November. Nice weather and great fishing those times of year. Nothing beats being out on those islands fishing a hole with no one around for miles.
 

davidson county

Eight Pointer
also. take everything with you. there is nothing there. no lights, roads to say ( sand trails) stores of any kind. double up on everything you think you need. that said, it is one of the greatest places to be. away from the city and towns, people and traffic. back to the slow life. to me time almost stands still. no place to be or go, but everything to see and enjoy. camping out under the stars. listen to the waves crash. sitting around a fire spending time with those you are with. yes, if the wind is not blowing, bugs come out. but man, it is a great time to enjoy life on one of the islands,
 

PPosey

Twelve Pointer
Sounds good but buggy! Will be another month before I can go anywhere,, sounds like it would be a great place to spend spring break one year!

and thanks 1 shot hope you catch some nice fish
 
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nekkedducker

Ten Pointer
Never been myself, but have always heard go in late fall early winter for the reasons mentioned above. My dad would tell horror stories of him and a bunch of his buddies going for a weekend back in the 70s and 80s. One particular story was about the one friend who always had 12 too many to drink and would pass out in the chair. When they went to check on him the mosquitoes were so thick on his face it looked like he had grown a beard. They would wake him up and try to move him in the tent and his response was "Oh it'll be alright, they'll get full eventually."
 

81toyota

Twelve Pointer
I go every year. Been in spring summer and fall. We normally get a cabin and stay a week. Skeeters and green heads are horrible. If you tent camp set up on the water side of the dunes. Keep a lot of dryer sheets handy and on you they help with the skeeters and green heads alot.

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1SHOT1KILL

Old Mossy Horns
Hey PPosey, spent last Thursday - Sunday down on PI and the green heads were out during the day and skeeters were out at night. We stayed in a cabin so I can't tell you a whole lot about the insects in the dunes, but I imagine that they are just as bad as they are at the cabins. I use Walmart brand aerosol tropical dry tanning oil (cheaper than Hawaiian tropic) and this really works for keeping the green heads off of you. Spray your legs and feet down with that stuff and you might get one every now and then that may land on you but they leave immediately and don't bite you. Been using that stuff for the past 10 years or so and it works better than Off or Repel bug spray. Mo's OBX Skeeter Beater works pretty good as well for keep skeeters and green heads off you but might be hard to find around these parts.

Fishing was kind of slow. We fished from as far south from the cabins as you can go up to about ramp 10. Caught some nice size whitings, a few decent sized croakers, a few 12"-15" grey trout, and a couple slot puppy drum. Caught enough to have a real good fish fry Saturday night for our party of 7 and send some fish home with one of the guys that don't get to go but maybe once a year. Didn't get into any big drum or big blues, in fact didn't catch a single blue this trip which I found very odd. Water was dirty, especially the further north we went, but was clearer out 100yds-200yds off shore.

That was my first trip over to PI, but I think I like Lookout better, when it comes to the cabins (no sharing a duplex cabin) and the water is generally deeper down there and Outlook has the point and the jetty. Wish we could have gotten all the way down to drum inlet, but the new drum inlet that cut last couple miles of the southern part of PI off a few years ago, prevents that. On Saturday there was influx of new folks that came onto PI and by 6pm on Saturday they had the beach between ramp 16 to 14 tore up so bad you couldn't hardly do 15mph. That morning there were only 3-4 sets of ruts as we headed north, came back that evening and there wasn't a square foot that didn't have tire tracks on it and they had been doing doughnuts and crap like that on the beach. Man that made for rough going. Never encountered that on Lookout.
 

ibgreen

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
The last time I was there I had two mosquitoes carry me away. Luckily for me, a really big mosquito chased them away allowing me to break free and escape........... I have not camped there, only stayed in the cabins in the spring. It's an awesome place.
 

PPosey

Twelve Pointer
Thanks for the info 1Shot, James and I are keeping it in mind,, and I will get some of the Walmart brand aerosol tropical dry tanning oil for sure, guess I could put it on over the SPF50 ? already have a couple of patches of skin removed so gotta keep on the SPF
 

PPosey

Twelve Pointer
The last time I was there I had two mosquitoes carry me away. Luckily for me, a really big mosquito chased them away allowing me to break free and escape........... I have not camped there, only stayed in the cabins in the spring. It's an awesome place.

Yep, we carried big handguns in Alaska for the skeeters,,, people just think they are for the bears.. I found that birdshot out of a 357 would take out enough of the swarm to give you a fighting chance when you were cornered
 

1SHOT1KILL

Old Mossy Horns
Thanks for the info 1Shot, James and I are keeping it in mind,, and I will get some of the Walmart brand aerosol tropical dry tanning oil for sure, guess I could put it on over the SPF50 ? already have a couple of patches of skin removed so gotta keep on the SPF

Yes, you can spray it on right over any SPF-50. It comes in SPF-10 but I wish it had a lot more. Like I said, the green heads will buzz around you but not land on you except for the most persistent ones, but the will land and immediately get off you. Just re-apply ever 2 hours or so (more often if you go swimming). I always take about 4 cans with me whenever I am head to any beach. Yeah, PI and Lookout are about the same as far as skeeters and green heads go, but I see more of the black flies on Lookout than on PI. That dry tanning oil works great on all the bugs.
 
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