History - Our Legacy of Outer Banks Fishing and Boatbuilding

The Fishing Tilletts

By Neal, John and Jim Conoley
Authors of Carolina Flare: Outer Banks Boatbuilding and Sportfishing Heritage

The North Carolina Outer Banks is a unique environment defined by narrow inlets, shifting shoals, and wave-tossed waters. This region is recognized around the world as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic," but the features that make the Outer Banks foreboding also make it a fisherman's paradise. Stretching far into the Atlantic Ocean, the Outer Banks reaches toward the Gulf Stream, where rich, cold currents sweep in from the North Atlantic and collide with warm, tropical waters flowing up from the south. Offshore anglers know this spot as "Gamefish Junction."

Outer Bankers are no less diverse than their environment. For generations, residents have adapted to life on this narrow strip of sand and their tenacity and resilience are renowned. Oregon Inlet, the northernmost inlet along the Outer Banks, serves as a gateway to the Gulf Stream. It is also the homeport for a legendary family of charter captains, "The Fishing Tilletts."

Since the 1920s, Sam, Chester, Omie and Tony Tillett have provided leadership to one of the world's top charter fleets. A local saying succinctly acknowledges their accomplishments when it professes: "If you ain't fishin' with a Tillett, then you ain't fishin'."

I share a passion for the outdoors and a love of the Outer Banks with my two sons, Jolm and Jim. As we made plans to spend time together on a billfishing trip at Oregon Inlet, we inadvertently stumbled across a great idea. You know the kind, one that clicks the moment you hear it. In retrospect, we experienced a revelation, maybe even an epiphany, because our brilliant flash transformed a long-awaited fishing trip into a journey that led straight to the heart of North Carolina's sportfishing heritage.

Having already booked Captain Tony Tillett and the Carolinian for the full moon in August, we wanted to share our prime time excursion with three like-minded fishermen. As we pondered our short list of candidates, John suggested that we invite Captain Omie Tillett, Tony's older brother, who retired from charter fishing in 1997. Good idea, Omie would enjoy a day on the water with Tony and we would get to fish with two friends and sportfishing icons.

Not to be outdone, Jim quickly proposed that we also invite Captain Sunny Briggs and Captain Bobby Scarborough to join us. Now we had a great plan. Just think, over 175 years of sportfishing experience on one boat and, better yet, all good friends. Even if we didn't catch a fish, imagine the stories.

Word was spread among the four captains that we were planning a fishing trip in their honor, jokingly called the "Legends of Sportfishing." Everyone seemed excited and final arrangements were made. Only one detail remained: who was going to bring the traditional bucket of fried chicken? When Captain Briggs volunteered for this important task, we were set.

On the day of our trip, we were up VERY early and determined to be first on the dock. What were we thinking? Somehow it felt more like late night instead of early morning but when we got to the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, it was already rocking. Captain Tony Tillett and his hard-working mate, Jordan Croswait, were onboard the Carolinian and busily preparing for the trip.

As if on cue, Captain Briggs and Captain Scarborough appeared out of the darkness. Within moments, calls from other captains and mates began to ring out. "Mornin' Sportsman," and "Welcome back, Captain," signaled that Omie was once again where he belongs.

Around these parts, Captain Omie Tillett is known as "Sportsman" after the boat he fished for forty years. He had not been offshore since his retirement and we were overwhelmed as we watched his return. Omie humbly acknowledged every person that greeted him and it was easy to see why he is a revered member of the fishing community.

No one knew quite what to say until Sunny asked his good friend and mentor, "Well Captain, how does it feel to be back?"

His reply was classic Omie. "Ya' know Sunny, all fishermen are brothers and it feels like I'm home."

After a few hugs and quips about the fried chicken, the Carolinian was loaded and we slipped out of the harbor just ahead of the fleet. As soon as Tony made a sharp turn around the first channel marker, we were treated to a spectacular lunar eclipse high over Pamlico Sound. We marveled aloud at our good fortune and at the incredible wonders of nature.

Upon reflection, the eclipse might have been a harbinger that this day was going to be special, one that we will cherish forever. It no longer mattered that we were with four of the best captains ever to fish along the North Carolina coast. We were among friends and we were going fishing. It didn't get any better than this.

As Tony steered his beautiful Carolina sportfishing boat under the Oregon Inlet Bridge, we talked about the early days of boatbuilding and charter fishing. A lifelong friend of Tony's and a superb boatbuilder from Wanchese, Billy Holton, crafted this Carolinian. She is Tony's fourth boat by the same name and she advances a sportfishing tradition that began in the early-1960s. My, how things have changed.

Unfortunately, our discussion was interrupted as we began to sway in rapidly building seas. Even in the dim pre-dawn light, we could see white water all around and we knew we were in the heart of Oregon Inlet. Thankfully, the weather was calm and we quickly crossed into the rolling swells of the ocean.

As we settled in for a two-hour ride to our fishing destination some 50 miles to the northeast, we prodded Omie to talk about his family. In order to fully appreciate the Tillett's impact on the history of sportfishing, we asked him to begin in the mid-1920s when the Outer Banks was isolated and sparsely populated. He described how visitors faced a challenging journey filled with ferry rides, narrow wooden bridges and sand roads. Once on the banks, driving on the hard sand beach between high tide and low tide was the fastest way to travel. For the adventurous sportsman who made the trip, their reward was excellent waterfowl hunting in the winter and fabulous fishing in the summer.

Omie reminisced about his dad, Sam "Sambo" Tillett, who began his remarkable sportfishing career in 1925. Like other young men on the Outer Banks, Sam grew up hunting and fishing in the vast marshes and tidal flats around Oregon Inlet. He developed a reputation as self-sufficient, resourceful and hard working and he quickly learned the subtle rhythms of life on the water.

Sam's brother, Chester Tillett, was also a hunter and fisherman. Like most in the Tillett family, he had an innate understanding and appreciation for life on the Outer Banks.

Chester began his sportfishing career as an inshore guide taking parties around Pamlico Sound in search of striped bass. Omie recalled many days spent fishing with Chester on his square stem boat, the Sam and Omie. Based on Omie's recollections, Chester was not only a great fisherman but he was the ultimate practical joker and a fantastic storyteller.

During the early 1930s, word spread about the enormous schools of huge channel bass that "turned the waters red" around Oregon Inlet. In 1928 a local fishing guide, Captain Horace Dough, distributed a series of articles to newspapers in Norfolk, Baltimore, and New York proclaiming Oregon Inlet as the "Red Drum Capital of the World." He included photos of fishermen with one-day catches of channel bass weighing over 2,000 pounds. Soon fishermen started arriving on the Outer Banks for a chance to catch these "bulldogs of the sea."

Local hunting guides were pressed into taking fishing parties even though many thought it was a waste of time. Sam and Chester Tillett however, saw the potential of charter fishing and they were among the first to advertise their fishing guide service.

Sam modified his round stem shad boat, Waterwitch, by adding "parlor chairs," hand-lines, bamboo rods and reels with thumb drags to his assortment of crude trolling spoons and jigging feathers. In addition to the Sam and Omie, Chester also fished on the Spur and the Tony. Their fee for a party of six, including bait, tackle and ice, was a whopping $10 per day.

Omie Tillett was born in 1929 and he also expressed an interest in sportfishing at an early age. When he was only 10 years old, Omie baited hooks, tended lines and cleaned fish on his dad's boat. He acknowledged, however, that his most important lessons were learning about people.

In 1937, Sam Tillett opened a small restaurant in Nags Head called Sambo's. Patrons could enjoy an early breakfast, book a charter fishing trip and relax after a day on the water. Sam also saw the restaurant as a way to generate interest in fishing and to consolidate the booking process.

In 1949, Sam included Omie in his business and he changed the name of his restaurant to Sam and Omie's. It was a big success and it continues to operate by this same name in its original Nags Head location.

After World War II, the Outer Banks became more accessible and charter fishing began to evolve. In 1949 Omie started taking fishing parties on his round stem shad boat named Jerry Jr. He realized that charter fishing could provide a living during the summer, but what about winter? The answer was simple.. . build boats.

Charter captains were venturing farther offshore and they needed larger and faster fishing vessels. To compound this challenge, their boats needed to be economical to construct and to operate.

Captain Warren O'Neal and Captain Omie Tillett responded when they collaborated on the first North Carolina built charter boat that incorporated a flared bow, broken sheer line and a deep-vee forward hull. With the launching of Sportsman in 1961, the Carolina-style was born.

Omie talked about the early years and their approach to boatbuilding. "When something broke, we fixed it. When we needed something, we made it. We had no other option.. ." This utilitarian philosophy is fundamental in the evolution of Carolina-style sportfishing boats.

Tony Tillett, the youngest of Sam's three children, was born in 1940. He carried his first charter party in 1949 and he remembers that day well. "Daddy made me stand on two drink crates, one stacked on top of the other. I could barely see over the wheel but Daddy said to follow him and to fish close by. All day we yelled back-and-forth as he checked to make sure I was okay. I had already been out with him many times so I knew what to expect."

In 1951, Sam Tillett helped lead the small, fledgling charter fleet from a narrow canal along the road between Manteo and Nags Head, called Dykstra's Ditch, to a tidal creek much closer to Oregon Inlet. This new location is now the site of the famous Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. Sam and Chester Tillett provided much of the leadership and vision that are important to the heritage of sportkishing on the Outer Banks. During their - lengthy careers, they built a remarkable legacy that has only been enhanced by Omie and Tony.

We were so engaged in our discussions that we lost track of time. When Tony slowed the Carolinian, we realized we were in the Gulf Stream and we remembered why we were there. Jordan already had the baits rigged and suddenly we were fishing.

A teaser dredge of ballyhoo and soft plastic swimming baits was situated in the aft rodholder and a chain of green squid was deployed on each of the long outriggers. Skirted ballyhoos were positioned in a short, medium and long-range pattern to complete the spread. Our plan, if we were lucky, was to tease a marlin to the boat and then drop a rigged ballyhoo back to the excited fish. We were prepared for stand-up fishing with light tackle. The table was set. C'mon fish!

In a flash, Captain Scarborough was on the bridge. With all these captains onboard, the possibility for a mutiny was real. Fortunately, Captain Scarborough and Tony only sat and reminisced about the good ol' days as they intently scanned the ocean for signs of fish.

When Omie joined Tony and Bobby on the bridge, Captain Briggs leaned over and whispered, "That's six of the best eyes on the East Coast. They have seen it all. Why, I bet they can pick out a counterfeit bill at a hundred yards."

Seen it all is right. Captains Omie and Tony Tillett have arguably caught more fish in their combined 100 years of charter fishing experience than almost anyone. In fact, we were all set to hear first-hand accounts describing unbelievable catches of marlin, dolphin and tuna when we asked Omie to talk about his personal bests.

He leaned back and paused while he silently measured his career. His answer was shocking, "You know, I wasn't known for catching many fish ...

What? Captain Omie Tillett not known for catching many fish? Sure, when did that happen?

What Omie said is that we asked the wrong question. The real contribution of the "Fishing Tilletts" cannot be measured in numbers or sizes of fish caught. The thousands of fishermen who have enjoyed an offshore trip on the Spur, Sportsman or Carolinian can judge their impact. The hundreds of mates trained by Sam, Chester, Omie and Tony that are now charter captains all over the world can attest to their talents. The Oregon Inlet fleet, ranked among the best anywhere, has evolved because of their leadership. And, the beautiful Carolina-style sportfishing boats can be traced to their skills as craftsmen and boatbuilding innovators. Lesson learned.

We trolled and ate chicken and trolled and ate more chicken. Omie and Sunny were wound up as they shared some of their fondest fishing memories and legendary practical jokes.

Sunny described an "epoxy glue" trick he played on fellow fisherman, Lee Perry; the unlucky bananas someone strategically hid all over his charter boat, Sea Fever; and, the proverbial hot-foot Chester gave anyone who tried to take a nap while fishing.

Omie innocently told about how he once rigged a freshwater washdown switch on the bridge of the Sportsman so he wouldn't have to climb the ladder so much. His mate, now a well-known captain, enjoyed playing practical jokes on others and Omie wanted to teach him a little humility.

On a return trip from offshore, Omie watched from the bridge as his mate rinsed the deck, turned off the water and neatly coiled the hose in its place. He realized this was the perfect opportunity and he flipped his washdown switch. The hose promptly sprang to life and sprayed everyone on deck. The startled mate eventually regained control of the hose and as soon as he did, Omie turned the water off.

Puzzled, but undaunted, the mate meticulously coiled the hose-monster back in its place. When he finished, Omie switched the water on again and the hose erupted. This time the mate dove on top of it and looked up at Omie in disbelief.

"Must be a faulty switch," Omie hollered. "Try hitting the gunwale to loosen it up." The mate obliged and, sure enough, it worked.

All summer the mate ceremoniously slapped the gunwale before and after he used the hose, often having to explain the odd ritual to inquisitive fishing parties.

At the year-end Captain's Banquet, the mate was recognized for his outstanding efforts and he was awarded a section of water hose. Everyone roared but he still didn't get it until he was told about the switch on the bridge. Even though Omie apologized, the mate still recalls this lesson and how it changed his perspective about practical jokes.

The stories continued to flow with one leading to a string of others and we laughed until our sides hurt.

In an instant, it was three o'clock and time to head for port. We were all on deck to enjoy the last few minutes of fishing and, as Jordan pulled the teasers onboard, we took one long last look at the beautiful blue waters. We knew that this opportunity might not come our way again and we wanted to savor each moment.

The ride back to Oregon Inlet was amazingly quiet as everyone reflected on the day. We learned a lot about fishing, boatbuilding and history but we especially learned about people. Honest, hard-working, salt-of-the-earth people with rich family traditions.

We gained a first-hand appreciation for the integrity and character of the Tillett family and we understood why they made such a tremendous impact on North Carolina's offshore sportfishing heritage.

Our return was bittersweet even though family and friends were at the dock to greet us. As soon as the Carolinian came to rest, we were assaulted with a verbal barrage. What did you catch? What did you catch?

They didn't get it either. Like us, they were asking the wrong question. Even though we did release a blue marlin and two sailfish, our catch was not an adequate measure of the trip. We knew it was much more than that. It was about people. It's always about people and the "Fishing Tilletts" are definitely the right kind of people!

Marlin Mag 2001

Captain Buddy Cannady

The Outer Banks has its share of colorful seafaring characters. Buddy Cannady definitely qualifies as one of them. A charter captain and former duck-hunting guide, Cannady has a shop in Manteo that builds one boat per year - built his way.

Cannady's boats take about 25 weeks to build, and the process provides employment for a number of charter crews that don't fish over the winter months.

The method of construction is called jig building - one of the oldest shipbuilding methods known to man. Cannady sinks heavy posts into an absolutely level floor and takes all the levels from that. His plans, sketched on grubby pieces of plywood at a simple 1-inch-to-1-foot scale, sit in a pile on a sawdust-laden shelf.

Though it may not sound like a sophisticated operation, Cannady's boats are in huge demand. Of course, Cannady doesn't care. He's still going to build just one per year and fish during the summer. No one dances to the beat of his own drum better than he.

Cannady's boats are meant for charter work. They're not fancy or flashy. But anyone who can recognize real beauty in stark simplicity and functionality will instantly fall in love with Cannady's hulls. Boats like the 56-foot Easy Rider, Cannady's newest model, have enormous room below with plenty of storage for rods, tackle, bait freezers and the like. Open interiors offer little privacy except for the head.

Easy Rider boasts twin diesel power since her captain and owner, David Graham, plans to fish the Bahamas and other exotic locales when not after Oregon Inlet's tuna and white marlin. However, most Cannady boats get a single diesel. When you fish 150 days each year, the cost and operation of a boat must be a nickel-and-dime affair. For that reason, the design and construction plays to the pocketbook. The keelson fits inside the hull instead of outside for less drag and better fuel efficiency. The hull consists of juniper frames and normal marine plywood. The bulkheads all go in while the boat is being framed so it all locks together. Then the planking goes over the outside, rather than putting the walls in last and having to tab them in.

Everything is simple, clean and functional - there's no mistaking that this is a workboat. As Cannady says, "They're good enough for those who use them."

Marlin Mag October 12, 2001

Captain Omie Tillett

Starting each day en route to the fishing grounds off North Carolina's Oregon Inlet without Omie Tillett's daily prayer just won't seem right. For years, the 68-year-old charter skipper and boatbuilder has seldom missed leading a sunrise invocation over the VHF, thanking the Lord for another day on the water and praying for everyone's safety. Tillett's daily prayer has held fleet-wide attention since 1990, but his influence on the region's fishermen goes back half a century.

Now, however, Tillett is retiring.

Tillett's accomplishments are many and varied. He's been a restaurateur (built in 1950, his seafood restaurant is still named Sam and Omie's), built sport-fishing boats (still in use and considered outstanding) and, of course, ran charters, seldom missing a day on the water. Superseding those accomplishments, though, has been the skipper's mastery of the sea, gentle nature and genuine care for those around him.

One of the Outer Banks' best-known and -loved skippers, Tillett made a lasting impression on a generation of anglers, mates and captains. Someone may come along and take over his 6:30 a.m. prayer service, but no one will replace Omie.

Virginian Pilot
Wanchese Waterman Ending Long Career of Guiding Anglers
Charter Captain Omie Tillett Spent 50 Years at Sea
November 1, 1997

By Lane Degregory and Bob Hutchinson, Staff Writers

Scanning iridescent Atlantic, Omie Tillett squints behind dark glasses. The sun is starting to float from the sea. The craggy captain is searching for a sign. "There's a board out here. We'll try that," he calls from the cockpit of his 53-foot boat. "These fish'll lay around anything floating. You boys get your bait up." Ten minutes later, a 40-pound tuna bounces across the back deck.

Omie Tillett knows how to find fish.

For 50 years, this Wanchese waterman has carried charter parties into the Gulf Stream. He's helped anglers catch king mackerel and sailfish and 700-pound blue marlin. Six days a week, he's awoken at 3 a.m., dressed in the dark and spent 12 hours on the Atlantic.

Now, the Old Man of Oregon Inlet is about to retire.

He wants to slow down, he says. Travel to Florida for a church revival. Take his wife rockfishing under the bridge in his little boat. "Comes a time you have to lay down your life's work," says Tillett, 68, who was named Captain of the Year this week by the Oregon Inlet fishing mates. "Leave it for the young people. Take time for yourself."

Tillett has spent the past half-century giving to others. He and his dad started a small fleet of boats that took the first group of people fishing offshore. He taught at least 10 of Oregon Inlet's captains and mates how to tie lines when they were boys. He built seven sleek 53-foot boats by hand.

From Buddy Davis Boats History

North of Hatteras on the Outer Banks , is Roanoke Island and the towns of I Manteo and Wanchese. Commercial fishing and shellfishing were the area's primary means of commerce and although the neighboring town of Nags Head has recently experienced a boom as a tourist-oriented beach community, Roanoke retains much of its original flavor and close ties to the sea.

The boats built here are as much a reflection of the Outer Banks as they are a reflection of the men who build them. The remote nature of Roanoke in the 1950s and 1960s created a strong bond between the charter captains, many of I whom built boats in the winter, and their unique environment. The captains built boats that were designed to surf Oregon Inlet, take the headseas on the way offshore, and come home as economically I as possible. Of the seven major custom I builders making Carolina boats on Roanoke today, all owe the origin of |their design to O'Neal's Boat Works, founded by Warren O'Neal in 1959.

O'Neal's Boat Works was located in Manteo and built three charter boats for Oregon Inlet captains before being contracted strictly for private custom boats in the early 1960s. O'Neal's boats featured 20 degrees of deadrise in the bow and tapered down to an almost flat stern, giving a combination of big sea ability with a good speed-to-fuel economy ratio. Buddy Davis, no small player on the Carolina boat-building scene himself, credits O'Neal as the father of the Carolina sport fishing boats.

"You'd be wrong to say it didn't all begin with Warren," Davis said. The flared bow was taken from some boats being built at Harkers Island, but Warren developed the sharp entry and the flat stern section."

Omie Tillet, a friend of O'Neal's and a fellow charter captain at Oregon Inlet, spent winters fishing for sailfish at Palm Beach and returned to Manteo raving about the Rybovich boats. O'Neal began coating his all juniper hulls with fiberglass in the same manner as Rybovich in the mid-1960s and developed a shear line much like that of the Rybovich design. The hull shape remained strictly in the Carolina fashion and O'Neal's boats began to gain notoriety among fishermen. Around the same time; O'Neal built the first Jersey Devil for Mike Levitt of Philadelphia. Noted angler John Wood, a long-time Rybovich fan, became enamored with O'Neal's performance and more palatable price tag. He commissioned a series of O'Neal boats, all of which he named Olive E.

During these peak years of O'Neal Boat Works, many of today's Roanoke builders learned their trade from O'Neal. Omie Tillet, Sheldon Midgett and Buddy Davis all began their boat building careers under O'Neal's tutelage.

In 1971, Omie fillet founded the famous Sportsman Boat Works at Manteo. Tillet built both charter boats and private boats and his vessels quickly developed a reputation for their strength, I classic lines and fish-catching ability. I Sportsman boats were constructed of juniper in the traditional caned planking fashion and many were tournament winners; Peter Conatas' Mary Cne and Dr. ~ Leroy Allen's Sea Hag are two well-known examples. However, Tille was extremely allergic to epoxy, and decided that a quick return to charter fishing would bring immediate relief to both his skin and his nerves. He sold Sportsman l to his foreman, Tom Daughtry, in 1977, and the yard was moved to Wanchese.

Daughtry, also an Oregon charter captain, has been at the helm of Sportsman ever since, successfully modernizing the yard and its products. Composite construction of encapsulated, multidirectional plywood began in 1986, giving Sportsman boats the speed and ability necessary to compete on today's tournament scene. Currently on tap s an 80-foot sportfisherman and, in a departure from normal construction methods, an aluminum and fiberglass motor yacht.

From 1970 until 1980, former O'Neal protege Sheldon Midgett built a series of custom charter boats in Manteo. The boats were used predominantly by Oregon Inlet and Virginia Beach charter captains who found them to be excellent fish-raisers and very reliable hulls. One of Midgett's employees was a boatbuilder and charter captain named Buddy Davis. Davis would arguably make the largest impact of O'Neal's proteges, building custom boats for 10 years and then forming Roanoke's first production boat yard in 1984.

Davis left Midgett in 1973 to start Buddy Davis Boat Works, then located in Manteo. Davis built one boat in Manteo, then moved to Wanchese in 1974. In 1977, he began to experiment with production design, building two boats out of diagonal juniper. The next year, Davis switched to diagonal mahogany construction in the Rybovich tradition. He built four boats this way before switching to the plyboard cold-molded boats ~at would be the prototype for his production models. Davis admittedly respects the two great custom boat builders of South Florida.

"The plyboard cold mold was very much a Merritt influence. I was always impressed with both Merritt and Rybovich. If anyone tells you that we aren't influenced by Merritt and Rybovich, you're not getting the whole story," Davis said.

In 1983, Davis built a 47-foot boat and a 61-foot boat on a mold using fiberglass with an Airex core. These designs became the foundation of Buddy Davis Yachts in June of 1984. Davis launched his first 47 in July 1985, and has since built 73 47footers and 24 of the larger boats. To say they have been will received by the sporhfishing community is a serious understatement. Buddy Davis Yachts has gained a reputation that places it among the best of production boat companies.

Tucked in behind Buddy Davis Yachts is the shop of another of Roanoke's most prestigious custom builders. Rick Scarborough began his building career with a 17-foot tunnel-hull boat that he used while duck hunting. He founded Scarborough Boats in 1976 and began building 22-foot center console boats out of juniper and fiberglass. Scarborough's first large boat was a 4ffoot boat built in 1978. Since then, he has built a sportfisherman every seven or eight months. In the interest of speed, Scarborough's juniper/glass boats have a little less deadrise in the bow and less vee in the stern than any Roanoke builder.

"Everyone thinks that their way is right," Scarborough explained. "If you don't, you're in the wrong business."

He also has some definite thoughts on construction materials and methods. "I will not build boats on a jig (mold). I just don't feel like they're as good as a boat built from the keel up. I also don't want to go to the plyboard like everyone else. I know it's lighter, but I honestly feel that juniper will outlast plyboard every time," Scarborough said.

Irving Forbes, a one-time mate for Omie Tillet during the charter season, l founded Forbes Boat Works in 1986. Forbes learned the business as foreman for Buddy Davis during the Buddy Davis Boat I Works days and obviously paid attention in class, as his boats are quickly having an impact on the custom boat market. Forbes' boats feature the classic beauty of the Carolina hull and more than hold their own in the
Gulf Stream.

In one charter season at Oregon Inlet, the 53-foot Fintastic and the 50-foot,Forbes Billfisher performed well, finishing second and third respectively in the Oregon Inlet Billfish Tournament and catching more than one very large blue marlin. (900 pounds plus) during the year. Forbes echoes Scarborough when it comes to building boats.

"I like the wood/glass construction, | and I don't plan to build boats on a jig,"Forbes said. 'That's not to say I won't ' ever do it, but I like the way I'm able to keep the boat exactly how I want it"

Gwaltney Boat Works, also located in Wanchese, offers yet another modification of the Carolina design. The company is operated by Steve Gwaltney and his boats feature more hawk in the bow and solid glass construction. The stern, flatter than most Carolina boats, is comparable to Scarborough's design. Gwaltney's boats are some of the fastest sportfishermen available, with speeds approaching
40 miles per hour, but are also very capable in big headseas.

Sonny Briggs, who has been building large sportfishing boats for 10 years, also places major emphasis on speed. He'll build two boats per year, specializing in 37- and 50-foot boats. Briggs built the Shotgun for Peter Pulitzer and the wellknown Diamond Lady with a Carolina design, but built the
El Zorro in the West Coast bow-fishing style.

"I usually do Carolina hulls that are constructed a little differently from the other builders on the island," Briggs explained.

Briggs builds his boats with a cold-molded hull and Philippine mahogany/ glass composite on the bridge. He feels this combination gives him the right mix of strength and speed.

"I feel that the mahogany on the bridge makes it stronger and more rigid than some other boats. I also put a lot of deadrise in the bow because the boats cruise so fast (28 knots) that you need he deadrise for a comfortable ride in any kind of sea," Br gas said.

Where builders like Davis and Briggs took to O'Neal, Rybovich and Merritt as heir main influences, Hatteras Island builder Buddy Smith, of Island Boat Works, combines parts of the Carolina style with many of Jim Smith's ideas. The result is an extremely fast boat with not as much bow flare or deadrise as the typical Roanoke boat. Island has produced seven boats during its six years of operation, including the 57-foot Citation, a 38-knot boat with stock 892s. Buddy Smith's hulls are built of 3/8 inch plywood/Kevlar composite with two lay- I s of Nytex on the outside. The company recently finished a 40-foot boat that tops out at 3&knots with 375 hp Caterpillar diesels for power.

"We really like the 40-footer," Smith id. "It's perfect for people who want to fish without having a captain or crew. With a little more power in her, I think she'd go well over 40 knots."

Manteo builder and Oregon Inlet captain Buddy Cannady follows the old hoot building boats of juniper from the el up. Cannady has more than 80 boats to his credit and will build one boat in the 50-foot range during the winter, fish it for one season, then sel1 it. Like Buddy Smith at Island Boat Works, Cannady admires the speed of the Jim Smith boats.

"It wouldn't be logical for us to fish the flatter boat because we have too much choppy water, but that old boy (Jim Smith) really has it figured out when it comes to going fast. On my new boat, I'm taking a little bit here and there with shaft angles and chine design. Something to make it faster and still be able to fish every day," Cannady said.

"I guess the one constant thing would be the Carolina hull and the fishing at Oregon Inlet," Buddy Davis explained. "At one time, every builder but Ricky was working as a charter captain there. If our boats didn't work, we were out of business."

It is this charter captain's ethic, the cold appraisal of a boat's abilities on days when the horizon acts like a roller coaster, that has tested all Carolina boats. It is a test the boats have passed with flags flying, keeping not only the charter captains in business,
but the boatbuilders of the Outer Banks as well.

From the book Salmon On A Fly
By Author and Legendary Master Fly Fisherman Lee Wulff

Note: Captain Jordan Croswait's great grandfather, Jack Young, was a salmon fishing guide in Newfoundland for Lee Wulf. When told of Lee Wulff's death, Charles Kurault, host of CBS's "Sunday Morning" said " Lee Wulff was to fly fishing what Einstein was to physics."

1940

Jack Young of Georges Bay, Newfoundland, was the finest guide I have ever known. I watched and helped him build a log cabin on a salmon river without his using a single nail or any other hardware. His only tools were his axe and his hunting knife. When the cabin was finished it had walls of peeled spruce and fir logs, a leakproof roof of birch bark covered with sod that immediately started to grow, a door that swung on wooden pins, and four bunks well mattressed with spruce bough tips. Jack was a most courteous man and thoroughly knowledgeable about Newfoundland's hunting and fishing. Besides all that, he could make the finest English muffin-type biscuits that ever came from a campfire.

Jack had never seen a dry fly fished before he guided me on the Serpentine River in 1940. He started out as a disbeliever, then became a convert.

Jack stood beside me on our last day as I fished the Governor's Pool, working over a large salmon we had seen porpoise there a few minutes before. His eyes were on my dry-fly floats as doggedly as were my own. That salmon's first rise was a test of my maturity as a dry-fly angler and, fortunately, I passed it. The big White Wulff had floated time after time over the salmon's lie. Suddenly we saw him materialize under it. . . saw the white of his open mouth and followed the head-and-tail rise through its deliberate pattern. But I saw, too, that although he opened his mouth as the fly came near, the fly was still floating and passing his eye as his mouth closed. My arm was tense, cocked to lift the rod and set the hook, hut I held it still and let the fly drift on to drown in the wash of the swirl his tail made as he sank to his lie again.

Had I whipped the fly away from the salmon's head as it drifted by, I'm sure he would never have risen again. But a few casts later he did, and this time I could see the white fly disappear into his mouth and his jaws close. He was a wild fish, a big male that leaped and leaped, twenty-two times in all, before he came to the tailer and warmed our hearts with the dry Ay's success. It was then that Jack Young stated succinctly what many of us have felt over the years.

"Mr. Wulff," he said, "I don't think there's anything more beautiful in all the world than a salmon's rise to a dry fly."

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Brochure by Captain Horace Dough advertising the excellent channel bass fishing at Oregon Inlet, 1930.

Captain Sam Tillett cleaning a channel bass on the stem of his charter boat, Waterwitch. Wanchese, 1939.

Author and legendary fly fisherman Lee Wulff with 30 lb salmon from the Serpentine River Newfoundland. Captain Croswait's great grandfather Jack Young was his guide, 1940.

The Spur was a charter boat operated by Sam Tillett. Dykstra's Canal, 1947.

Tony Tillett holds a dolphin with help from his brother, Omie. Dykstra's Canal, 1947.

Omie, Tony, Sara Wynne and Sam Tillett pose in a family photo. Manteo, 1948.

Sam Tillett poses with fishermen and channel bass in front of his restaurant. Nags Head, 1950.

Sambo with his youngest son Tony, 1950.

Sam and Omie's Restaurant. Nags Head, 1953.

Captain Omie Tillett with a nice wahoo caught on his charter boat, Jerry, Jr. Oregon Inlet, 1953.

Sam and Tony Tillett pose with two marlin caught on the Spur. Oregon Inlet, 1957.

Tony Tillett. Oregon Inlet, 1950s.

Captain Tony Tillett on his first charter boat Carrov. He changed her name to Carolinian and a long charter fishing career began. Oregon Inlet, 1962.

Omie Tillett backs the Sportsman into her berth beside Chester Tillett's charter boat, Tony. Oregon Inlet, 1963.

Captain Omie Tillett, left, and mate Sunny Briggs, right, with a marlin caught on the Sportsman. Oregon Inlet, 1963.

Captain Tony Tillett brings his first Carolinian to the docks at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. 1964.

Captain Omie Tillett, right, and mate Sunny Briggs with a marlin caught on the Sportsman. Oregon Inlet, 1964.

Captain Omie Tillett, back left, and Captain Chester Tillett, back right, pose with a fishing party and their catch of striped bass. Manns Harbor, 1965.

Tony Tillett, front left, and Omie Tillett, front right, with marlin caught on the Carolinian and the Sportsman. Oregon Inlet, 1972.

Originally named the Mary I, the Barbara B is the last boat built by Omie Tillett. Oregon Inlet, 1974.

Omie Tillett, left, and Tony Tillett, right, pose with the Carolinian they built. Wanchese, 1979.

Captain BC Buddy Cannady and Captain Bobby Croswait 1981

The legends.. . Captains Sunny Briggs, Omie Tillett, Tony Tillett and Bobby Scarborough. Oregon Inlet, 2007.

Captain Omie Tillett

Boatbuilder and Captain BC Buddy Cannady

Captain BC at Cannady BC Boatworks

Boatbuilder and Captain BC Buddy Cannady

BC Boatworks framed up crab boat

Captain BC Buddy Cannady

Buddy Cannady Boatworks

Improvise!

Captain Buddy Cannady Captain of the Year 1982 with son Captain Bobby Croswait

Captain Bobby Croswait

Captain Bobby Croswait

Captain Bobby Croswait with son and future Captain Jordan Croswait

Captain BC Buddy Cannady with grandson and future Captain Jordan Croswait

Left to right: Captain Bobby Croswait, future Captain Jordan Croswait and Captain BC Buddy Cannady,

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