Hampstead
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Trips from
US $400
Captain
Katfish Kayak And Fishing Adventures, Llc
Hampstead, United States
25+ reviews
I have been fishing for as long as I can remember, starting as a toddler and never really stopping. I grew up on the water, up and down the East Coast. I learned about kayak fishing while living out in California, and experienced fishing the Pacific, as well as the Sea of Cortez off of the Baja peninsula. Now that I'm back in North Carolina, I knew that I needed to find a way to share my love of fishing and the ocean with both experienced fishermen as well as folks new to the sport, and a charter and mothership operation seemed like a great way to do it.
Charter
Rating
4.9
40 reviews
4.9
Boat & Equipment
4.9
Captain & Crew
4.8
Fishing Experience
Anglers' gallery (62)
What anglers say
97%
Good experience
100%
Friendly captain
98%
Recommend this charter
100%
Satisfied with the boat
92%
Caught fish
All reviews (40)
Showing 1 – 5 of 40 reviews
Amanda Funk
Texas, US•Member since 20265.0VerifiedSuch a fun trip!
3 Hour Trip – Kids Fun Trip • 3 adultsDecided to pack up the family and head to the coast for a well deserved weekend away. We enjoyed all Wilmington had to offer and on a whim decided we wanted to fish, and not from the pier. Looked around for a bit and was able to find Captain Phillip with Katfish kayak and fishing adventures. It was a last minute decision and I was so thankful when our reservation was accepted. Captain Phillip was able to accommodate our timing needs and even rescheduled when he noticed the weather was going to shift. We were able to get out on the water for the perfect day. The fish were biting and the sun was shining. Captain Phillip knew his stuff and was very friendly and informative. We will definitely book with him again for a longer trip. For our first time on a private vessel it was exceptional. Thank you for the memories!
Reported catch:
Response from CaptainHeya, Amanda, thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you guys had fun, and that you had the flexibility to work around that line of storms. It came together nicely with calm seas and some hungry fish!
Lathan RoseVirginia, US•Member since 20265.0VerifiedFantastic Nearshore!
Half-Day Trip • 4 adultsBeautiful July day water was pretty calm probably 1 to 2 foot chop. We caught 17 Spanish mackerel, eight bluefish, and three or four lizard fish, which we let go. We would have caught a probably 30 to 35 pound kingfish, but he managed to get the line caught in the prop and get away. Overall, fantastic trip was a little hot. Make sure you bring water.
Reported catch:Response from CaptainThanks, Lathan. I had a blast with you guys, and look forward to getting out there with you again!
Jake ReevesNew York, US•Member since 20265.0VerifiedFamily Friendly Fishing
3 Hour Trip – Kids Fun Trip - 3:00 PM • 4 adults • 2 childrenCaught several spanish mackerel when on the ocean. Caught other fish when we adjusted to inshore fishing. Captain Phillip was very accommodating when wife became sea sick and needed to get off of ocean fishing. Captain Phillip was also great with my four and six year old boys who were on their first boat ride.
Reported catch:Response from CaptainThanks, Jake! You guys were great to work with too, even though our weatherman threw us a curveball with the sea conditions. I had a blast with the youngsters. It's always so cool to watch them learn stuff.
Sean PenczakVirginia, US•Member since 20265.0VerifiedPhenomenal Coastal Catch
3 Hour Trip – Kids Fun Trip • 4 adults • 2 childrenThis was a great adventure for my two boys and the family enjoying a beautiful day and catching a half dozen fish. Captain made the day very laid back and enjoyable. while the fish weren’t biting we enjoyed cruising by a dozen dolphins it more! Highly recommended!!!
Reported catch:Response from CaptainGood stuff, Sean! Enjoyed you and your young anglers! Hope to see you again!
Rebeca MorseMassachusetts, US•Member since 20265.0VerifiedBest first fishing trip!
3 Hour Trip – Kids Fun Trip • 3 adults • 1 childCaptain Phillip was wonderful. My 3 year old had a great time and is still talking about how much fun he had and how proud he is of catching a fish. Would highly recommend captain Phillip to families!
Reported catch:
Real catches shared by our community
- Katfish Kayak And Fishing Adventures, LlcHampstead, NC
- Katfish Kayak And Fishing Adventures, LlcHampstead, NC
- Katfish Kayak And Fishing Adventures, LlcHampstead, NC
- Katfish Kayak And Fishing Adventures, LlcHampstead, NC
- Katfish Kayak And Fishing Adventures, LlcHampstead, NC
- Katfish Kayak And Fishing Adventures, LlcHampstead, NC
- Katfish Kayak And Fishing Adventures, LlcHampstead, NC
- Katfish Kayak And Fishing Adventures, LlcHampstead, NC
- Katfish Kayak And Fishing Adventures, LlcHampstead, NC
- Katfish Kayak And Fishing Adventures, LlcHampstead, NC
What's biting with Katfish Kayak And Fishing Adventures, Llc in Hampstead
Top catches for September
Fishing reports
Making the best of a rough day
Aug 7, 2026 • Hampstead
The weather forecaster took a swing and a miss on the weather for Friday evening. While the outlook called for light winds and gentle seas, the reality on the water was a bit of a different story.
With Jake, his wife, Dana, and their boys, Wyatt and Cole (6 and 4 years old, but I can't remember which was which... so I called them Thing 1 and Thing 2), I was a little worried that the choppy seas would be too much. But we made a go of it. Jake had mentioned that he hoped we could see some dolphins, and this time they obliged, feeding in a deep spot behind a sand bar in Topsail sound. It wasn't Marine World, but they put on a pretty good show, slapping their tails and then popping up their heads to look at us. Finally they swam off with the rising tide to hunt the marsh creeks, and we kept moving.
We crossed the bar at Topsail inlet in some sloppy conditions, and it was still kind ugly on the ocean. I did a check-in and everyone wanted to keep going, so I rolled out the lines. I had barely put the first Clark spoon out and was getting the second line when we had our first fish. It turned out to be an undersized Spanish, the first of several we would catch that evening. The boys were pretty tickled, though, and since they were fishing for fun and not to fill the cooler, I don't think it mattered.
Given that this was mostly about the youngsters having fun, and the boat was a little crowded with beanbags and youngsters' stuff, I decided to run just two lines. That was probably a good choice, because even though the fish were small, they were hungry! It was all I could do to get fish off the lines and get them back out before another one was hooked up.
About an hour into the three hour trip (Kids' Trip), mom started feeling a little under the weather, so Jake asked if we could head in to calmer water. Since that's exactly what the Kids' Trips are designed for, I told him we could go inshore, anchor up and fish in the sound for a little while. Or if he'd rather, we could just do a little tour. The kids heard the options and were loudly unanimous... FISH SOME MORE!
We pulled in another small fish, and then something thumped the other line. This was a nicer fish for sure, and Thing 1 did a great job bringing it to the boat. It turned out to be a chunky Spanish and a keeper without a doubt. Since they did not want to keep any fish themselves, I asked if they'd mind me taking it home. I thanked Thing 1 for catching my dinner, and we pulled the trolling lines and headed for calmer water.
Back in the sound, I found a good place out of the channel and away from the crowds and anchored us up within easy casting of a grass bank. I rigged up a couple of store-bought chicken rigs with some shrimp and pitched it out. I didn't really expect anything of substance, although there's always a chance. As it turned out, the kids had a ball doing battle with bait thieves, and Thing 2 was first on the board with a small croaker. After I dehooked the fish, I let him hear why they're called, "croakers," before releasing it. It took Thing 1 a little longer to get a hook set, but he finally connected on a pinfish. I gave them a moment or two to feel how they got their name.
Time and shrimp ran out almost simultaneously, so with a hearty farewell to the fat bait thieves, we pulled the anchor and headed for home.
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Max roared his terrible roar...
Jul 18, 2026 • Hampstead
Had a great time today with Rebeca, Brendan (I hope I remembered that right), and Max. At 3 1/2 years old, Max was a total trooper on his first offshore fishing experience. It was tough to get the hang of cranking on the reels, but with a little help from mom and dad, the fish made it into the box... and that's really what counts!
The seas were a little choppy, but the swell was small, and once we backed down to trolling speed it really wasn't bad at all. The wind was on the rise, though, so I was a little glad that this was a short, three-hour Kid's Trip.
We picked up our first Spanish pretty early on, and then picked at a few more singles until we got closer to the shoals along Rich's Inlet (NC coast). Then we started to see more bluefish, which are fun to catch but not the target species for the day. We sent them back to grow while we continued to hunt for the Spanish.
As we were heading back toward home, a bunch of birds started working just off the shoals, and the Spanish were ripping and jumping all around.
One of the Clark spoons had been bitten off by a blue without tripping the planer, and I have no idea how long we'd been pulling an empty line around. I finally thought it was weird that the other rod had been getting regular hits (we only ran two rods, to keep it simple) and this one hadn't had a bite at all. I reeled it in and had to laugh as the loose leader flapped in the wind.
I told Max I was going to put on the "secret weapon" and rigged up a little Pet Spoon with red scales. I don't remember where I picked that up, but it was the last one in my box, Some days they out-perform the Clark spoons, but because of their tiny size, they get bitten off pretty easily. At any rate, I had no more sent it out than it got a big strike. Max, with dad's "help", brought in the biggest Spanish of the day.
We made several more passes, but couldn't entice another Spanish to bite. We did get a couple more blues, including one that snipped off my "secret weapon" spoon right behind the boat. A pod of dolphins showed up then, and the surface action disappeared.
Then it was time to head in. The bite slowed down and Max had experienced enough. We pulled in the lines and went back to the dock with eight nice Spanish to make up several tasty family dinners.
The wind is coming up tonight, so it may be a while before conditions favor another trip. I'm glad we got this one in, and that I got to meet the Mighty Max!
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Pretty good day!
Jul 16, 2026 • Hampstead
Had an excellent half-day trip with Lathan and his crew.
Could hardly ask for better conditions, with 2' swells and just enough breeze to keep it from getting too hot.
Took a bit to find the fish, but once we did the fun really kicked in. At first there were a couple of stray Spanish, but then we ran into the blues. Some folks don't want these fish, but when you fix them up fresh, they are pretty tasty.
We were chasing birds and fish on the surface, and suddenly found ourselves on the shoals in pretty shallow water. All of a sudden three lines went off. The fourth line was rigged with a small Rapala shallow diver. I call it the "hail, Mary" line, and run it in case we cross paths with a hungry king. Most of the time, nothing hits it, but it's fun to put out and it gets everyone excited. Well, today something did hit it, and it hit hard!
Our angler did a good job of working on the fish and finally got it to the boat... A solid 20+ pound king! As usual though, the fish wasn't done and made a couple of hard runs away from the boat, keeping itself just out of reach of my gaff. On its last run, it managed to cross under the motor and the line parted. Five disappointed groans echoed across the water.
Shortly after that we found the Spanish. They were all pretty good size for July fish. We pulled all the way to Wrightsville, ending up with 17 Spanish and 8 blues.
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Back to Back Trips
Jun 20, 2026 • Hampstead
Belated reports are better than no reports, eh? Well, here it is.
Had back-to-back short trips on Saturday, starting with Sean, his wife, and their two youngsters on a 3 hr Kids' Trip. It's the time of year, apparently, and the short Spanish are all over the place. But we managed to pick through the culls (and the bluefish) and grab a small handful of keepers. The smiles tell the tale!
Later in the afternoon, I did a custom trip for a group of young men who were celebrating the end of bachelorhood (three out of the four of them). Their charter earlier in the week had been cancelled due to the wind so I took them on for a blast of an evening. The Spanish were more cooperative and there were some bigger fish in the mix as well. Still, no giants in the mix.
Highlight of the evening was when a king took off with a 00 Clark Spoon. It must have stuck right in the corner of his mouth because any other time they'd just bite it right off. Client stuck it out and after an impressive battle (all things considered), I had the fish all the way to the 20' leader. Unfortunately, that's when he apparently remembered he had a mouthful of razor sharp teeth, and he clipped right through that 30# mono. Fish gone. Spoon gone. Oh well. I expect they'll be telling that story over drinks for a few days!
Sunday's booking bailed out on a gorgeous day, so I took advantage to get offshore with my brother. I was hoping to get into the dolphin again, but it was slower going this trip. Ended up about 28 miles off where we picked up one slinger and missed some peanuts right behind the boat. Leave it to me not to have a pitching rod aboard on this trip! Also managed to stick about a 15# king along with a smaller one, so at least we came home with meat.
Long term is looking a little bumpy for the coming week and the 4th, but we'll see. I've got spots available on the weekend for nearshore, and some slots open for 3/4 day or longer next week (weather permitting).
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Managed some fun before the wind came up
Jun 10, 2026 • Hampstead
It's reasonable to be skeptical of the forecast this time of year. For example, when I checked the NOAA buoys offshore this morning, I saw 2-3 foot swells, rolling gently at nine second intervals. I was pretty excited because that meant I could get my 3/4 day clients, James and Jay, out to the deep water in relative comfort.
So, imagine my surprise to roll out into a brisk, 10-12 knot breeze, blowing up a sideshore chop that made every mile feel like a ride on a jackhammer. Instead of racing along at 30mph, I was beating into the head sea at about half that.
Fortunately, I had a fallback plan so we stopped at an artificial reef about halfway to the original destination. I was marking a lot of fish in the spot, but they didn't seem very interested in my cigar minnows. We worked the area pretty hard until, finally, one of the long lines went off. Jay, the youngster, jumped on the rod and after a bit of back and forth, brought the fish alongside. I put the gaff down when I saw what was pretty obviously an undersize king mackerel (they have to be 24"). I reached down to see if I could pop the fish off the hook when I noticed the black dorsal fin. This was no short king, it was a hoss of a Spanish mackerel!
We pulled through the area for a while longer with nothing to show but a short strike on the other top line. Finally, I asked if they would be up for making the run the rest of the way to our original destination, about 8 miles further out. After some consideration of the rising breeze, we decided to go for it.
I don't think we had completed our first circuit of the artificial reef area when the long line went off hard. Jay, quick with the speed of youth, jumped at the opportunity. I looked back in time to see a hefty cow dolphin cutting acrobatics (aerobatics?) behind the boat. Jay followed the fish while I adjusted the boat to keep it in a good position. There was a good bit of give and take, but the fish finally came alongside and I sank the gaff and brought the beauty aboard.
We made a few more rounds in the area when the other rod bent and the reel started screaming. A brilliant blue dolphin burst out of the water as James beat Jay to the reel this time. This fish also put up a classic fight, and despite a gaffe with the gaff, we were able to reduce this one to possession as well.
It wasn't long after this that we picked up a full-grown Atlantic sharp-nose shark on the downrigger. Jay fought this one to a standstill, but not before it managed to cross the other lines. After deciding they didn't want to eat this shark (they're delicious and boneless!), I released it to swim again and turned my attention to the mess it had made.
While I worked to clear the tangle, the wind caught the boat and spun it back on its own track. Suddenly one of the other reels was screaming. At first we were all excited, but then I realized that this wasn't a fish... the line was caught in the propeller. This is a potentially dangerous situation, as the line can bind up the prop and cause overheating. Or worse, it can cut the seals allowing water into the lower unit and making a very expensive problem.
I killed the motor and raised it up to see the extent of the issue. It wasn't great. I spent the next half hour or so working to get the line cut and cleared. Under ordinary conditions this is a challenging process, but in the pounding seas and wind, it was all I could do to hold onto the motor, the knife, and my pliers. At one point, I was ready to give in and call for a tow, but the prospect of waiting for a tow to arrive from 18 miles away was too much, so I went back at it and finally got all of the line cut away. Fortunately, the motor started and operated properly. Nevertheless, we decided to move closer to shore just in case.
We ran in and put Clark spoons out to troll along the beach. The Spanish were cooperative, and we put several in the boat, adding to the haul. Finally, the winds were getting to be too much. We had pretty much filled out the 8 hours anyway, so we hauled in the lines and headed for the hill.
Overall, despite the challenges it was a really good day. But I won't lie... I'm sure looking forward to some glassy slick days.
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Fun Day on a 3hr Kids' Fun Trip
May 30, 2026 • Hampstead
Sometimes it pays to reach out at the last minute, which is what my little group did yesterday. On a spur-of-the-moment trip to the beach, they decided to try a private charter instead of their usual head boat trips. Fortunately, I had an opening for an afternoon kids' trip, so we were on!
We waited out a line of thunderstorms and made it out onto the water at around 3pm. The wind had died out and the seas were beautiful and calm in the trail of the squalls, which made for perfect conditions to troll the beach for Spanish. On the downside, the storm had scattered the fish and driven them down, so we couldn't really count on feeding birds or surface feeding to find them... we just had to hunt.
The hunting wasn't too difficult though, and we had our first bluefish before I even got my second line set out. It was no monster, but 14 year-old McKinley brought it to the boat like a seasoned pro. Throughout the afternoon, we hit the scattered blues and Spanish, releasing the blues in favor of the tastier mackerel. The little family just wanted enough for a nice dinner, so that's what we got.
At the end of the trip, we'd released a small pile of bluefish and some undersized Spanish to send Amanda, Brandon, and McKinley home with eight, perfect-sized fish. The last I heard, the plan was fish tacos. I'm betting it went great!
This is a great time of year to get out there and get some fish tacos for yourself! Come on down!
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