Sam & Omie's Restaurant

Charter fishing began in Dare County in the late 1930s when some of the local commercial fishermen realized they could make some extra money by taking out recreational fishermen when their chosen commercial targets weren't present. When Crabs, Oysters, Shrimp, Flounders etc weren't available in commercial quantities why not take out some of the "Fun Fishermen" and make a little extra cash? In those days very few people owned their own boats for recreational purposes, so it was natural that the commercial captains were being constantly bombarded with requests to take folks out around the inlet to try for Bluefish, Spanish Mackeral, Drum etc. Some of the captains decided this was a good idea and the Dare County charter fishing industry was born. Things worked out nicely and business began to boom until World War II came along and ruined everything. Immediately after the war business picked up right where it left off in 1941.