This fishing shack was at the west end of Ocean Isle Beach until approximately 1986 about the time the new bridge was commissioned.
It was actually a commercial fishing operation!
At one time there were fishing operations like this along all of Brunswick County‘s beaches.
In the fall, after the harvest came in, local farmers would head to the beach to fish for mullet that would pass through this area in large schools.
They would build observation chairs much like lifeguards have out of driftwood or wood they brought with them.
A spotter would sit in the chair down the beach watching for the schools of mullet coming along the shore. When a school of mullet was spotted they would waive their hands or their hat in the air to get the attention of their fellows up the beach to let them know the school was heading their way.
Then a flurry of activity would occur as they launched their boats and went out to set the nets.
One of the men would be in the back of the boat to pay out the net as they encircled the school of fish.
Then they would head for the shore (or “the hill as locals would say”) and they would all pull the nets in with manpower.
At this particular fishing operation on Ocean Isle Beach they would attach one end of the net to a post on the beach before heading out around the fish with their net.
When they encircled the fish and got back on shore they would attach the other end of the net to their tractor drive it down the beach and pull the nets in without exerting themselves.
Some people moving here to the area are not used to the south and comment that people are a little slower down here. We maintain that we just take our time to think things through!
In the lower left hand corner of this water color print my nationally known, local artist Ken Buckner, barrels can be seen.
The fishermen would pack their catch in these barrels and preserve them with salt to keep them. Back in the day most people did not have a way to freeze food so salting meat and fish was their way to preserve food for the coming winter!
Aren’t we blessed to have all of our modern conveniences!!
