Speckled Trout, Cobia, and a No-Brainer Guide Choice

Originally written by Greg Darling, “The Tormented Angler.” Updated in 2026 and formatted while preserving the original story, voice, and Outer Banks fly fishing experience.

The name says it all.

My latest adventure took me to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, locally better known as OBX. We had a week planned on the four-wheel-drive beach with family. Fishing was not really the plan, but I was sure I could squeeze some in somewhere. Funny how that works.

Before the trip, I did a little research and found a couple of guides of interest. The first guide trip I booked was with Chad from Having Fun Fishing Charters. Although I was looking for someone a bit more versed on the fly, Chad was the best option for an adventure with my mostly non-fishing father-in-law and brother-in-law.

Chad is a local commercial crab fisherman, but he enjoys doing light tackle trips in the sound during his off-season summer months. This turned out to be perfect for some family time. We had a great time and caught a bunch of speckled trout and striper. Dave, my father-in-law, caught the biggest fish, and so far he has reminded me of that every day.

Meeting Fly Girl

The other trip I booked was with Captain Sarah Gardner, also known as “Fly Girl,” with Outer Banks Fly Fishing. I only found a few fly guide choices in the area, and my instincts led me to believe I could not go wrong with a lady captain and a boat that goes by the name Fly Girl.

Maybe I’m giving myself too much credit for a “No Brainer,” but I could not have been more spot on.

Jo, my better half, and I arrived at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center and quickly spotted the Fly Girl boat. Anticipation was building as my eyes scanned over the well-set-up center console fishing vessel. Seconds later, we were greeted by Captain Sarah, and in short order the boat was ready to push off toward our adventure.

Sarah is fit, spunky, and eager to get the day in motion. Her boat was clean, well organized, and loaded with top-notch fly gear ready to fish. I like to take my own gear with me, but when I know my guide has it dialed in, I don’t bother pulling my gear out. She knew her fishery and had gear set up to function perfectly for what we would encounter.

The Final Ingredient

The final ingredient to assemble a great day of fishing was realized when I returned from “using the facilities” before our trip to find Jo smiling and in conversation with our captain.

As the saying goes, “If the wife is happy, everyone is happy,” or is it “If the wife isn’t happy, no one is happy”? Doesn’t matter. Works out the same.

Point is, with Jo comfortable, I did not have to worry about her and could therefore focus on my fishing.

Sound Fishing for Speckled Trout

Sarah untied the dock lines and away we went out of the marina and through the channels. In short order, she pulled us up on a shallow flat and it was time to test the water, or maybe test our skills.

Not much was going on at the first spot, so we were soon off to another. No sooner had we arrived at the second location than Jo hooked up with a nice speckled trout. While Sarah was handling that catch, I hooked up too and had my own speck in hand. A few more fish came to hand, and then it was time to go on the big-game hunt.

Out to the Blue

I said before that I don’t consider myself a good fly caster, but Sarah had confidence in my ability and said we needed to go after some bigger species. The wind was light and the water calm, so off to the blue we headed.

It wasn’t long before she came up on the transition line of water. This was really amazing. You could see the change from a long distance away, and when we approached the line, it was a clear divider between inland and offshore water.

The water went from brown to clear blue on an exact line no wider than the boat itself. Seriously, if you parked the boat on the line, you could look over the inland side and see nothing but brown water with very limited visibility. On the ocean side, it was clear blue, and you could easily see well into the depths.

Now, armed with a 9 weight in hand and making random casts along the edge of this line, Sarah informed us of what we would be looking for. Shark, cobia, and dorado were the primary species, though in saltwater fishing, other opportunities are always possible.

Pretty soon, I was spotting the flash of baitfish in the depth, and that was a sign of good things to come.

There’s a Fish

“There’s a fish!” Jo yelled.

It was a brown fish.

“Cobia!” Sarah shouted.

Just like that, I had something to cast to. I shot a cast at it, and in a couple strips he was interested and followed, but there was no take. We quickly spotted another and made a couple more casts, but the cobia were not committing.

Sarah said, “I’m changing your fly.”

It wasn’t long before we had another fish in sight, and one turned into about six fish in front of us. I was not even sure which one to cast to.

I made a cast and got two interested in my fly right away, this was awesome.

Here I was in blue water, sight casting to a big cobia and watching one track my fly. His mouth opened and he inhaled it. Unlike most times, this day I remained patiently calm and made just the right strip set to plant the hook firmly.

Fish on...

My First Cobia on the Fly

At first, this big cobia did not even know he was hooked, even though I had the 9 weight firmly bent. But as soon as he got close to the boat, he figured out something wasn’t right.

The drag was set tight, but he was able to pull away into the depths and out of sight. I kept pressure on him as I slowly started to pump him back up to the surface. After a couple hard runs, he was getting tired, and it was time to bring him to hand.

Landed. My first ever Cobia, and best tug I’ve had in a long time.

I had a little mishap on the landing that resulted in a newly fashioned five-piece rod, but hey, it does happen once in a while, and I was long overdue.

Sarah handled that fish like a pro. We snapped a few photos and, most importantly, released it in good condition to catch again another day.

Why the Outer Banks Works for Fly Anglers

The Outer Banks is a special place because so much different water comes together. You have protected sounds, shallow flats, channels, inlets, beaches, rips, color changes, and the open Atlantic all within reach. For a fly angler, that means variety.

One minute you may be casting to speckled trout in the sound. The next, you may be looking into blue water for cobia, dorado, shark, or whatever else decides to show itself. It is saltwater fishing, which means nothing is guaranteed, but the possibilities are what make it exciting.

Good guides matter in places like this. They know the tides, water color, wind, bait, fish movement, boat position, and when to change the plan. On this day, Sarah knew exactly when to leave the sound and go looking for something bigger.

Final Thoughts

Great days fishing are never forgotten, and time with family is priceless. So when you get the chance to do both, I strongly recommend you take advantage of it.

I enjoy fishing, but just as much, I enjoy meeting the good people in the fishing industry. Captain Sarah knows her stuff, and if you find yourself on the OBX, I would recommend looking her up or booking a good local fly guide.

I mean, come on. With the name Fly Girl, it’s pretty much a No Brainer.

Greg Darling: Gorge Fly Shop
“The Tormented Angler”