I just have a question about a project boat I’ve been working on. I have a 12 foot aluminum v bottom Jon boat that we converted to a pseudo bass boat with a 10hp motor on the back. We did our best to make it salt water resistant.

We are close to Avon and were wondering how safe is it to take that out on the Pamlico sound to go fishing with 2 people on it? Would we have to stay close to the inlets or would we be fine taking it out a little farther if it’s a nice day?

Any information or insight would be helpful because I don’t have much experience taking boats out on the sound.

The water that you see looking out into the Pamlico Sound from Avon is, for the most part, two to four feet deep. The bottom is sandy with large patches of eelgrass. Out about 3 ½ miles there are sandbars running north / south. Past the sandbars the depth drops off to about ten feet.

Most folks fish the shallow water using small jig heads with soft plastic bodies for puppy drum and speckled trout. Weedless spoons are another option. Bait fishing can be productive unless there are too many pinfish, pigfish and lizard fish stealing your bait. Drift until you catch a fish, then drop anchor and see if there are few more. Use a mushroom anchor because conventional anchors won’t hold on sandy bottoms in shallow water.

There are two old man made channels in the area. Both can hold fish. One channel runs west from the old Kinnakeet harbor out to the deeper water beyond the sandbars. This channel has a few channel markers to help you find it. The other channel runs from the north end of Avon up to the Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving Station 3 miles north of town. This channel is about 50 yards out into the sound and is around 5 feet deep. Both channels are visible on Google Maps satellite view.

On most days, the Pamlico Sound near Avon is safe. The safety concerns are east winds and passing storms. If your motor quits on an easterly wind, it’s a long way to the other side of the sound. A pair of oars are a good backup and a mushroom anchor can slow an inconvenient drift. In shallow water, passing storms can quickly kick up a chop. But you can see them coming and run to shore.

Great info 20psi. Thanks for taking the time to post.

To add to 20psi, sometimes when the wind is from the southwest it can breeze up and get pretty rough rather quickly. It should be nice for running around the sound around Avon where the water is so shallow. Just be aware that on some winds, it could get too rough for a boat of that size.

Watch the weather. Keep the weather app open and or get a station monitor on the water and decide. Go out early AM the trout bite has been tremendous from Canadian hole south to Hatteras inlet soundside.

In a small boat you must 100% watch the weather conditions and pick your days before venturing too far. I would start with the USCG maximum weight and maximum HP rating for the boat. Don't exceed either. Minus motor, battery?, people, safety gear, anchor, tackle, lines, weight - it all adds up quickly. Good luck!