When Mitchell Blake looks at the world around him, he sees the life within it, and pieces together the elements like a graceful detective trying to retell the events of a night through obscure clues.
He sees the ripples of fish rolling, the eagle perched in the distant tree, the seagull on a post eyeing our bait. He feels the brisk bite of the wind and asks if I’m okay, if my place in this adventure is still serving me well. If not, he’s going to adapt to make it better for me–just like he does when he sees how the fish respond to his initial lures. Mitchell knows the curves of the river and how each species has changed in the last ten years. He talks about the fish and birds like they are his colleagues, friends for the day whose home he is always welcome at. Through loving this world and living within it, he has become a part of it. With membership comes the hard truth: the only certainty is change.
After years on the water, he knows better than to fight it. Instead, he flows with it, adapting his technique to the changing desires of his target species and of his customers.
Mitchell is a fisherman’s guide. He’s not the tourist taxi ferrying folks around to pull anything with fins up out of the water and soak up sun and adult beverages. He’s the guide who does serious fishing and pours his attention into every detail to ensure his customers (human and fish) have the best possible experience every day. Often that means long hours sharpening hooks, rigging poles, watching the weather, and evaluating the pressure, populations, and possibilities, but he is no stranger to hard work.
It seems like an impossible task–trying to understand the behavior of a fish who likely won’t act the same way in a few hours that it is acting at this moment. But his passion, persistence, and years of experience have provided him with the insights he needs to take people to the fish and walk them through successful catches.
Mitchell grew up in eastern North Carolina, in the small town of Jamesville. He was that boy that earned his stripes in the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and trapping everything he could. He’s continued these pursuits and dived deeper into the biology side of understanding wildlife through his current job with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries.
When Mitchell and I spoke on the phone to schedule my charter with his business Fish IBX, he made me feel at ease with his genuine nature and zest for life alongside the land and water. He asked thoughtful questions about my time preferences and reached back out closer to the day of the trip to give me insights into the weather predictions so I could dress accordingly. As someone who gets bad motion sickness, I was a little nervous about my first fishing charter. I really enjoyed fishing and I’d done plenty of farm pond fishing, but this felt like a level up in the fishing world. Mitchell assured me he kept folks comfortable on the river and it wouldn’t be a problem. I would later find him exactly true to his word.
The morning of our charter came and I met him outside of New Bern at a boat ramp that would put us on the Neuse River. He showed up with a friendly smile and a coffee for me, the first of many thoughtful gestures of hospitality throughout the day. November has been a surprisingly warm month and when we eased off the dock the slight temperature dip felt crisp and refreshing. The glassy top to the water was paired with Spanish moss in some of the trees, the pinkish hue of the sky’s daily transformation and the thin strips of fog rising sitting starkly enough to remind all visitors that this water and this land was being handled by a higher power. We were invited to come and see the magic of the wild happen. The fish could come and go just like the fog but the seeking and pursuit is the heart of the journey. You can never learn enough but you can always learn some more.
He helped me get settled on his boat and mentioned we would start off with some topwater fishing not far from the ramp. I had never seen any of the gadgets on his boat and he kindly explained to me how they worked and pointed out to me the underwater intricacies displayed on screen throughout the day.
As we worked the topwater, I began to get to know him better. We swapped stories about dogs and wildlife and the things that have sparked wonder in us. While he was strategically observing everything around us and planning our next move, I felt like I was just out cruising with a longtime friend who could help me, teach me, and yet believed in my capabilities too.
While it was just him and I, Mitchell shared with me how he works off the clues of the birds, and they soon became our loyal companions for the day, showing us where the bait fish had gathered.
Shortly after our topwater work, we transitioned to fishing further out with popping corks and swimbaits, which he expertly doctored with a special scent. As he prepared it, he shared that the scent was to the fish what the smell of something delicious cooking in a kitchen was to us.
He had just the right recipe, and soon a beautiful bluefish was in the boat, christening it for the rest of our day. As we continued after bluefish in various bird approved locations, I began to enjoy the rhythm of the clacking, slurping sound of the popping cork. The sound was followed by the sudden weight of a big blue fish on the other end. The mystery of seeing flashes of silver and feeling it pull line without knowing exactly what kind of fish it was is enthralling. With my own excitement over the catch, it felt good seeing he was excited too; even after having done it all his life and having been a guide for over 15 years. His passion is apparent.
As I worked to bring the fish into the boat, Mitchell was instantly by my side with a net, waiting and encouraging. We had the added delight of seeing each bluefish with a mouthful of baitfish buried amidst their sharp teeth and admired them before their release.
In the still moments in between our catches, we shared stories about our interests and hobbies. His hunting stories are full of wonder at animal behavior and the affection that comes when someone discusses what they love. The same tone surfaced when he talked about his two sons, who are outdoorsmen just like their dad and fine sounding young men. Mitchell has made sacrifices to stand up for what he believes in, treating others with respect and dignity and trying to be a gentleman towards people and wildlife.
Not only did he teach me about the lures we used and the characteristics of the different fish, but Mitchell can tell you the difference in Striper fishing ten years ago versus now, how populations and river beds have changed, how quail hunting has changed, and how change seems to be the only constant. He lives in each season and the opportunities and obstacles they bring, from the annual informal reunion of Shad fisherman to the arrival of different flocks of ducks. In fact, as we glided across the river, he pointed out the newly arrived Scoter ducks with their unusual orange, black, and white composition.
Time passed quickly and it was soon lunchtime. We docked and had lunch at a great restaurant in New Bern, Persimmons, before making one last tour around, adding to our earlier eagle sighting with several large gar playing on the top of the water. Each moment of forward momentum from the boat seemed to bring us closer to another hidden wonder.
As the afternoon waned, we headed back to the boat ramp to call it a day. I couldn’t help but feel like there would never be a day just like that again. The waters and their inhabitants would be different the next time we were upon them. There’s something thrilling about that though, something that makes you feel like you’re really living, experiencing the moments you can’t get back.
I could not have had any better experience fishing with Captain Mitchell Blake of Fish IBX. Not only did we catch incredible fish, but he was a pleasure to be around and learn from. I felt empowered with my new knowledge–and eager to get back on the water with Mitchell again soon.
Check out https://www.easternncfishingguide.com/ or Fish IBX on Facebook to book a fishing expedition with Mitchell.
