Capt. Capt. Jerry Dilsaver grew up on the Southport, N.C. waterfront that author Robert Ruark so finely detailed in his book, The Old Man and the Boy. His father, who was a shrimper and later a boat captain for the local river pilots association, helped foster a love of fishing in the coastal rivers and ocean that is still going strong.

After completing a degree split between the University of North Carolina and East Carolina University, Capt. Dilsaver returned to his native North Carolina coast, helped start Carolina Adventure Magazine, and became a partner in Carolina Adventure Publishing Company. The Raleigh based News and Observer Newspaper purchased Carolina Adventure in January of 1992 and Capt. Dilsaver signed on with the new owners to become the Saltwater Editor and Central NC Coast Regional Editor.

In April 2002, Capt. Dilsaver left Carolina Adventure to become a Staff Writer and Special Events Coordinator for North Carolina Sportsman Magazine. With the beginning of South Carolina Sportsman Magazine in 2006, Capt. Dilsaver also assumed similar responsibilities for this sister publication. In the declining economy of early 2009, Capt. Dilsaver was downsized by Sportsman Publishing, but he continues to write for the magazines and websites, plus assist on special projects. In addition he Is the Outdoor Writer for The State Port Pilot Newspaper (Southport, NC), and does freelance work for several publications.

Fishing has always been a passion for Capt. Dilsaver. Beginning in 1987, he became a sponsored competitor in North Carolina king mackerel tournaments. His successes started to mount up and with the inception of the Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) in 1991, he immediately became a top competitor in their yearly series. By the mid 1990’s he had recorded successes in king mackerel tournaments from the Gulf of Mexico to Virginia. His Carolina Adventure Fishing Team, was selected as the ”Team of the Year” in the 1998 US Anglers Association and won the 2001 Southern Kingfish Association National Championship. They participated in the Wal-Mart FLW King Mackerel Tour and finished in the top ten for several years running.

On August 1, 2007, Capt. Dilsaver was inducted into the SKA Hall of Fame. SKA fishermen are selected for the Hall of Fame by their fellow competitors. Capt. Dilsaver said he was “Honored and pleased to be selected for the SKA Hall of Fame, especially because it was his fellow fishermen who made the selection.”

In 2008, Capt. Dilsaver became interested in kayak fishing and in February 2010 was selected to become a member of the Hobie Kayaks Fishing Team for the Southeast U.S. He participates in several kayak tournaments each year and has notched several top ten finishes. In July of 2010, Capt Dilsaver began an association with the Wounded Warriors Battalion at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base through the Warrior Athlete Reconditioning (WAR) program on the base. He traveled to Camp Lejeune weekly to take members of the Wounded Warriors Fishing Club on fishing outings. This continued through January 2012.

While Capt. Dilsaver usually writes the articles, he has been featured in several other magazines. One article that stands out is in the November-December 2012 issue of Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine. This article highlights his tournament success that has blossomed into a love of teaching others how to fish. He has also appeared on several TV fishing shows.

While Capt. Dilsaver’s tournament success is impressive, it is his dedication to the sport of fishing and helping beginning anglers develop successful skills and techniques that really set him apart from the crowd. He spends many days each year conducting seminars, manning booths at fishing and outdoor shows, giving in-store product demonstrations, speaking to fishing and civic groups about fishing and otherwise promoting saltwater fishing.

Add a few tournaments each year to this and it is easy to see why so many fishing related businesses have chosen to support Capt. Dilsaver as their “Fishing Ambassador”. He is supported in his efforts by Hobie Kayaks, Mercury Outboards, Sea Striker, Star Rods, Power-Pole, Betts Tackle Ltd., MirrOlure, Clarkspoon, Chums, Avid Angler Solutions, Balloon Fisher King, Yak-Attack, Boonedox, Ego S2 Nets, Road King Trailers, Capps Trailers, Great Outdoor Provision Company, Captain Segull's Nautical Charts, Fish Monkey Gloves, Hippie Chick Granola Company, Hobie Eyewear and Southport Village Boat and RV Storage.

Even while semi-retired, Capt. Dilsaver continues to be a working member of the outdoor press. He has been a member in good standing of the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA) for more than 25 years and continues to be a contributing writer for Carolina Sportsman Magazine, Mississippi Sportsman Magazine, Louisiana Sportsman Magazine, Kayak Angler Magazine and Coast Magazine, plus he is the Outdoor Columnist for the State Port Pilot Newspaper.

While While Capt. Dilsaver is a noted freelance writer and photographer, he also has hosted programs on radio and been a guest on television outdoor shows. For several years, he had a weekday fishing report and weekend tournament report on WTKF, 107.3 FM in Morehead City, N.C. and a weekday fishing report on WRNS 95.1 FM in Kinston, N.C. and WTKK 106.1 FM in Raleigh, N.C. He has also been a featured guest on numerous outdoor shows ranging from the iconic Southern Sportsman to Carolina Outdoor Journal.

Capt. Dilsaver has served on the Southeastern and Southern Regional Advisory Committees for the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission, on the Board of Directors for Fishermen in Support of Heroes (FISH), the Marine Fisheries Advisory Board for the Brunswick County Commissioners and the Advisory Board for the North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Tournament for the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, the board of directors for the North Carolina Public Access Foundation, as Tournament Director for the King of the Cape Classic King Mackerel Tournament, on the Long Bay Lady Angler Tournament Committee and as tournament coordinator for the Brunswick Islands Saltwater Classic. He continues to serve on the board of directors for the Long Bay Artificial Reef Association and the North Carolina Kayak Fishing Association. Capt. Dilsaver also maintains an information web site, www.captjerry.com, which offers fishing tips, times and locations to catch fish in the Cape Fear, North Carolina area and more.

Capt. Dilsaver enjoys fishing, but his real love is teaching others how to fish so they can make the most of their time on the water. He is generally one of the speakers at boat fishing and outdoor shows throughout the Carolinas and Virginia. He also presents fishing programs to many fishing clubs and civic organizations.

When you attend a seminar given by Capt. Dilsaver, expect to learn a lot of “when, where, what, why, and how”. His knowledge is based on more than 50 years of recreational fishing, 25 years of tournament fishing, 10 years as a commercial fisherman, and is tempered by more than 35 years of instructing fishing in various formats. Drawing from his many years of fishing the southeast coast, he will often refer to your favorite waters with knowledge that can only have come from personal experience. If you attend a seminar presented by Capt. Dilsaver, don’t hesitate to ask questions—he welcomes them.