Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone. Look forward to fishing with you or seeing you on the water in 2009. My Fishing Resolutions are: 1. More Fish 2. Bigger Fish 3. Better Fish

My 2008 season was tough. My Charter Business was down by 50%. Some of that was my fault by cutting advertising expenses, some of it was my misfortune of a couple of Great Clients moving away, some of it was Horrible fishing when expectations were high, and some of it was the Economy. The work on my boat was slower that I expected and I missed some Spring Fishing. The Cobia season at Beaufort Inlet was a Complete Bust. Finally, the weather this Fall/Winter has been very inconsistent. That seems to be the case every year now. Working a week on-week off schedule is great, except when I work those beautiful 4 to 5 day stretches in November. I know I will pay for it when my week off comes! Hopefully my "weather luck" will turn around in 2009 and if it does, better fishing will result!

My Citation Count in 2008 was okay considering I didn't jack the number up with huge Red Drum numbers. After hammering away for straight 10 years, I had sort of "burned out" on that fishery, but I must say that I kinda missed it. My Clients, Guests, and I landed 40 Citation-sized Fish in 2008. In the past 9 years, we have averaged 87 Citations and my best season was 2000 when we had 180 Citations. In 2009, catching more Adult Red Drum will be a priority, along with more King Mackerel and Grouper fishing. Hopefully the Atlantic Bonito and Cobia seasons will be good ones also. Bigger and more plentiful Flounders would be nice. Pretty weather for Speckled Trout in late fall/early winter would be great and Striped Bass on the Shoals at Cape Lookout would be a great to end 2009!

Personally, everybody knows that I've been on a personal crusade to collect all the NC Citations. This year I added 1 new Citation to my total. In August while fishing in the deep off Oregon Inlet I got a 12 lb 10 oz Tilefish. The NCDMF made a few changes in the Citation Program in 2008 when they added a couple of species, dropped Tautog, and adjusted the minimum weights for several species. Based one new weight requirements, I would have already had my Atlantic Bonito, False Albacore, Blackfin Tuna, and Bluefish Citations. Hopefully in 2009, I can knock off a couple of these and resume my chase to collect all the NC Citations. 29 Different NC Citation Species collected and 8 to go!

Dec 30 Speckled Trout and Gray Trout

Probably not the smartest thing for a SICK Person to do, but I spent 3 hours in the Radio Island Surf this afternoon casting for Trout. I wasn't very good at it either. My slump continues but the fishing was okay. The fish were mostly small and they had a preference for Mud Minnows. I was fishing strictly with Gulps. Lots of fish were caught by everyone and I probably caught less fish than anyone. But that's okay, at least I was fishing and with tommorrow's windy forecast, chances are that these will be my Final Fish of 2008. My Total Catch for the Day: 12 Speckled Trout up to 13" and 4 Gray Trout up to 16".

Cold and Flu Season

The picture is of the entrance to Silver Lake at Ocracoke on Dec 27, as a heavy fog was just lifting. Meanhile, I was just entering a personal fog that has not yet lifted! DO WHAT! I've been lucky, I haven't had the Flu since 1994. My luck might have gave out last week. I've been battling something. A Super-Cold or a minor Flu, I'm not sure. All week at Ocracoke I was confined to my Engine Room and my Bed. Couldn't sleep and I still can't talk. I'm getting over it, slowly but surely. Now I'm back in Beaufort and foolishly the pretty weather is killing me and I'm headed out to Radio Island to look for a Speckled Trout. Maybe tommorrow I'll throw out some more "old pictures" or hopefully a new one! After the New Years passes, hopefully I will feel better and go on a real fishing trip. Weather and Health allowing, I will be availiable for fishing on Jan. 2, 3, and 4.

Merry Christmas

I'm headed back up to Ocracoke this afternoon and I will not be home until December 30, so this is my last opportunity to wish everyone that checks out my Fishing Reports a Merry Christmas. Hopefully everybody will have a great Christmas and hopefully I can get some Good Fishing Reports going after the holidays. As far as this week's Fishing goes, it's going to be tough. I'll be stuck on the Ocracoke-Swan Quarter Ferry for the next 7 days from 5:30am until 6:45pm and fishing is difficult at Ocracoke during the hours of darkness. Especially when I will not even get a chance to "look around" during the day time. In other words, it ain't going to happen. Ocracoke is much different than Hatteras in this regard. My best bet this week would be to make the trip up to South Dock and possibly find some hungry Squid. I'm packing the Squid Jigs just in case!

Dec 20 Nothing but a Boat Ride

Chris and I launched my Boat today. First time she's been in the water in 14 days. I really needed to run some Marine Fuel Stabilizer through my fuel system to combat the effects of Ethanol. So we went for a ride and my Boat went places it had never been before! I'm sure we looked funny running through the North River Marshes in a 25 foot Tower Boat. We also took long hard looks at the Radio Island and Shackleford Rock Jetty Trout Fleets, but we made very few actual casts. We saw a few Speckled Trout and Black Drum and we heard of a 4 pound Speckled Trout from Radio Island. As for Chris and I, we never had a bite. Total Catch for the Day: Nothing

Dec 19 Red Drum, Speckled Trout, and Flounder

Kyle had an interesting day with a "Carolina Inshore Grand Slam" and a TKO. I also caught a "Carolina Slam" and a severe headache. Kyle and I each caught and released at least one Red Drum, Speckled Trout, and Flounder. Our goal was a big catch of Speckled Trout, but Dense Fog caused us to abort our plan to go to Cape Lookout this morning. Instead we fished inside from Beaufort Inlet to the head of Oyster Creek and when it was all said and done, the Total Catch for the Day was: 15 Red Drum, 3 Southern Flounder, and 2 Speckled Trout.

NO Fishing and Old Pictures part 3

My bi-weekly Hatteras Fishing Vacation (my job) has temporarily been upset. Last week, and for the next 6-8 shifts, I will be working on the Ocracoke to Swan Quarter Run. This is a great place to work also. Great guys and a lot of fun. But no fishing. I fish. They hunt. These boys talk deer all day and stare at ducks with their binoculars. What's up with that! As for fishing at home, fuel problems and bad weather have put a halt to my Fishing!

Now for the Old Pictures. Pic #1 is David Scott Esham with a Blackfin Tuna that I honestly don't remember! David Scott who now owns and operates The Pony Island Motel at Ocracoke. David Scott is well known and well liked by everybody. In June of 1992 we had paired up with another Ocracoke Legend and was working with Ronnie O'Neal on the Miss Kathleen while home for the summer from UNC. Anyway, I sailed with them and 2 Californians as part of a make-up party on a beautiful June morning. Actually the fishing was as slow as the weather was good. It was a day your mind could wonder off to never never land. Around noon, I was glazed over with a blank stare and while sitting in the chair, I watched a sickle shaped object appear around 7 feet behind a swimming Spanish Mackerel that David Scott had on a flat line that was tight to the port stern. The sickle lazily wagged back and forth and kept pace with the Mackerel. It didn' t even register in my mind. I watched as time crept by. Then a bill rose from the surface a crashed beside the Mackerel but missed. "What the Hell was that" I wondered. I peeled myself out of the chair and walked to the stern. I peered over the side and there under the surface is a huge purple shape, keeping pace with the boat's forward motion, a few feet below the Mackerel. I quickly turned around to see where everybody else was and this is what I saw: David Scott and Capt Ronnie were inside the cabin making sandwichs and the 2 Californians were engaged in an intimate conversation about who knows what. I was alone with a Blue Marlin! I quickly turned back to look at the fish and with a mighty thrust the fish rose and engulfed the Mackerel. No doubt about it. I flipped Ronnie's old 9/0 Penn Senator into free spool and killed the clicker. I picked up the rod and I felt the smooth tempo of line peeling off the reel. Without speaking I threw the Reel back into gear and I can't even say I set the hook. It was already set and the Rod developed a deep bend and the fish's forward speed went from what felt like 6 knots to 20 knots. Suddenly 150 feet behind the stern and moving from right to left a 400+ pound Blue Marlin shot out of the water and propelled itself 60-70 feet on its tail. Incredible, and I was the only person that knew. I had great news to tell Ronnie and David and I figured the best was to announce it was to engage the clicker! What a beautiful sound an old 9/0 makes when hooked to a Locomotive! David Scott appeared in seconds and saw the second jump which was now 200 yards away. He started clearing lines as quickly as possible and Ronnie saw from the location and direction of the fish that a quartering turn would be more effective than backing. I saw the real problem though, line was melting off the Reel too quickly and David Scott needed help. I put a Californian in the chair and handed him the Rod and hadn't even cleared a single line by the third jump. It was 600 yards out and seconds later the line broke with the sound of a rifle shot. The old 9/0 had about 20 wraps of 50# mono left on the spool. The entire event probably lasted less than 30 seconds from bite to break! Incredible dissapointment 16 years ago has faded. Today this fishing trip remains my favorite Blue Marlin experience even though it ended with a lost fish!

Pic#2 is of a mate up at Hatteras on a 1990 fishing trip on the charter boat Atlantic Blue. My memory of this guy is etched in my memory for a different reason. This guy actually sold us a case of Budweiser at "Gulf Stream Prices" and then proceeded to drink at least 20 of them. I thought it was pretty funny.

Pic#3 is of Capt. Pizza Kannon with a Queen Triggerfish that was caught in Feb. of 1991. Capt. Pizza is one of my favoites and best Captains period. Back in 1990, he was kind enough, and patient enough, and probably desperate enough, to take an inexperienced, fishing-crazed, punk from Raleigh (ME) on the Continental Shelf's winter-time commercial fishing crew. That winter was a dream come true to me. I experienced species of fish and numbers of fish that even hard-core recreational fishermen will never experience. We fished on a 5 year old, extremely modern and efficient 100 foot Headboat, this wasn't no Snapper Boat, with a 6 man crew and we stayed out until the boxes were full! I woke up in 400 fathoms. I woke up 60 miles off Wrightsville Beach. I woke up 30 miles off Hatteras. We fished until we dropped. We had fish gutting parties that lasted for hours. We made rally rigs with 10-15 hooks and caught Beeliners and Silvers on every hook. I could go outside to piss (or throw up) and catch a Wahoo or a Tuna on a light line. Catch 8 Snowy Groupers up to 35 pounds on 1 drop and fill up a trash can. 18 King Mackerel that weighed 900 pounds on bottom rigs in 400 feet of water! 4000 pounds of Grouper in one amazing bite. It was amazing. And Capt Pizza would actually pay me for my efforts. Amazing. I can't do that for a living, but Capt. Pizza gave me a lifetime of memories from December 1990 until March 1991. Thanks Capt. Pizza, you were right about the first night of my first trip when I went outside. I went out to throw up and I was embarrassed. I tossed out a cigar minnow because I knew the guys were watching and I could hear them laughing. You told me to ease up that I didn't have to prove anything, but you sensed I was sick. I might have had 4-5 horrible days ahead of me. If I got sick and stayed sick, I would've never gone back out on a commercial trip. But that 31 pound Wahoo ate that cigar minnow and I felt so much better. That feeling lasted all winter and I'll never forget those experiences! We missed a great Super Bowl, the first Gulf War, an entire Basketball Season, and the height of Vanilla Ice's popularity but it was time well spent in my life!

No Fishing and Old Pictures part 2

Since this is Speckled Trout Season here are a couple of old Speckled Trout pictures. The top picture is of me and Greg Fodrie. We caught these Speckled Trout and a bunch of others late in the afternoon on December 15, 1990. We were the last boat to leave Cape Lookout and we ran out of gas just inside Beaufort Inlet. It was a crazy experience but we managed to make it home in pitch darkness. The next morning Greg's boat The Thunder Chicken had sunk at the dock! The second picture is of me and a partially obscurred catch of 100 Speckled Trout from 2-3 pounds each. It was taken in November of 1988. This was the first time I ever experienced "a Trout on every cast, all day long". I had the Town Dog, Jesse, with me and on the way home we stopped directly on top of a Humpback Whale and her calf off Shackleford Banks. I had the Whale's tail on one side of my 17 foot Boston Whaler and the Whale's head and giant pectoral fins on the other side. I expected to be tossed into the air! However, we survived the day without incident and for me, Speckled Trout fishing would never be the same!!

Dec 7 My Slump Ends---Red Drum Frenzy

Capt Kyle Brown helped me out of a personal fishing slump by putting me in a Downeast creek that was about 40 feet wide and 3 feet deep that just happened to be full of hungry Red Drum. In other words, I couldn't mess this up! I would name the creek, but Kyle's brother Charlie would kill me! In 60 minutes of actual fishing time, Kyle and I caught over 30 Red Drum from 14" to 18". These Drum weren't big, but they were fiesty and on a day that the wind was 20-25 and air temps in the upper 40's, this was the perfect fishing trip. I caught all my Red Drum on gulps and grubs and 6# test mono. Nice little battles and drag pullers. Later we explored another dead-end creek that was full of more Red Drum and Jumping Mullets and there were Tundra Swans flying overhead. Kyle fishes these areas with a jet-drive on a skimmer. I don't think it's possible to get the Top Water in there; too bad!! Total Catch for the Day: 30+ Red Drum

Dec 6 Nothing

Rouse and I scoured the Cape Lookout Shoals and found nothing but Gannets, Gulls, Menhaden, and a Basking Shark. A few small Trout were biting at the Rock Jetty and off Shackleford Banks. I did manage to catch a Bluefish and a Menhaden while casting into a school of Menhaden. Rouse snagged 2 Menhaden. I found out after we got back to the dock that 10 miles to the Northeast was a huge school of 40-60 pound Red Drum that were shredding a school of Menhaden. That hurts.....Total Catch for the Day: 3 Menhaden and 1 Bluefish.

Dec 5 Radio Island Fishing

I made the walk today out to the end of Radio Island. I stayed probably 2 hours. I only made about 20 casts. I never had a bite. However, I was completely entertained. There was a 14 year old dude out there named Alec Burrow, who lives in Beaufort, and I predict that he will be a fishing force to be reckoned with in the coming years. This guy is obsessed with fishing. Today he was after Tautog and he was doing okay! Small Sheepsheads and decent Tautogs were biting on baby stone crabs and shrimp. My Total Catch for the Day: NOTHING.

No Fishing and Old Pictures

The number of Fishing Reports will be decreasing in the weeks to come, so I will be putting up some old pictures of me and my old pals from the late 80's and early 90's. These 2 pictures are from April of 1989. Around 12 people were on the Capt Stacy that day and Capt Maurice put us on the 881 Wreck first thing in the morning. Four hours later , all 3 fish boxes were full of mostly 2-4 pound Vermillion Snappers, or Beeliners as most people know them. There were no limits back then. Every drop was a doubleheader. I took home 51 fish over 140 pounds. I had a couple of 5 pounders! Straight Vermillion Snappers, 10 cranks off the bottom. Some other people caught alot of Tomtates and Sea Bass because they couldn't get the hang of the 10 crank rule. Also, hesitate on the bottom and you might hook a Sand Tiger. I also caught 3 Albacores on a light-line and we saw dozenss of Basking Sharks on the ride home. It was a great day!

Dec 2 Driving Home in the Sleet

Here we go again. I'm home for 7 days and while driving from Cedar Island to Beaufort there was frozen precip falling. I'm not really complaining this time, because Striped Bass are biting good at Oregon Inlet and they've been caught as far South as Ocracoke Inlet. That's just a few tail beats away from the Shoals at Cape Lookout. Hopefully they will take their winter vacation a little farther South this winter. Closer to home, the Speckled trout and Gray Trout should be biting while the Bluefin Tuna are battling extinction. I've got no fishing news to report from my stay on the Ocracoke to Swan Quarter Ferry Route. Lots of Buffleheads on Pamlico Sound and Rose Bay Oysters have rebounded in numbers and tastiness. I'm ready to go fishing. Open Dec 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. These pictures are of Silver Lake at Ocracoke Island. This should be everybody's favorite NC Island!