Top Water Charters Fishing Reports and News Beaufort Morehead City Atlantic Beach Pamlico Sound: March 2009

Monday, March 30, 2009

Right Around the Corner

April and May are two of my favorite months to fish. Honestly, the fishing is usually as inconsistent as the weather, but when it's good it can be very good. A day spent fishing in the Spring when the weather is good is a refreshing experience. It is a time when nature starts over and it is the beginning of a new fishing season. My favorite thing to do in April and early May are casting metal lures for Atlantic Bonito, Albacore, and Bluefish. Vertical jigging for Gray Trout can also be excellent. Bonito also love a deep jig once their early morning surface frenzy subsides. I also love to hunt shallow water for Adult Red Drum and Adult Bluefish. Two of the most thrilling things that happen all year are casting bucktails to 30-50 pound Red Drum and casting top water plugs to schools of 8-15 pound Bluefish. I am Open for Charter and highly recommending this type of Fishing on April 21-27. Also May 10-11 and May 19-25

March 30 Bluegills and Bass on the Fly

Poor fishing today, or I am a very, very poor Fly Fisherman. Probably some of both. I wanted to show off for Chris and I pretty much made a fool out of myself! When it was over, we had fished 3 Urban Mung Holes and finally found some cooperative Bream in a secluded Rainwater Run-off Puddle. Many times my popping bug got popped, but only a few times did I hook up. Total Catch for the Day: 4 Bluegill and 1 Largemouth Bass.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

March 29 Largemouth Bassing in Beaufort

What else would I be doing on a windy day. Fishing. In 30 minutes of throwing a plastic worm, I caught 2 Largemouth Bass out of 4 bites. These Bass were a little bigger than the ones I normally catch out of this small Pond. It was hard to feel what was going on at the other end of my line because of the 25 kt wind, but I did get in my daily fishing ration. Total Catch for the Day: 2 Largemouth Bass.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

March 28 Bluegills on Popping Bugs

I had a near miss this morning. As I was playing around in a Morehead Mung Hole, a huge shadow materialized under a Plastic Frog I was tossing. Before my eyes, in crystal clear water, the shadow slowly rose to just under my bait. One quick twitch of my rod tip and suddenly an 7-8 pound Largemouth Bass rolled up and grabbed my Frog by one hind leg and disappeared in a massive swirl. I knew the single hook was not in this fish's mouth. As she swam away, I prayed that this "Queen of the Mung Hole" would swallow her meal. After a few seconds, I set the hook and a 1 legged-plastic frog popped out of the water a flew towards my face. I had missed. Fishing at Wal-Mart will never be the same. The Queen had eaten a plastic frog leg and I know where she lives! Later, I tossed a fly in a Beaufort Mung Hole and caught 4 Bluegills. I found 1 spot that was stacked with Largemouth Bass, but they refused my bugs. They saw yellow, white, and black. They refused them all. Total Catch for the Day: 4 Bluegills

A Great Website and A Downeast Fishing Contest

Tagging of Pacific Predators. http://www.topp.org/ I know that this for that other Ocean, but this is one of the best websites that I have ever visited. I highly, highly recommend looking at this thing and look around because there is a lot of neat facts and illustrations. Also, the Davis Shore Provisions General Store is doing 3 little Fishing Contests this year. You can win some money for Speckled Trout and Flounder. Check it out and throw $10.00 in the pot! Click on the Entry Form to see a larger version. By the way, this true for all my pictures.

Friday, March 27, 2009

March 27 Red Drum and Fly Rod Action

This morning was my first chance to use a new 3 wt Fly Rod and Reel that I recently got. I had a blast at a small Pond here in Beaufort. My first cast with a popping bug got a nice flash underneath my fly and my second cast got hammered by a chunky little Bass. After 30 minutes I left with 4 Largemouth Bass and 4 Bluegills released. This afternoon I went for a Downeast Flatbottom Jet-powered thrill ride with Capt. Kyle Brown and after looking around for a while we finally found a few Red Drum that were sitting up on a sunken wreck (sunk in the mud) in about a foot of water. I caught 5 Red Drum while Kyle dug Oysters out of the mud. Total Catch for the Day: 5 Red Drum, 4 Largemouth Bass, and 4 Bluegill.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

March 24-25 1000 Casts, 500 Miles, 0 Shad

In the last 2 days we have fished the Roanoke River, the Neuse River, the Cape Fear River, and the Northeast Cape Fear River and we haven't caught a single Hickory Shad or American Shad. I'm over it. All the Rivers in the State are High and Dirty and the fishing for Shad has been horrible. After several trips to the Neuse that were busts, I desperately wanted to make a trip to the Cape Fear for American Shad this year. I should've known this River would be no different than the others. Fishing was a waste of time. And with 3 days of Rain in the forecast, I have complete confidence in my decision to give up on Shad Fishing in 2009. In addition, we also soaked bait in Catfish Lake and the Black River and we haven't had a good bite yet. A couple of nibblers that got away with it. That's it! We have seen many Deer and Wild Turkeys in our travels. We even saw a Bald Eagle and a Yellowthroated Vireo in the Croatan yesterday. But no fish. Starting on April 7th all this Freshwater non-sense will come to an end. Bring on the SALT! Total Catch for the Day: Nothing

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Fishy Things in Baltimore

Mike and I had a great time in Baltimore and DC. Since this is a Fishing Blog, these are a few "fishy" things we found in Baltimore's Lexington Market. We ate some "Steakfish" which evidently "sounds" more appealing than than it's real name White Hake. I also found another Hake species, the Silver Hake, being pawned off under the name of "Lake Trout." Still another family member, the Red Hake was labeled "Oyster Trout." These cousins of the coveted Atlantic Cod get absolutely no respect! By the way, the "Steakfish" is awesome. I highly recommend it. I also ate a Haddock sandwhich at Faidley's Seafood that was killer! Haddock is another of the "Cod Clan" but it must have a repectable name! Finally, it has been 20 years since I traded my ham sandwich for a Racoon sandwich with Tony Richardson while working in Durham. Seeing it on the Board brought back some memories. Greasy ones. We passed on the fried Coon and Muskrat. Lexington Market is a blast. Go there and you will be amazed by the things you see and smell. You will eat good if you ain't scared.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Capt Marty with Obama

Never fear, Capt Marty has enlightened THE PRESIDENT on the Economy and Light Tackle Fishing. 2009 looks to be a year of great fishing and a slow economic turnaround. Brighter days ahead. In addition to my meeting with President Obama, my trip to Baltimore and DC was productive and fun. However, rainy weather saved the fish of the Potomac River and Baltimore Harbor from the perils of my spinning rod. I did find a great place to go fishing while searching Georgetown for the "Exorcist Stairs". Can't wait to give it a try one day.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Baltimore and Washington DC

Tommorrow I'm headed to Baltimore to re-new my Captain's License. We will be spending Friday night in Baltimore and then heading to Washington DC to spend Saturday night. I will carry a fishing rod. I really want to make a few casts into the Reflecting Pool. Also, it looks like the fully-grown Red Drum have showed up in and near Ocracoke Inlet. I would love to do some sight casting up there for 30-60 pound Red Drum. If anyone is interested, send me an email or call me.

March 12 Hickory Shad Fishing

Chris and I went to the Cow Pen Landing today hoping the Neuse River was back to normal. Unfortunately, the level was still high, the current was running hard, and the water was still dirty. It was nice on the North shore, with the wind at our backs and there were a few fish around. We also fished Pelican Landing and Spring Garden. Between the two of us, we probably made 500 casts. I had 8 strikes, lost a 3-4 lb. White Shad that I nearly had my hands on, and landed 5 Hickory Shad. Chris caught 4 Hickory Shad and missed a couple. We soaked a cut bait for an hour and never had a bite. All the Hickory Shad that we caught were females loaded with roe and they all weighed over a pound. There is nothing like that first Shad of the year, mine smoked a silver spoon right at my feet and make 4 somersalts in about 10 seconds. It was awesome! To sum it up, it wasn't great fishing, but it was still fun. We also had a close encounter with a Wild Turkey. It walked right up to us. Chris, who hunts, said he had a 8-10" beard. That's a nice one, I reckon. Total Catch for the Day: 9 Hickory Shad

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

March 11 Green Sunfish

I wanted to go look for a Salt Water Fish today, but I figured it was a little too windy, a little too cloudy, and the risk of getting shut-out was a little too great. So I met Meredith for lunch instead. After lunch, I headed to Wal-Mart to go fishing. The fishing at Wal-Mart has crashed, but I did manage to catch something I haven't caught in years. A Green Sunfish. One of my old favorites from the Barrow Pits out by Greenville Marine on Hwy 264. The summer of 1986. Back then I could catch 15 Greenies a day out of a Creek that flowed into one of the Barrow Pits. I even caught a "trophy" Green Sunfish and got a NC Freshwater Citation. Evidently a 10" Green Sunfish is a Giant One! The one I caught today was definitely not a trophy, more like a 4" baby with a big appetite. By the way, I also got 2 more NC Freshwater Citations back in the 80's for odd-ball Bream. I got one for a 9" Flyer and one for a 12" Pumpkinseed. Total Catch for the Day: 1 Green Sunfish

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

March 10 Bluegill Frenzy

I woke up this morning and didn't have to go to work and the sun was shining so........I went fishing. Too bad that it was a little windy for the boat and the Rivers have been too high for Shad fishing. So I went Pond Fishing instead. Actually I went twice. The first trip it took me a while to find the fish, then I caught them pretty good. 3 Largemouth Bass and 2 Bluegills in about 10 minutes. After running a few errands, I came back and tried it again. This time the Bream were chewing. In less than an hour, I caught 14 Bluegills, 2 Pumpkinseeds, and 3 Largemouth Bass.. Everything was caught on ultra light spin with 2# mono and Roostertail spinners. I caught a Largemoth Bass that was close to 2 pounds and it put up a great fight with 5-6 jumps. Total Catch for the Day: 16 Bluegills, 6 Largemouth Bass, and 2 Pumpkinseeds.

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Big Fish on Light Tackle

Top Water Charters and Capt. Marty Moore is one of North Carolina's Premier Nearshore and Inshore Big Fish on Light Tackle Fishing Guides. Consistently producing Fish that earn NC Citations is my trademark. Since 1988, I have personally landed 846 NC Citation winning Fish for 34 Different Species. A few of my Personal Top Fish are 10 lb 11 oz and 10 lb 6 oz Flounders, a 83 lb Red Drum, 94 and 83 lb Cobias, a 83 lb Yellowfin Tuna, 96, 85, and 83 lb Wahoos, a 66 lb Amberjack, a 67 lb Black Drum, a 9 lb 6 oz Speckled Trout, a 53 lb King Mackerel, a 33 lb Permit, a 12 lb 8 oz Sheepshead, a 19 lb 4 oz False Albacore, a 11 lb Spadefish, a 12lb 4 oz Bonefish, a 4 lb 8 oz Ladyfish, a 2 lb 14 oz Sea Mullet, a 140 lb Tarpon, a 66 lb Swordfish and a 380 lb Bluefin Tuna.

A few of my Best Light Tackle Catches are a 240 lb Bluefin Tuna caught on a 20# live bait tackle, a 350 lb Blue Marlin caught on a 30# trolling tackle, a 50 lb Yellowfin Tuna caught on 10# spinning tackle, a 34 lb 8 oz King Mackerel caught from the Beach on 10# spinning tackle, 75 lb Cobia caught on 15# spinning gear, 73 lb Cobia caught on 20# spinning tackle, 61 lb Cobia caught on 10# spinning tackle, a 60+ lb Red Drum caught on 10# spinning tackle, 83 lb, 85 lb, and 96 lb Wahoos all caught on 20# livebait tackle, a 46 lb Red Drum caught on 8# conventional tackle, a 39 lb Red Drum caught on a 7wt fly rod, a 7 lb Largemouth Bass caught on a 3wt fly rod and a 135 lb Sandbar Shark caught on 12# spinning tackle.

I also caught a 37 lb 4 oz King Mackerel in 2001 that was worth $52,000 in the Snead's Ferry King Mackerel Tournament

My Clients and Guests have landed over 500 NC Citations since 1998 with Standout Fish like the N.C. State Record 11 lb 3oz Spadefish, a 68 lb Wahoo, a 67 lb Wahoo, a 92 lb Cobia, a 85 lb Cobia, a 84 lb Cobia, a 82 lb Cobia, a 81 lb Cobia, a 85 lb Amberjack, a 83 lb Amberjack, a 80 lb Amberjack, a 375 lb Bluefin Tuna, a 500 lb Great Hammerhead Shark, a 200 lb Sand Tiger Shark, a 62 lb Black Drum, a 24 lb False Albacore, a 15 lb Sheepshead, a 10 lb 8 oz Speckled Trout, 47 lb Striped Bass and too many Red Drum and Flounders to count.

UPCOMING BEST FISHING

In the Boxes that follow are the types of FISHING and varieties of FISH that Capt Marty recommends fishing for! I try to keep this pretty current as we move forward through the calendar year. As the seasons change the Fish available and the methods of Fishing change. I will do my best to accommodate my Clients wishes, but I will also be completely honest about our chances if a Client wants to Fish for a specific type of Fish. I will always recommend what I believe is our "best bet for success" based on the weather, the time of year, and what happened yesterday! This is how I fish and it's based on 30+ years of Experience and Learning the Hard Way

So what's happening NOW or what's coming soon..... Look Below and Keep Reading

Live Bait Fishing for King Mackerel

Live Bait Fishing for King Mackerel is usually done with 20# mono on light rods and small conventional reels. We fish with very light drags and small treble hooks. When a King Mackerel strikes, usually a live Menhaden, you have no idea whether you have 2 treble hooks stuck in the jaw and throat of the King Mackerel, or you could also have 1 prong of one hook snagged into the Mackerel's skin. Therefore, the idea is to let the King burn off line versus a light drag. After withstanding the initial blistering run, we move the angler to the bow of the boat and we track him down! Without a doubt, on pretty days in October and November, this is what we "need" to be doing.... Since I took up this fishery seriously, back in 1988, in addition to the targetted King Mackerel, the potential bycatch is staggering... Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna, Blackfin Tuna, Bluefin Tuna, Sailfish, Barracuda, Amberjack, Crevalle Jack, Spanish Mackerel, Cobia, Red Drum, Red Snapper, Grouper, a dozen Shark species, False Albacore, Houndfish, Gafftopsail Catfish, Tarpon have all been hooked and/or landed onboard Boats that I was personally fishing aboard..... Oh yeah, back in 1998 during the Hardee's Atlantic Beach KMT we hooked up 4 Billfish at one time. Two pulled off, and we released a Sailfish and I tried my best to release my catch... Because it was caught on a ribbonfish, it had 4 treble hooks in it. By the time I got him unhooked, he had expired! What was it? It was a 44", 8 lb SPEARFISH! So yeah, when Live Bait Fishing for King Mackerel, anything is possible

Run and Gun Casting.... Spring Summer & Fall

Casting Metal Lures, Top Water Plugs, and Flys in the Spring, Summer, and Fall is one of my all-time favorite fisheries. Our main targets are Albacore, Spanish Mackerel, Red Drum, Atlantic Bonito, and Bluefish. The Red Drum are usually found on the Shoals at Cape Lookout and generally, we are casting into huge schools of fish in crystal clear water. These Drum schools are a year-round possibility. The Atlantic Bonito is a special fish for a few reasons. They are a handsome fish that also happens to be a rugged fighter. Very similar to Albacore, but there's one major difference. The Atlantic Bonito is delicious on the table, it prepares and eats just like Yellowfin Tuna. No Joke! Another thing that makes the Atlantic Bonito so special is that they are usually only around for about a month and on a day to day basis, they are usually only worth fishing for about 2 hours every morning. We really need to be sitting on the spot at first light. Atlantic Bonito are one of the few fish that are worth this kind of trouble! Adult or "Chopper" Bluefish also provide many thrills in the Spring. Finding vast schools of 8-12 pound Bluefish in 2-3 foot of water guarrantees a great day of fishing. Great jumpers and surface strikers, these Chopper Bluefish aren't really that good to eat, however I'd never pass up an opportunity to catch a couple of them! Smaller Bluefish can usually be found at various places and at various sizes throughout much of the year. The 1-4 lb class of Bluefish is often a trip saver from April through November. These smaller Bluefish are still great fighters, but are also very tasty. Spanish Mackererel are very reliable from May through October. These Mackerel are beautiful, sporty, and great eating. Spanish Mackerel tend to get progressively larger throughout their season, and large numbers of 5-7 lb fish are sometimes common. They are a very popular fish. Albacore are a good possibility in the Spring, great in September, and keep right getting better right through November! Albacore are lengendary fighters and they are definitely the best game in town on many windy, cold mornings in the Fall when fishing is impossible for anything else!

Cobia Fishing

Cobia Fishing is one of the most exciting inshore Fisheries that we have here in NC. It offers the inshore angler a chance at catching a tough fighting, great eating gamefish that averages 30 pounds and grows to weights over 100 pounds. Fishing for Cobia is availiable by 2 completetly different methods. The "old way" is to fish with bait on the bottom and wait for a Cobia to find you. This method can produce great fishing at times and there is usually enough bycatch (Bluefish, Sharks, and Rays) to keep you busy. The other method is far more exciting, but can be limited by the weather. In this fishery, we ride around and search for Cobias and cast to them. This is probably the most exciting and suspenseful inshore fishery that we have going right now. Delivering a bucktail to a cruising 50+ pound Cobia is very exciting. This method also allows us to fish with much lighter tackle since there is usually no anchor lines and other boats in the immediate vicinity. By either method, catching a big Cobia is a fish that will always be worth bragging about and provide lots of great fish dinners.

NIGHT (and Day) FISHING for GIANT RED DRUM

In August and September we have a very reliable and outstanding fishery in the Southern Pamlico Sound and Neuse River for Trophy Red Drum. These fish will average from 30 to 50 lbs. My personal best came in August of 2000. Caught just a couple hundred yards off the Beach at Cedar Island, this huge Red Drum was 59" long and weighed 83 lbs. I started fishing for these Red Drum in the Cedar Island area back in 1997 and since that year, my success rate has hovered around the 90% mark. Catches of 20-30 Red Drum per night isn't all that uncommon.... I offer this type of fishing from mid-August through September. I fish out of Cedar Island, right by the NC Ferry Operation. The hours for this trip are usually 6pm until midnight. Cost is $350

In addition, Red Drum commonly "turn up" in the Ocean as I run my regular trips out of Beaufort Inlet. Sight casting when conditions are good and fish are avaliable is a Fantastic Fishing Experience! If I had to generalize, I'd say March through June is our best bet for sight casting to Large Red Drum. Then I would guess that August through December are mt best months to find schools of Slot-sized (18" to 27"). Red Drum also turn up while fishing for other fish. They are a distinct possibility 12 months of the year!

Sight Casting to Red Drum

This is why I bought the Tower! I feel like for the first time, I will be able to consistently sight cast to schools of Red Drum in the Ocean nearly year round. These Drum will average from 7 to 15 pounds and when we find them it will be a very memorable fishing experience. I expect that I will be able to target these Red Drum consistently from April through May and again from August through mid-November. Possibly even on into January and beyond! Finding schools of Giant Red Drum is also becoming more common at Cape Lookout! Sight Casting for Red Drum is something that we can easily combine with other types of Fishing trips such as Cobia, Albacore or Speckled Trout. It would usually only take an hour or so to determine if the schools of Drum that I like to target are availiable.

Wreck Fishing

Wreck Fishing is a great way to spend a day on the water. Two of my all-time favorites, Amberjack and Barracuda, are very exciting and fun fish to catch. Amberjacks can be caught on Top Water Plugs, Bucktails, Metal Jigs, or Live Bait. Top Water Plugs draw awesome surface strikes and provide a great visual experience. Live Bait would be my second choice. Watching a pack of aggressive Jacks chase a 2 pound Bluefish down is incredible. Either way most people who haven't fished a Wreck before have never experienced seeing dozens of "big" fish swimming around the boat. Amberjacks frequently do this! Barracudas are another great fish. They respond best to live baits and tube lures. They are awesome jumpers for both height and distance, easily out-performing King Mackerels and Wahoos in this department. They have blinding speed and are also rugged fighters. Bigger Cudas fall for live baits more frequently, but the ones that chase down and bite tube baits are amazing too. You simply CAN NOT reel these baits too fast. It is impossible. Other Wreck Fish include: Flounders, King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Spadefish, Crevalle Jacks, Cobia, Sea Bass, Sharks, and others. Anything is possible on a Wreck off Beaufort Inlet!

Dolphin Fishing

The traditional "Big 3" of the offshore meat fishing world is Wahoo, Dolphin, and Tuna. Of these 3, Dolphin are the most common and readily accessible to the Small Boat, Center Console Fleet. From early summer until mid-October I am able to target for Dolphin with some degree of consistency from Boat and I can usually do this within 25 miles of land. Wahoo and Tuna are also possible, especially later in the season. Giant Wahoo actually are fairly common catches among the small boat fleet in late October and early November. My 3 career largest Wahoos all came within 10 miles of land and were all caught close to Halloween. I would never claim to compete with the regular Charter Boat Fleets in the offshore trolling game, but I do offer this type of Fishing at half their price and lots of "hands on action" for my clients. Of course, great weather is absolutely necessary!

Bottom Fishing

Bottom Fishing or Jigging with Metal Jigs or Bucktails off Beaufort Inlet is a great way to spend a day on the water. This is a Year Round fishery, only affected by NMFS closures. On pretty days, it is possible to fish farther offshore in deeper water and catch a variety of Groupers, Snappers, Amberjacks, Porgys, Black Sea Bass, Grunts, and Sharks. This type of Fishing is for Full Days only and very weather dependant on my 25 foot Center console for obvious reasons, but the fishing can be awesome when conditions are favorable.

A totally different fishing experience can be had by bottom fishing or jigging speck rigs much closer to the Beach. This fishery is best during Fall and Winter. Staying within 3-4 miles of shore allows me to fish many more days with type of weather that is common in winter. Fishing can be excellent for Black Sea Bass, Bluefish, Gray Trout, Sea Mullet, Black Drum, Croaker, Hogfish, Dog Sharks, and many other varieties.

Bottom Fishing in the Sounds and Inland Waterways can be fantastic from September through November. This is a great way to introduce children to fishing. Our most commonly targetted fish is the small, but tasty Spot. If we can find a Spot we jusy might find a cooler full! Other fish caught while "Spot Fishing" include Croakers, Sea Mullet, Gray Trout, Bluefish, Flounder, Black Drum, Red Drum, Hogish and more.

Capt Marty's Top 15 Catches

1. 50 lb. Yellowfin Tuna (my 1st Tuna) caught on 10# and a stingsilver while casting to Albacore 5 miles off the Beach on 9-19-1988. Amazing.
2. 240 lb Bluefin Tuna caught on 20# and a cigar minnow light line while Grouper fishing on 11-28-1997. I fought this fish for 4 hours and covered 7 miles.
3. 83 lb. Wahoo caught while King Mackerel fishing by myself out of a huge fleet of Carteret County's best fishermen on 11-8-1995. This story is too long to tell here...
4. 66 lb. Amberjack caught on a #00 Clark Spoon on 6-24-1988. The Amberjack swallowed a 2 lb. Mackerel I was reeling in. This fish really got me "HOOKED".
5. 96 lb. Wahoo caught on 15# and a boston mackerel on a light line while Grouper fishing on 10-2-2001. I hooked this one seconds after Gerald Currin had decked a 67 pound Wahoo and was still "bragging".
6. 10 lb. 11 oz Flounder caught in Taylor's Creek on a windy day on 10-18-2003. My career largest Flounder was caught in a place I'd ignored during 20 years of Flounder Fishing!
7. 83 lb. Cobia caught off Cape Lookout while fishing by myself on 5-15-2002. I hate to admit this, I actually tried to break this one off because I was convinced it was a Stingray!
8. 350 lb. Blue Marlin caught on 30# while Dolphin fishing off Ocracoke on 5-20-2001. I rigged the baits, set out the lines, hooked the fish, fought the fish, wired the fish, tagged the fish, and released the fish!
9. 7 lb. 4 oz. Largemouth Bass that I caught on 5-2-09 on a 3 wt fly rod and a tiny rubber-legged spider. I hooked a tiny Bream that the Bass swallowed. I knew when she jumped, she'd throw the Bream... When she did, as the Bass re-entered the water, line started to peel off my reel again. the tiny fly was somehow lodged in the Bass's lip! Caught in a tiny pond at MHC Wal-Mart. Unbelievable!
10. 3 lb 8oz Spanish Mackerel caught on the Morehead Ocean Pier in August of 1974. My first "REAL" fish. I turned down a trip to the movies so I could stay out on the Pier that afternoon.
11. 37 lb. 4 oz. King Mackerel (combined with a 30 lb.4 oz the day before) that won $52,900 in the Snead's Ferry KMT on 8-12-2000
12. 34 lb. 8 oz King Mackerel caught from the Shackleford Banks surf on a peanut shad rigged up on a Penn 440SS (small spinning reel) with 8# on 7-14-2001.
13. 12 lb. 8 oz Sheepshead that ended a 10 year quest to catch a Citation Sheepshead on 8-12-2007.
14. 24 lb Blackfin Tuna that ate a stingsilver one mile off Atlantic Beach on 5-6-2010. I was casting for Bonito with a 10# spinning rod and had chased some Albacore inshore of AR-315. The Tuna was a blind strike and took an hour to land!
15. 67 lb. Black Drum caught on 5-3-2011 that outweighed my previous best Black Drum by 62 lbs and made me actually believe (for the first time) that I might actually accomplish my life's mission of collecting all the NC Citations!

Capt Marty's Personal NC Saltwater Citation Tally

All Fish caught by Capt Marty on Rod n Reel
Starting with a 66 lb Amberjack caught on June 24, 1988 in Beaufort Inlet
Species / # Citations / Largest Wt
1. Red Drum / 363/ 83 lbs
2. Flounder / 70 / 10 lb 11oz
3. Speckled Trout / 68 / 9lb 6oz
4. Cobia / 67 / 94 lbs
5. Amberjack / 48 / 66 lbs
6. Sheepshead / 34 / 12lb 8oz
7. Spanish Mackerel / 31 / 9 lbs
8. King Mackerel / 30 / 53 lbs
9. Bluefin Tuna / 21 / 380 lbs
10. Wahoo / 21 / 96 lbs
11. Barracuda / 15 / 36lb 8oz
12. Shark / 8 / 241 lbs
13. Black Drum / 8 / 67 lbs
14. Sailfish / 7 / 88"
15. Striped Bass / 7 / 35lb 8oz
16. Grouper / 5 / 35 lbs
17. Florida Pompano / 5 / 2lb 9oz
18. Black Sea Bass / 5 / 4 lbs
19. Crevalle Jack / 4 / 28 lbs
20. Red Snapper / 4 / 15lb 6oz
21. Tilefish / 4 / 12lb 8oz
22. Atlantic Bonito / 3 / 25"
23. Yellowfin Tuna / 3 / 83 lbs
24. Sea Mullet / 3 / 2lb 14oz
25. Triggerfish / 3 / 7lb 15oz
26. Blackfin Tuna / 2 / 24lb 8oz
27. False Albacore / 2 / 19lb 3oz
28. Gray Trout / 2 / 6lb 2oz
29. Blue Marlin / 1 / app 400 lbs
30. White Marlin / 1 / app 60 lbs
31. Spearfish / 1 / app 8 lbs
32. Dolphin / 1 / 40 lbs
33. Spot / 1 / 1 lb
34. Porgy / 1 / 6lb 7oz
TOTAL 849
Citation Saltwater Fish from other States
Snook / 4 / 35" (Texas)
Striped Bass / 1 / 47 lbs (Virginia)

Capt Marty's Personal NC Freshwater Citation Tally

Starting with an 8" Flier caught in a Wake County Pond in July of 1982
Species / # Citations / Largest Wt
1. Hickory Shad / 38 / 2 lb 9oz
2. White Perch / 25 / 1 lb 4oz
3. Blue Catfish / 6 / 42 lbs
4. American Shad / 6 / 5 lbs
5. Rainbow Trout / 5 / 21"
6. Largemouth Bass / 3 / 8 lb 4oz
7. Bluegill / 3 / 2 lb 2oz
8. Bowfin / 2 / 33"
9. Chain Pickerel / 2 / 28"
10. Green Sunfish / 2 / 10"
11. Pumpkinseed / 2 / 11"
13. Yellow Perch / 2 / 1 lb 6oz
12. Brook Trout / 2 / 20"
14. White Catfish / 1 / 4 lbs
15. Bullhead / 1 / 2 lb 8oz
16. Redfin Pickerel / 1 / 14"
17. Flier / 1 / 8"
Total 102
Citation Freshwater Fish from other States
Brown Trout / 2 / 16 lbs (NY)
Walleye / 6 / 28 7/8" (Ohio)
Freshwater Drum / 3 / 24" (Ohio)

2001 NC Citation Count

Citation sized fish caught by Capt Marty or Top Water Clients and Guests
1. Blue Marlin 1
2. Bluefin Tuna 4
3. Cobia 4
4. Dolphin 1
5. Flounder 2
6. Grouper 1
7. Pompano 1
8. Red Drum 70
9. Red Snapper 2
10. Sailfish 2
11. Speckled Trout 7
12. Spot 1
13. Wahoo 5
Total 101
***I spent 45 days in South Padre Island, Texas from early October until Thanksgiving catching Mangrove Snapper (up to 3 lbs), King Mackerel (up to 19 lbs), Spanish Mackerel, Hardhead Catfish, Pompano, Speckled Trout (up to 3 lbs), Red Drum (up to 5 lbs), Ladyfish (up to 5 lbs), Palometa, Gulf Sea Mullet (up to 2 lbs), Little Tunny, Bluefish, Sand Sea Trout, and (finally) SNOOK (up to 9 lbs). Of course, I fished every day or night possible.***.