Top Water Charters Fishing Reports and News Beaufort Morehead City Atlantic Beach Pamlico Sound: August 2010

Monday, August 30, 2010

Aug 30 Amberjack Fishing

Dan, Lisa, Jason, and Willy went out with me today and the Hurricane Swell stopped us dead in our tracks to the East. With all my favorite places off-limits, I had to re-group and form a new plan quickly. Things started looking up in front of Harker's Island, where one toss of the cast net canned 5 dozen Menhaden. After that we ran SW out of Beaufort Inlet and found a school of Amberjacks that were more than willing to "make our day". Everybody caught at least one Amberjack. The first one was the most spectacular. Jason caught his first, a 27 pounder, on a light spinning rod that was intended for a Barracuda. After that we bailed them, on all sorts of tackle. When it was over, we had boxed 5 Amberjacks from 25-33 lbs each and had released 3 other Amberjacks. The "almost" highlight of the day happened when we tried to get Lisa an Amberjack. I broke out the Big Rod with the 2 Speed Reel for easy cranking and dropped a bait down near the bottom. Seconds later we were hooked up and Lisa gave her fish a quick ride to the surface. Wouldn't you know it, but a big green Cobia pops up and he is on-fire. First he runs into the motor, then we see whats happening and what it is and I take the rod off the gunnel and clear him off the motor. I put the rod back in the gunnel and Lisa takes over again while I get the gaff. The next surge goes under the boat and the rod tip pops up and the hook comes flying out of the water. The Cobia is gone. Oh well, lucky Cobia, any other rod and your ass would be sitting in Emerald Isle right now. See ya next May. Total Catch for the Day: 8 Amberjacks

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Aug 28 Fishing at Night

Dan and his crew joined me on a night mission and the action was pretty good. Before dark we casted to fast-moving schools of Spanish Mackerel and into slower moving Bluefish frenzys for a half hour. This action was pretty hard to get into. With 3 casters at all times, we only managed to box 2 Spanish Mackerel and 8 Bluefish. The wind, the seas, and 6 other boats made it difficult and the fish were a pain in the ass too. The real action, by the way, seemed to be over at Rough Point where some really nice surf was coming in. Tommorrow looks to be an epic day for the surfers. Tonight there were 25 surfers that were still ripping it up after the sunset. Looked like fun. The dunes came to life later with bonfires popping up and the smell of burning "retardedness" drifting across the sound. Looked like fun, smelled like fun, and the Sharks even got the munchies over on the Shark Shoal. Action was good until we ran out of Spanish Mackerel chunks. We got a couple of bites on cut Bluefish, but it wasn't the same. When we decided to leave, everybody had released a 20-30lb Blacknose Shark and we had caught 2 baby Sharks and a Bluefish. We also pulled off 3 smokers. Blacktips? Maybe. Then we went inside and casted unsuccessfully for Ladyfish. There was quite a bit of surface activity, but we got NO strikes. Bummer. Total Catch for the Night: 5 Blacknose Sharks, 9 Bluefish, 1 Sea Robin, and 2 Spanish Mackerel

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Aug 26 Good Summertime Fishing

Chris and his soon to be Brother-In -Law fished with me today and the action was outstanding! Our first stop was just outside Beaufort Inlet to cast to some Spanish Mackerel that were tearing up the water. Those jokers tried to set the tone for the day by being picky. In app. 100 casts delivered in the strike zone, we only boxed 3 Spanish Mackerel and had a couple shake off. Pretty frustrating! Too the East, all those frustrations quickly went out the window. Arriving at my "home away from home" we quickly found the largest concentration of Bluefish that I've encountered in my 40 years of Salt Water Fishing. (claiming to start as a 5 yr old). Bluefish after Bluefish went into the box or the live well. 1-3 pounders. Metal, Top Water Plugs, whatever. After that carnage, we went to a Wreck, and everything went according to plan. First a Citation Barracuda, then an Amberjack, and then a couple of 150-175 pound Sand Tigers. Then we got a bonus 10lb Gag Grouper. Then we got a bonus Barracuda. After that we searched for Red Drum and failed. We ended up right back where we started and in 500 casts, we added 5 Spanish Mackerel. What ails them Mackerel? Total Catch for the Day: 70 Bluefish, 8 Spanish Mackerel, 1 Amberjack, 1 Gag Grouper, 1 Inshore Lizaerdfish, 2 Barracuda, and 2 Sand Tiger Sharks

Friday, August 20, 2010

Aug 20 Lots of Rain on Hatteras

I've got the Night Run. It should've been a fishy week. But some last second Truck troubles caused me to leave my Boat in Beaufort and some serious Lightning and Rain have curtailed my late night fishing expeditions. Tossing the cast net has been pretty productive. Thursday morning I had a 15 Mullet toss. Nice ones too, 2 pounders. Now if Gary Cooper will work his magic, lots of Ferry Dock workers will be eating good tommorrow night! Next week looks pretty busy. Hopefully I can squeeze in a Cedar Island Drum trip or two in there somewhere! The picture is of the much desired Tropic Bird and he aint been flying around Hatteras lately in all these Storms! I still got a few days open. Call me at 252-241-8350. Let's go fishing!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Aug 16 Awesome Mackerel, Bluefish, and Amberjacks

All we did was catch fish today. Jeff and his 2 sons had a great day of fishing. Right out of Beaufort Inlet we were greeted by thousands of airborne Spanish Mackerel. They were not shy about biting either. We caught all Jeff wanted in 30 minutes of casting metal. Off to the Shoals and the hard part was finding a way across that didn't scare the boys. Once we found the easy path (the long way) we found the Bluefish motherlode. The boys got all they wanted in the box and stuffed the live well. Most of these fish were caught on top water plugs and that was great action! After that we ran to a wreck and the boys unsuccessfully fished for Barracuda and whacked the Amberjacks. Everybody caught a Jack. One Amberjack was a NC Citation at 50". the boys let all their Jacks swim off to fight another day. After a dark clound formed up we called it quits and tossed the last Bluefish from the live well in thewater. A Barracuda quickly devoured it in plain view. Why didn't I put a hook in it? Total Catch for the Day: 15 Spanish Mackerel, 25 Bluefish, and 4 Amberjack

Aug 15 Not Much Fishing

We went out to play today and we didn't catch a lot of fish. The East side of the Shoals were a little rough so we stayed on the west side. Those of you that fish with me in summer and fall know where I like to go! Anyway, we did see some impressive Blacktip Sharks in the skinny water. 100+ pounders. We tried but we didn't get a bite from anything but the baby Blacknoses. I did find a school of Red Drum on the beach and Kimi caught a 26" Red Drum on 6# test. Go. We also, as a team, caught Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, a Blacktip Shark on metal, Scup, and Flounder at AR315 in the afternoon. Closer to a boat ride than a fishing trip, but it was still fun. Total Catch for the Day: 2 Spanish Mackerel, 5 Bluefish, 1 Blacktip Shark, 1 Southern Flounder, 2 Scup, 2 Pinfish, 6 Blacknose Sharks, 1 Lizardfish, 2 Hogfish, and 4 Black Sea Bass

Friday, August 13, 2010

Aug 13 Great Bluefish Casting

Larry and his son joined me today for a half day of light tackle fishing. Conditions were much better than yesterday but still a little bouncy. On the Cape Lookout Shoals we found the best casting of the year for Bluefish. Every cast is an underestatement. Strike after strike on every cast and these Bluefish were 2-4 pounders. Top water plugs produced savage strikes. It was incredible. After stuffing the cooler and the live well, we headed east to a wreck to catch some big fish. there were plenty of big fish around, but our success percentage was low. Bitten off by Barracudas and wrecked by Amberjacks time after time. Larry finally released a 14 lb Barracuda. We finished up with a doubleheader of Amberjacks and they both escaped as well. Still a great day! Total Catch for the Day: 60 Bluefish and 1 Barracuda

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Aug 12 Bluefish and Sharks

Howard and crew joined me for a half day of fishing, and as usual, we were greeted by gray skies and 20+ knot SW wind. The Ocean and all my favorite spots were closed out. So after wasting a trip to Cape Lookout, we headed back down to Beaufort Inlet and found a Bluefish feeding frenzy that lasted all morning. We pretty much caught Bluefish on nearly every cast and there was just enough Spanish Mackerel mixed in to make things interesting. After the fishing slowed down, we took advantage of the last of the incoming tide to do some Shark Fishing. After missing a small Shark and a big Shark, we worked out our problems and our last 3 sets produced a 75 lb Blacktip Shark, a 30 lb Blacknose Shark, and a 30 lb Southern Stingray. The weather was a downer, Howard has had the worst luck picking pretty days. I really hope he nails it this fall and we have an "epic day" he deserves it! Unfortunately, my bikini streak ended today too. Where are you KJ? Total Catch for the Day: 50 Bluefish, 3 Spanish Mackerel, a 75 lb Blacktip Shark, a 30 lb Blacknose Shark, and 1 So Stingray

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Aug 10 Great Shark Fishing

Kimi and Taylor went fishing with me today and we got a really late start. Capt Darryl of Beaufort Inlet Watersports gave me the the secret sign and that was all I needed to see. All we neeeded then was to catch some bait. Down in front of Harkers Island we found a school of Menhaden...one throw of the cast net we had plenty of bait. Then three Bottlenosed Dolphin put on a great show for us, they were nearly eating the bait out of our hands. They were within 2ft of the boat. Back down to Beaufort Inlet we started the SHARK FRENZY, in 3 hrs we had caught and released 10 Blacknose Sharks, and 2 Blacktip Sharks. One of the Blacknose sharks was right around 40lbs very close to the IGFA WORLD RECORD of 41lbs 9oz. Our biggest Blacktip was around 85lbs. The high light of the day was when a 50lb Blacktip Shark latched onto my wrist, devoured my glove and shredded the skin on my wrist. The revenge of the Sharks!!!!! Total Catch of the Day: 10 Blacknose Sharks up to 40lbs. and 2 Blacktip Sharks up to 85lbs.

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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.***.