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

Monday, December 27, 2010

Dec 27 After the Blow

It's the day after a BIG Wind, Ice, Snow, and Rain event out here on the Outer Banks. I will be headed back to Beaufort tomorrow morning and the weather for next week is looking much better. We might even be fishing in air temps in the 60s by next weekend. Sounds incredible after yesterday's mess. Out here at Cape Hatteras it snowed alot but it was being tossed around by 40 knot winds. It was brutal cold on the Ferry last night. Things are looking up. Call me (252-241-8350) and lets go see what's out there. Striped Bass, Speckled Trout, Red Drum. Albacore, Bluefin Tuna, or Black Sea Bass.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Dec 25 Christmas Day Red Drum Blitz

I don't have a lot of Christmas Day Fishing Memorys. I do now.... Getting up early enough to take advantage of the incomimg tide, I fished a tiny "hole" in the Hatteras Inlet Surf and smoked the Red Drum this morning. The hole was full of Red Drum and Jumping Mullet. There were also a few Black Drum as well, but I didn't catch a Black Drum. Cast after cast would either result in a Red Drum strike or a snagged Red Drum or Jumping Mullet. The majority of these Drum were too short, but I did manage a 20" Red Drum and a 21" Red Drum. I also caught a 4 lb Jumping Mullet. Total Catch for the Day: 33 Red Drum up to 21" and 3 Jumping Mullet up to 4 lb

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Dec 23 Unfishy Fishing

Dear Santa,
What I want for Christmas is a 30 lb Striped Bass to eat my gulp on my Trout Rod. That would be a fair fight. A 50/50 proposition........Today in poor conditions I made over 300 casts. I had 4 bites. I hooked 1 fish. It got away. I know there was a few Red Drum caught in the Hatteras Inlet vicinity. I didn't contribute to the total catch. Tomorrow if I decide to go fishing, I'm going to try a different area. Probably at Buxton. I'd love to catch a Striped Bass on Christmas Eve! Total Catch for the Day: Absolutely Nothing

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Dec 22 Slower Red Drum Fishing

Right when I think I got something figured out...... A pretty day for fishing and it looked very fishy. However, in the same slough that produced 5-6 bites in 40 minutes yesterday, I got 5-6 bites in 3 hours today. To make matters worse, when I finally caught my first Red Drum of the day, my camera battery went dead. I got one on my cell phone and I got one from yesterday on the camera. I will try to load those pictures soon. Bad weather is headed for Hatteras , so this could be the end...... Well, then I got bored and went back out there and..... I caught 3 Red Drum and a 5 lb Jumping Mullet in 30 minutes. I guess I gave up too early on my first session. Total Catch for the Day: 5 Red Drum and 1 Jumping Mullet ****2895 Total Fish in 2010****

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Dec 21 Red Drum in the Hatteras Surf

I'm back at Hatteras for a week, including Christmas Day. However, there is one good thing. There are Red Drum in the surf. The difference between Cape Hatteras and Home is there is a chance that a Striped Bass might be mixed in with the more typical Speckled Trout/Red Drum mix. That is enough excitement to make me brave the cold. So this afternoon I rode the Beach before work and found some action. Here's what I found. In a narrow slough down by Hatteras Inlet there was a nice little Red Drum bite going on and only a couple of guys taking advantage of it! I caught the tail end of it. In 45 minutes of throwing a Gulp, I caught a couple of Red Drum and pulled the hooks on another one right at my feet. I saw a Drum in the 25" range, but the one's I released were in the 17"-20". Total Catch for the Day: 3 Red Drum

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Dec 15 No Fish Fishing Report

I went to Radio Island today and froze my butt off... I made about 40 casts and covered the "every cast area" from last week! I never felt the first tap. The water is much colder than it was 8 days ago and much colder than the Hatteras Surf... The Speckled Trout have moved away from the Radio Island/Bulkhead Channel area. It remains to be seen if I will brave the cold, the wind, and the rain and make it up to Cape Lookout this week. There should be some Jumbo Trout up there, but it is Christmas and all, and I am as busy as everybody else running around like an Idiot. If they have any sense, they will head South and I mean way South... Bogue Inlet ain't far enough, look for some dead fish to pop up down that way... Up on our end of the Carteret County, probably 95% of the larger Speckled Trout died last winter.. Total Catch for the Day: 0 Fish

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Hatteras Speckled Trout, Rain, and No Trout

I fished on December 10 and 11. On the 10th, fishing was repectable. Not up to Radio Island standards but I released 13 Speckled Trout in 30-40 minutes of fishing. What was cool about it (to me) was catching them in a tiny slough in the surf, Much different than what I'm used to. Standing ankle deep and casting to a sandbar 75 feet offshore and catching Speckled Trout on the backside of the drop-off. And I mean where the water dropped off from 2 feet to 4 feet. Pretty cool. All these Speckled Trout were from maybe 14" to 10". It beats workin! On the 11th, it was dreary, rainy, but slick. I couldn't resist trying it again. It keeps my mind off a darkening cloud of depressing thoughts that are moving in on me for some reason....Anyway, I never had a single bite. But, it was a great feeling and I considered the fishing to be great, standing in the rain on a desserted beach, tossing a grub into the surf. The Hatteras Charter Fleet had a great day yesterday catching Blackfin, Yellowfin, and Bluefin Tuna. Business is slow so today lots of boats went out commercial fishing today. Rolling the Christmas Dice looking for Bluefins. Not sure how they did, but watching them come in the Inlet as I stood in the rain casting for Speckled Trout damn sure made me feel better. Total Catch for 2 Days: 13 Speckled Trout

Sea Mullet is THE BEST FRIED FISH Period. End of Discussion.

There are 3 species of Sea Mullet. Northern, Southern, and Gulf. They are members of the Drum family, as are Croaker, Spot, and Speckled Trout. They are probably one of the "least respected" members of that family. I'm not sure why. They wage a great battle for their size and that flat ass rock on the plate! I hardly ever catch them anymore. When I was a kid, fishing off the Morehead Ocean Pier,we caught them all the time. Today I was reminded again, they are the best fried fish. Period.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Dec 9 Sea Mullets and Cold

It has been a cold time at Hatteras so far this week. Brutal wind was blowing earlier in the week. The past 24 hours gave me a break from the wind and I've made a couple of little fishing excursions. Yesterday, in perfect conditions except dirty water, I casted for Speckled Trout at the Frisco Pier. The water was too dirty though and that trip didn't last too long...... This afternoon, I grabbed some shrimp and went up to Buxton and managed to catch a nice little bag of Sea Mullets. I walked the Beach for quite a ways, casting as I went. Imagine my suprize when I actually got a bite! 30 minutes later, it was over and I had enough Sea Mullets to make a nice meal for 4 of us! Looks like warmer weather and some rain is headed this way, but I will probably be back up the Beach again tomorrow looking for another Sea Mullet bite. Total Catch for the Past 2 Days: 7 Southern Sea Mullet

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Dec 5 Cold Wind and Speckled Trout from Shore

Our plans for a great day of fishing got blown away..... And froze..... Everybody chickened out. However Stella was still able to slide out on the Beach just under her "I don't fish at 40 degrees or less" threshold and catch quite few Speckled Trout. Too bad the wind was blowing 20-25 from the NNW at Radio Island. It surely didn't bother the Trout, but it sure was cold on us. Hopefully next time we get a chance to go fishing it will be 65 degrees and clear skies and bright sunshine. The Drum and the Trout will be chewing! Total Catch for the Day: 15 Speckled Trout up to 13"

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Dec 4 140 Speckled Trout up to 3 pounds

For John and his brother, I really wanted us to catch some nice Speckled Trout. But, I warned them about all the 13" Speckled Trout. Amazingly, the first Speckled Trout of the day was a 19" Speckled Trout for John. After I had dropped the guys off, my last two fish of the Day was a 20" Speckled Trout and a 17" Speckled Trout. In between, we fished Radio Island, Shackleford Banks, Cape Lookout, and the Cape Lookout Shoals. We caught and released many, many Speckled Trout. My old pal Noah Lynk caught a big fish on a live shrimp. I couldn't tell if it was a Red Drum or a Trout. Other than that, we had the best the Speckled Trout that I saw caught, all day long. Total Catch for the Day: 140 Speckled Trout up to 20" and 8 Bluefish

Dec 3 Yesterday all Over Again

Once again I saved gas, got some exercise, walked Radio Island, and waylaid the Speckled Trout. Once again it was every cast or every other cast. Speckled Trout after Speckled Trout. From 2pm until 430pm. Any color grub or any Gulp. Total Catch for Today: 100 Speckled Trout up to 14"

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Dec 2 Same Old Story--Every Cast Speckled Trout

I am ready for a real Fishing Trip!! Looks like I'll be back in the game on Saturday and Sunday and I'm itching to go Boating. However, this afternoon the weather was great and I was looking for my "daily fishing fix". As usual, the Speckled Trout were in the same spot, doing the same thing. Why mess with the Boat. Cast after cast after cast. Trout after Trout after Trout. One absolute 15" Speckled Trout, others were close but I let them go. I fished the last 90 minutes of the rising tide. White Grubs today for the hell of it..... Total Catch for the Day: 85 Speckled Trout up to 15" ***Total Fish for 2010--2603***

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Dec 1 Speckled Trout Bite Again

Wind and Rain made this a perfect morning to take care of some business. By this afternoon, the rain was over, the sun was shining, and the west wind made things easy at Radio Island. So instead of tackling my real chores, I made the trek to the Rock Jetty at the end of the Beach. Fishing was the same as yesterday for the first hour. Every cast. Any color grub. Fish after fish. When the tide turned and started to fall, the fishing became harder. Actually, I think the fish just moved to a slightly different location. I caught a few more at the very end of a "long cast". Some other guys fishing back up the beach seemed to be doing real well however. I finished up short of my goal of 100 Speckled Trout. No doubt due to my late start. There was a few Bluefish around today as well. Total Catch for the Day: 80 Speckled Trout up to 14" and 1 Bluefish

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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.***.