Fishing in a Tea Kettle

I am the world's worst "Black Water Fisherman". As a matter of fact, I dont think I've ever caught a fish in tannic stained water. But I tried, as always..... So Jennifer and I went on a little trip to celebrate our 6 month anniversary. We stayed in Southport and we also visited Holden Beach, Shallotte, Caswell Beach, and Long Beach. On the way home, I made 50 empty casts into Town Creek near Brunswick, NC. Even though I didn't catch a single fish, I had alot of fun and got a nice picture of us together... Total Catch for the Day: NOTHING

Dec 28 Largemouth Bass were Chewing

On the prettiest day in quite some time, wouldn't you know my morning was shot on an errand to New Bern.  Later in the afternoon, I was finished and bored and it was too late to launch the boat.... So, I packed up a handful of Freshwater stuff and headed over to Lake Bernauer. This spot is too big to be a "Mung Hole" and Korey runs the show here, so I named it after him.... In warm weather it has plentiful and healthy Bass and possibility for great Bream fishing. In other words, its Fishing potential exceeds the other local "Mung Holes" as well. Korey has seen a pair of 5 pound Bass in the past. So, honestly, this is a regular ole Pond just like I fished in Garner, Fuquay, and Greenville in my earlier years.... Anything is possible! How about today? Well, it was as good as I'd ever expect it in the winter. I found an area holding Bass and I worked them over with a Beetlespin. A lot of fun and my fishing fix is in.... From 4pm until 5pm, I caught 16 Largemouth Bass with probably 6 of them slightly over 1 pound. On my lightest spinning rod with 6# test, it was a blast and I saw many, many great jumps and tailstands...... Not a Citation Speckled Trout by any means, but still a good amount of action and a very "game" fish! Total Catch for the Day: 16 Largemouth Bass up to 1lb 4oz

The Wreck of SS Oriental and the Town of Oriental

Well, I'm still at Stumpy Point. I'm still the Night Watchman. The Fishing has been non-existent. (Note- I am coming home on Dec 25th and I expect to be home for 21 days..... So I will be going fishing. Trout, Drum, Albacore. The fish better BEWARE because Capt Marty is coming! Please call me at 252-241-8350 if you are interested in going fishing) Anyway, I was driving down Pea Island this morning and as I always do, I looked back through a certain pair of dunes and got a look at "The Boiler" as it's known up this way. Something re-assuring to know that its always there. As if the damn thing could possibly go somewhere. Hell its been there for 150 years. It has seen its share of Hurricanes and Tautogs and everything in between.... It also gave me an idea for my "next piece of meaningless information". As always, I wonder if anyone reads this Blog. (Hey Jennifer, I know you read it baby. I love you SO MUCH. Can't wait until tommorrow. I think I'll show you the Boiler in person----How Romantic!) Anyway, The "Boiler" is just that, a Boiler. It is all that remains of the SS Oriental, a 218 foot long Federal Transport Ship that wrecked on the Beach here on May 28th of 1862. It is very interesting for 2 reasons. First, and of a "fisherman's interest" is that it is rare in that it is still highly visible 150 years after its demise. It is one of the few actual relics left on our coast to remind you of how treacherous and deadly the North Carolina Coast was back in those days. The Shoals and Inlets were bad enough, but then toss in incredible currents and waves, plus the confluence of two great masses of water, the cold Labrador Current clashing with the warm Gulf Stream created "weather on the spot" and crazy ass scenarios that I've seen on the Outer Banks that I haven't encountered anywhere else.... Like zero visibility fog when its blowing 40 knots! Deadly. Anyway, a shipwrecked Steamer lay just offshore Pea Island in 1862 and a young Island girl named Rebecca found the nameboard and other artifacts. She kept them.....Decades later and 100 miles away, a small settlement off the Neuse River called Smith's Creek needed a new name. The town was getting a Post Office and  residents didn't like the name Smith's Creek.The new Postmaster was a fellow named Mr Lou Midyette and his wife Rebecca had an idea.... She had an old nameboard off a shipwreck that she had found many years before when she was a young girl growing up on the Outer Banks! The name was "Oriental". Today Oriental is a quaint little town dominated by Sailboats and Downeast Guide Service (Haha). As for the SS Oriental, the Federal Troop Transport..... The Boiler is right where it's been for 150 years. Come summer, it will be teeming with Sheepsheads, Triggerfish, Sea Bass, and Tautog. Snorkelers can swim to it from the Beach. Good Luck and Happy Holidays Everyone. I hope you find this interesting. My history lessons are coming to an end. Its nearly time to go FISHING!

Three Fish Stories

AMERICAN SHAD

During the winter of 1776, Gen George Washinton's troops were near starvation. Food was scarce and the Continental Congress had no more funds to appropriate to what looked like a lost cause. We were on the verge of losing THE WAR. The Revolutionary War! History would have to be re-written. Washington's troops hung on until Spring. Barely. Then came the annual American Shad run up the Schuylkill River near Washington's encampment at Valley Forge, Pa. Armed with pitchforks, Washington's men set upon the Shad. Historians believe that the sudden supply of fresh fish helped win the war!

BROWN TROUT

The Brown Trout has been around for 70 million years. However, they were not always swimming around the North American Continent. They were native to Europe and North Africa. In 1882, William Gilbert of Plymouth, Mass imported 5000 Brown Trout eggs from Scotland. At first, this experiment seemed to be a disaster. Nearly all the eggs proved to be infertile. Then of the few tiny fry that actually hatched, only 3 of them grew to maturity. Miraculously, from those 3 originial Brown Trout imported in 1882, their descendents  are now caught in 43 US States and most of Canada and are one of the most sought after freshwater fish in North America.

STRIPED BASS

Striped Bass, as we know, are the MOST POPULAR GAMEFISH on the US East Coast. There is also a very productive West Coast Fishery that pretty much centers in San Francisco Bay. This wasn't always the case. In another incredible case of Fishery Management and Experimentation, in 1879 135 Striped Bass fry were hauled across the Country by Railroad by the US Fish Commission. These fish were kept in Milk Cans that were cooled with ice and aerated by hand in an arduous around-the-clock, by hand method. Of the original lot, so few actually survived that instead of setting up a West Coast Hatchery, these fish were merely dumped in San Francisco Bay. The experiment was considered a failure. Not to be denied, 500 more Striped Bass fry were released in the Bay in 1881..... A few years later, by 1888 in fact, Striped Bass were thriving on the West Coast and supporting a Commercial Fishery.

Dec 15 Pretty Day, Tough Fishing

Brent & Hunter took advantage of the "Christmas Special" and I was damn glad to get on the water myself. The "Top Water" has been sitting all fall/early winter and she was raring to go with bad water pump, cracked flywheel and all! The problem was the serious lack of fish that the Beaufort Inlet area has been experiencing. Or so I've been told, honestly, I haven't been around enough to even know.... Anyway, we headed out this morning with 5 dozen mud minnows and went Trout Fishing.... Only with extremely high tides and dark skies, I decided to waste a little time down to the west at AR-315..... And we stayed down there the entire day. It wasn't great, but the reports from the Rock Jetty weren't that good either. So we played around with "all kinds of ideas" and we managed to have fun and catch some fish. Unfortunately, Hunter sat out most of it with an aching back. (I can sympathize) Brent had the 3 Best Fish of the day (debatable).... He had a 17" and a 16" Speckled Trout on a metal jig in 50 foot of water. He also caught a 18" Red Drum on a bucktail at the same depth. My "signature" fish was a 4 lb Black Sea Bass that hurt me to let him go, and since it is "illegal" Brent awarded himself the "Fisherman of the Day" award....... Anyway. Spiny Dogfish on light spin filled the role of Big Fish.... All in all, I call it great day, with a great angler, and hopefully we all put our troubles aside for a day! And I was just happy to have someone to go fishing with me because all my other buddys are duck hunting... Total Catch for the Day: 3 Speckled Trout up to 18", a 18" Red Drum, 20 Black Sea Bass up to 19", 2 Hogfish, 2 Northern Puffer, 1 Leopard Sea Robin and 12 Spiny Dogfish from 6-12lbs each

Its Whats for Dinner Tonight

Dec 11 & 12 LARGE Striped Bass in Virginia

I heard about it for years. This year Thanks to Capt Chris Kimrey of Mount Maker Charters (www.mountmakercharters.com) I was able to experience the Cape Charles Virginia Float Eel Fishery. Unfortunately, I picked 2 horrible weather days to experience this.... Actually, I went up there for one day and the weather sucked. I then "rolled the dice" on day 2 and the weather was actually worse... So, basically, I wore the same clothes for 48+ hours. Nastiest I've been since my commercial Grouper/Snapper career ended in 1990. Thankfully, I'd forgotten the stench of wearing (and fishing in) the same clothes for multiple days..... As for the fishing..... Fortunately, Chris knew what the hell he was doing. Fortunately again, fishing was "just good enough" to get one bite each day in steep, short 4 foot seas and in 15-20 NE winds, under dark and sometimes rainy skies... So on 2 days that 90% of the Fleet stayed cancelled trips and stayed at the Dock (at the Bar apparently) Chris hooked me up to a 38 lb Striped Bass 20 seconds after the first live eel went in the water on 12/11. Then on 12/12, a 46 lb 14oz Striped Bass attacked our first live eel 30 seconds after tossing him in the Chesapeake Bay! Unfortunately, we didnt know when to quit either day either! After the immediate bites (kiss of death) each day, we bopped around and froze and suffered for another 3-4 biteless hours.... Oh well, looks like great weather is coming this weekend and I'd expect Chris and his fishing network up there to produce lots of 30-50 lb Striped Bass. I know he has some open dates after Christmas and I highly recommend to anyone to go up there and go fishing. Contact Chris. (Cell# 252-342-0464) He can take you or steer you in the right direction to the biggest Striped Bass of your life without having to fight all that ridiculous trolling tackle. Total Catch for the 2 Days: 2 Striped Bass at 38 lbs and 46 lbs 14oz

Did You Know?

The major currents in the Atlantic Ocean (The Gulf Stream, The North Atlantic Current, The Canary Current and the North Equatorial Current) are basically a counter-clockwise flow that is caused by the Coriolis Effect. It is the exact same reason that when we flush our toilets that the water spins counter-clockwise. If you find a line of debris in your toilet, I seriously doubt that you will find a school of hungry Mahi Mahi underneath it.....

Fishing is slow obviously.

Capt Marty A Nice Guy?

Here is another very kind and very cool letter that I received today via email......... And some people say that I'm an asshole on the water! Those people need to look in the mirror... I hope to take Aaron up on his offer to catch some Rockfish because Jennifer and I have been spending alot of time in New Bern lately as Savannah has turned into the Sugar Plum Fairy


Capt Moore -
>
> Good afternoon/evening.  I have followed your blog for a very long time and have thoroughly enjoyed your posts and have been envious of your fish killing abilities!
>
> I am certain you will not recall, but a number of years go when you had your Maycraft/Honda rig, you gave me some tips on catching sharks between Shack & Carrot Island via the NC Waterman site.  At the time I was wrapping up ECU and about to get married, and fished as much as I could with my Dad on the weekends.  Based on your tips, our very first shark hunt we caught 15 -20 fish anywhere from 10# up to 150# or so that day.  Without question, we were, and still are, hooked on that game!    
>
> Fast forward about 12 years to now, and we have caught hundreds of sharks in the very same spot.   Our best to date was caught July 2011, a bull pushing 300# by our very unscientific guess.  Making it better, I now have a 6 year old son and we continue to fish for sharks with my dad, three generations fishing together, all started because of your reports and generosity in sharing your knowledge.  Thank you, you have contributed to many memories that will be cherished in our family for many years to come!
>
> On a side note, my brother-in-law might have crossed paths with you recently.  He works with the Ferry system too and has been in Manteo running the same ferry route you are currently on, Chad Bond.  My son and I are planning on trout fishing with him this weekend in Belhaven.
>
> If you ever make it to New Bern, I'd like to meet you and we can try and catch a rockfish together.  We caught a ton last winter, usually just before dark.
>
> Thank you again!
>
> Aaron Simpson

Dec 5 Still at Stumpy Point

Yes I'm still at Stumpy Point working my "real" job. I have been up here for 28 out of the past 35 days. It sucks for fishing, I promise you that. It has really killed my Speckled Trout season! I think that when I get off on Dec 11th, that will pretty much end my "extra participation" and I will go back on a week on-week off schedule that will allow my normal fishing regiment to re-start.... So, I should be up and running again from Dec 12 through Dec 17 and I will be targetting Speckled Trout and expecting limits of nice fish, 100+ fish days, and NC Citation sized Speckled Trout as well. I really need 4 more NC Citations to reach the 100 Citation Benchmark that is always a goal of mine. 2012 has been successful regardless because of the many set backs and obstacles I dealt with.... Remember I missed 6-8 weeks with a bad back, then the much anticipated Cobia season was a bust, then I've pretty much missed the Citation rich months of November and half of December because of Hurricane Sandy..... Oh well, hopefully I will bust 100 and 2012 will go down as one of my BEST. Hell, I caught Jennifer Goodwin again after releasing her 15 years ago. No Matter what, 2012 will be MY BEST YEAR EVER.... Look for wedding bells this summer. Hopefully our plans won't interfere with the 2013 Cobia Run! (Sorry Honey, I know you read this. I'm trying to be funny.... The famous "Moore Sarcasm" it's a family tradition... I Love You) Anyway, call me at 252-241-8350 to go fishing.... Call me even if you're BROKE. I just wont to go fishing! What the Hell, Capt Marty's Christmas Special: Buy the Gas and the Ice and we'll GO FISHING!!!!

Nov 29 Good Speckled Trout Fishing

Stacy and me and two others went Speckled Trout fishing today because it was a beautiful day. My motor has been pronounced dead but I ran it anyway. And it ran...... Unfortunately, I am headed back to Stumpy Point tonight for 12 days so I am SCARED that I will miss the entire Trout season. Looking ahead, the forecast for Hwy 12 repairs to be completed is probably March. Sooooo, The Lovely Miss Jennifer has issued me an ultimatum..... No OVERTIME at CHRISTMAS. I agree. We lost 15 Christmas's and I think we deserve to spend this one together.... The Trout, on the other hand, have avoided the wrath of Capt Marty & Top Water Charters for nearly the entire month of November and December ain't looking great for me either. I will be working lots of "Ferry Time"........ Soooooo, they paid dearly today. All fish were caught on Green Grubs. It wasn't great, but there were 2 ice bags full of dead fish at the end of the day. Stacy got the biggest at 19". Stacy got the best of me and the most at 34 Speckled Trout. I got 26 Speckled Trout. The others, not so many..... Total Catch for the Day: 60 Speckled Trout up to 19"

Nov 28 The Radio Island Skunk

I wish this Fishing Report was titled "Radio Island Skunk" because on my way back up the Beach after catching 100 Speckled Trout I was approached by a small, furry, putrid, black and white animal........ But that aint the case....... It was the "other Skunk". The "I caught nothing" one that we dread..... Today I made my first hike down to the "sure thing" Speckled Trout hole at Radio Island. And I must say, all  good things must come to an end or what a great couple of years it's been! But, if today was any indication, It's not happening this year.  I hope I'm wrong but I never felt so much as a bump...... Total Catch for the Day: NOTHING

Nov 26 Red Drum, Flounder and Speckled Trout in a Pond

Hey, I finally went fishing! Working at Stumpy Point has really sucked. I HAVE NOT had any luck fishing for Speckled Trout on the Outer Banks. There have been some good bites, but I'm always at work. So yesterday I got a "minute" and pulled up to a Pond that I found in Wanchese. I called my buddy Ted who has lived there his whole life... I asked, "Anyone ever fish this spot?" He explained that it was an old borrow pit where they dug sand when they built the Mann's Harbor Bridge and "NO", as far as he knew it was dead and no one ever fished there....  So I wandered to the water's edge and felt for fish spirits or a fish whisperer or something.... Nothing. Dead. There was even a sheen of fresh oil that the light wind was lapping up on the shoreline at my feet. Undaunted, I hurled a much trusted 5" white gulp bait into the tannic water. Turned the reel handle 5 turns and KA-BOOM. A bite. My first bite since October 28th! What could it be. Bass, Catfish, Eel, Rockfish???? Well, an hour later I had 8 Speckled Trout up to 17", 5 Red Drum up to 26", 2 Southern Flounder that were too small, and a Sea Robin... Even more importantly, I lost a 7 lb+ Flounder at my feet and had my line broken by another Doormat Flounder. That is startling. That is what I get riding around with the exclusive "Trout gear". The 6# test ain't set up to battle gigantic freshwater Flounders in downtown Wanchese. Nobody would believe this and my only witness was a shiny black Grackle.... Total Catch for the Day: 8 Speckled Trout up to 17", 5 Red Drum up to 26", 2 Southern Flounder and 1 Northern Sea Robin 

Here's The Problem

There is a short section of Highway 12 north of Rodanthe that is going to be a challenge to fix. The old road bed is pretty much in the surf. Looking west, there is no where to build a new road.... It is a flat, marshy area. Bottom line, all this is built on a Sandbar. Hey I got an idea, lets build a Casino on Shark Island! All these pictures were taken at Dead Low Tide on Wednesday Nov 21st.

More Hurricane Sandy Pictures

I was trapped at Ocracoke for 72 hours. The first 36 hours, I rode the storm out on the MV Chicamacomico. What fun that was........

Oct 30 Fishing during a Hurricane

Here are a few fishing pics from the STORM!  I was holed up on a Ferry on the South end of Ocracoke Island and I pretty much kept a bait in the water.... Fishing wasn't great, but I didn't get shut out either..... Total Catch during the Hurricane: 3 Atlantic Stingray, 1 Tautog, and 7 Pinfish