OPEN DATES for the SUPER BOWL of FISHING

                                                  Are We Seeing Eye to Eye?????

Thursday May 2 through Monday May 6. Wednesday May 15 and Thursday May 16.  Monday May 20. Wednesday May 29 and Thursday May 30. That 11 days in May. Weather Allowing, I will be fishing. Come on down or Regret it!
Call 252-241-8350
Boat Record- 94 lbs
Best Day of Sightcasting- 17 Cobia (Half Day of Fishing) These were NOT small fish (35-94lbs)
Best Day of Bait Fishing- 10 Cobia (Half Day of Fishing)
My Twenty Year Average Weight- +Cobia absolutely 30+ lbs
Normal Seasons will see several fish from 50-65lbs
64 NC Citation Cobia caught the past 12 years
Average 5.3 Cobia Citations per Season (including 0 Citations from 2004 and 2012)
TOP WATER CHARTERS TOP 5 COBIAs
1. Capt Marty- 94 lbs
2. Marcus R Rouse-92 lbs
3. Connie Culverwell-84lbs
4. Capt Marty-83lbs
5. Jim Leisey 81 lbs
Weird Cobia Numbers:
*One day in June 2003 we caught 3 Cobia, each one weighed exactly 54lbs
*Four straight days in 1998 I caught a 48lb Cobia, a 49lb Cobia, a 50lb Cobia, and a 51lb Cobia
*My first was a 22lb Cobia caught on a clarkspoon in 1987. I had to fight Bruce Cayton who was trying   to scoot him through the transom door because he was convinced it was a Shark

For My Fishing Clients:
Catch a 90 lb Cobia get a $100 refund
Catch a 100 lb Cobia get a free half day trip
Catch a State Record Cobia and get 3 free half day trips

***An unfortunate aspect of Cobia fishing is the distinct possibility of Not Catching One***
However, this is the most important fish of the year for the Inshore/Nearshore Fishing Guide. Big Fish. Very Popular. Delicious. Competition is fierce and most Guides will be Cobia Fishing every possible day whether they have a Charter or not. That speaks volumes about this FISH. Our Super Bowl is played from May until June. Kick-Off is near. Let's Roll Jack!

April 27 One More Day of Surf Fishing

That's it, I quit. I fished enough this week. Surf Fishing beats you up. Beats up your Tackle. Beats up your truck. I'm over it. There had been some 2-3 pound Bluefish caught recently. This morning I went after them. I picked a spot on the North side of The Point early this morning. Fishing was slow.... Trucks filled in the entire area. Then about 100 yards north of me the Bluefish started biting. Not long, maybe 10 minutes. Not many, maybe 25 Bluefish. Fishermen in a very small area caught them... I was hoping they would spread up the Beach but they didn't. Then it was over. And I was "over it"... I did catch 7 Blowtoads. That was it. I lost 6 hours of sleep for 7 Blowtoads. Sheesh. I give up..... Total Catch for the Day: 7 Northern Puffer

April 25 and 26 Hatteras Island Surf Fishing

This morning (25th) was a nice one to go surf fishing. Light winds. Fairly warm. Overcast. Incoming Tide. I made the trip up to Buxton and fished under the watchful eye of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse..... Fishing was so-so. A few Blowtoads. Then I hit a flurry. Twice I caught 2 Blowtoads at the same time. It was starting to look real good.... Then the wind shifted from SW to NE and picked up to 18kts. The temperature dropped 7 degrees. And it started sprinkling rain. I packed up my stuff and hauled butt. Here it is, 10:30am and I'm out of the shower and headed to bed. Mission Accomplished. The following day (26th) was even prettier. Unfortunately, I felt horrible this morning. Very stiff in the back, the knees, the shoulders.... Sounds like an old man. So, I stayed in bed until late and I missed the incoming tide. Later in the day I drove out on the Beach and it was beautiful! The fishing sucked though.... I tried it for a few minutes and caught a Clearnosed Ray. Fishing with a homemade bottom rig with 3 droppers (sweet) except the Skate managed to tangle it into an unidentifiable mess. So I quit.....Total Catch for the 2 Days: 15 Northern Puffer and 1 Clearnosed Skate

Back at Hatteras

Again...... This time its different. The TOP WATER BOAT is ready. Sitting on her trailer and ready to go! The Cobia are coming. The Bonito are coming. The Chopper Bluefish are coming. All the things we love about Spring are overdue. All the things we love about Summer are fast approaching. The Inshore and Nearshore Fishing is about to break loose at Beaufort Inlet. I got plenty of open dates next week and I surely would love to get a couple of calls (252-241-8350) May 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.......

Personally, I am very close (795) to catching my 800th NC Saltwater Citation-Sized Fish. I expect to reach that mark by the end of May. Hopefully, I will find me a 15lb Bluefish which will be my 34th different species. Back in the old days, the Bluefish minimum weight was 17lbs and I had caught a couple of 15 pounders. Since it was dropped to 15lbs, my best fish has been 14lbs 8oz. Dammit. Even worse, last year I had a Giant Bluefish that was fully engorged on a school of Menhaden. This one was well over the old mark of 17lbs. I say it was an 18 lb Chopper. Easy. Rigged up for Cobia, I cast my bucktail and the Bluefish immediately locked on my rig. Unfortunately, I could see it well enough to know that he was just chomped onto the hair and plastic tail. Still, the battle waged for 90 seconds. Very tense. I was in the tower and Chris stood by with the gaff. MY MOST IMPORTANT hookup in a couple of years!!! Close to the boat, the Chopper went airborne. Tailwalker. Headshaker. And he flung the bait. I clearly saw him spit out a mouthfull of deer hair. Oh No....... Suddenly the bucktail jig caught his attention again! His primitive brain signalled to attack. He wheeled around 180 degrees and rapidly approached the bucktail. Again. Unfortunately this entire scenario played out right beside the boat and it all occurred in about 5 seconds. Before Mr 18 POUND CITATION BLUEFISH could attack the same lure that had just "held him", the "nearness" of the Boat spooked him and off he went. Forever. 10 seconds later, my chartreuse tail floated up to the surface 25 feet from my Stern. Dammit....... Love It....... At the Same Time! This year, Let's Do It Again!

Up here this week, I hope to catch a Giant Red Drum down at Ramp 55. It looks like a perfect set-up. Also, maybe I can even "bloody up" the new boat. The one I bought 2 weeks ago. Or perhaps I can beg my way on the Big Tahuna. Capt Kenny has been crushing 3 things that interest me greatly. 1. Mako Sharks, 2. 40-50lb Grouper, 3. 20-46lb Golden Tilefish

Just remember, ITS TIME TO GO FISHING...... 252-241-8350
                                   

April 19 Great Fishing in the Wind and Rain

Horrible Morning with driving rain finally gave way to sun/cloud mix and howling SW winds.... We were  90 minutes late leaving, but we decided that the battering wind was not going to hold us back.... Jon didn't want to fish in the Ocean anyway, he thought inside would work better with his wife, Janet onboard... Jon also wanted to catch something good to eat. I figured Sea Mullet and Northern Puffer would fit that bill. Lots of fish with few keepers on yesterdays scouting trip to MHC had me scurrying to the East today. At Cape Lookout, we found what we were looking for, but we paid for that decision when we headed home. Pounded and Sprayed relentlessly by a 25kt SW wind as we ran back up Back Sound. We dropped Janet off and Jon and I went back to the Turning Basin and used up the rest of our bait... When it was over, I say it was a great day considering the weather. Lots of keepers. Lots to eat. High Numbers. Mission Accomplished. Total Catch for the Day: 35 med-large Northern Puffer, 14 Gray Trout up to 14", 10 med Southern Sea Mullet, 8 small Bluefish, 1 small Summer Flounder, 30 small Hogfish, 3 small Pinfish, 1 small Black Sea Bass, 1 small Atlantic Stingray, 2 Cownose Rays up to 20lbs, and 7 Smooth Dogfish up to 12lbs

April 18 Fishing for the World Record Goldfish

Well, I hooked the Giant Ball of Golden Fury. Battled him and it was an epic. He leaped clear of the water and twice bulled his way all the way across the Pond with his back exposed, water was flying in all directions.... Suddenly, he was defeated at my feet! I couldn't grab him though. I couldn't get a lip hold on him. As I went for a gill grip, he rolled and twisted and the 12# mono popped at the knot to the hook and the World Record  Goldfish swam away..... So before we left, I did rebait and I tempted a nasty 4+ pound Gold/Black/White Koi that was great fighter and I actually got a grip on and a picture before releasing..... Epic  Failure. Total Catch for the Evening:  a 4 lb+ Koi and a Bluegill

April 18 Scouting for Fish

Poor weather is bearing down on us and I've got some serious fishing ahead...... Therefore, I spent this beautiful morning looking to catch some bottom fish inside the Inlet. Not sure if I found anything good? Just as importantly, I may have figured out a couple of places that I can eliminate from my decision process. I did not find any Sea Mullets or Blowtoads. They are always the "targeted species" in Spring when we are bottom fishing. I did find lots of action, just that none of the fish were "keepers".... Total Catch for the Day: 20 small Gray Trout, 12 small Bluefish, 4 small Hogfish, and 1 Summer Flounder at 13"

April 17 Red Hot Bluefish

We got a very late start this morning. One crew member still hasn't got out of bed! So Jeremy and I wenr up to the Cape Lookout Shoals and we didn't find anything. The water was real dirty and the current was ripping. The current had the water really riled up in the "fishy" areas...... This washing machine really worked me over upstairs in the Cage. This morning I am as sore as I've been a quite a while. Its got me wondering about this whole Tower and Sightcasting nonsense. However, I remember feeling this way EVERYTIME we didn't see anything! All it would've took was one big drum and I would've been singing a different tune. So we struck out and headed back towards Barden's Inlet. We hadn't seen anything, anywhere. Then in an odd spot, I saw a fish dart by. Then a splash. A quick cast with a stingsilver and a quick hook-up. As I reeled in a 2lb Bluefish, he was followed by 35 of his buddies. After that Jeremy and I caught them on every cast until we had enough. Actually until Jeremy got the pad of his index finger chomped off. What a bloody mess that was. Blood, Sweat, and Tears.... Minus the Sweat. Total Catch for the Day: 40 Bluefish 1-2 lbs each

The Last Non-Fishing Report

Tonight I will post a REAL FISHING REPORT. My Boat sits in the water as I type. Today, at 11am, Jeremy, Will, and I will head east in search of Big Bluefish, small Bluefish, Large Red Drum, Albacore, Bonito, and Gray Trout. On this shake down cruise I will be happy to conquer any two of those listed above..... The Big News (obviously) is the TOP WATER BOAT has been released from the Boat Doctor and she is raring to go (Hey Gerald, does that ring a bell???? RARING TO GO) Also, I am chomping at the bit to feel the salt on my brow and feel the rise and fall of the Ocean under my feet..... Hopefully the Fish will cooperate and I will quickly forget all the fish I didn't catch..... So tonight, this report will be replaced by a REAL ONE

April 15 Tax Day, Coming Home, Memories, and Getting My Boat Back

Tomorrow I will be back home in Beaufort. By Wednesday, I will have my Boat back and will start cleaning it up and getting her ready to fish. By Friday the 19th, she will be ready to go unless something horrific happens. I expect fishing to be good if the weather's good. Pretty days mean Ocean days.  I expect Albacore and Bluefish to be steady with Bonito and Gray Trout possible. Dogsharks and Cownose Rays will be there for desperate measures.... In bad weather, we should have Sea Mullet, Blowtoads, Dogsharks, Skates, and Cownose Rays..... Call me at 252-241-8350. Pat G. definitely call me... Looking back, I will never forget April 15, 1993. Gerald Currin and I spent a long day offshore. No fish, anywhere. 25 miles of trolling 50 miles offshore. Late in the day we found a floating pallet. Talk about "saving a day". There were Dolphin under that pallet. An hour later, we were headed to Morehead City with 40 Dolphin. 25 of them were from 18 to 35 pounds. Well over 400 pounds of fish, not to mention the first Dolphin of the year out of Beaufort Inlet and a Citation for one of Gerald's friends. Nice Memory.

April 14 Hatteras Blowtoad Fishing

No excuses today except maybe I overslept! A beautiful day on the Outer Banks. The wind was light and the water was perfect. Unfortunately I slept through the "fishy" incoming tide, but that's the price I paid for walking around with my light and gig at 3am. That was a waste of time and it cost me several hours of a nice morning.... Regardless, I hit the beach at 1pm and found ideal conditions. The fish were biting too, although the ones I caught were small on average. Sea Mullets and Northern Puffers were the catch of the day. The majority of the Sea Mullet were too small. I kept 3 of them for Capt Billy. The Puffers are pretty much called "Blowtoads" wherever they exist and are always extremely popular as a food fish. Members of the Puffer family can be very toxic, deadly in fact. Most of the high octane Puffers come from more tropical waters. (Lucky little poisonous rascals) The Northern variety is not dangerous and, to the contrary, they are very delicious. The only problem they cause on the dinner table is when two hungry men both reach for the last morsal.... Up here at Hatteras, like the Civil War, brothers have killed brothers over the last fried Blowtoad on Easter Sunday.... Sheesh!  Unfortunately, I only caught 4 Blowtoads and I kept them all to eat. Overall, I'd say it was a very enjoyable afternoon of  surf fishing. I used to offer "guided surf fishing" trips. Never got many calls. One or two. Today would've been a nice day to do that... Total Catch for Today: 8 Southern Sea Mullets and 4 Northern Puffers

The TOP WATER BOAT and NINJA FISHING QUEST

The TOP WATER BOAT is repaired. Its coming home on Tuesday the 16th. It will sail on the 17th or 18th. It will be back in action FINALLY. I am sorry for the lack of SALT WATER FISHING REPORTS. I hope I kept my loyal readers semi-entertained with my FRESH WATER FISHING. I'm sorry my Paddlefish expedition fell through. That would've been exciting. Water conditions in Kentucky were all wrong when we were going to go.... Looking back, finding a spot for White Shad was exciting. As was finally catching a Carp. Very exciting..... As for my Fresh Water exploits, I got one more suprize coming up. If I can find time next week and if I can pull this off... Its gonna be the funniest, strangest, most daring, most incredible catch of my Fishing Career in Fresh Water. Furthermore, looking at the IGFA Record Book, this might just be a World Record Fish that I'm targeting! I'm sure that it would get rejected for many rule violations and it would be considered a completely unethical catch... But who cares, rules for fishing are great, but still fishing is a simple pasttime and ever since we were all little kids, we always tried to catch a "big fish" Well, I found a "big Fish" and the kid in me wants to catch it!!!! I can't wait to post a picture of it. Right here...... If I go to New Bern with the lovely and sweet Jennifer this coming week... If she is willing to "roll the dice" with me and take the picture! Dressed in our Black Fishing Ninja suits. (If not Jennifer maybe my cousin Ellen, this would be the most excitement in her life since the Kozy Korner closed in the late 70's) If we pull this off, it will be my most memorable "questionable" Quest since I fished the Greenville Rainbow Trout Farm in the rain one afternoon in 1990 when nobody was there.... At $3 per pound, shew, I'd still be paying back that debt....

April 13 Hatteras Island Surf Fishing

Let me dig deep into my "bag of excuses" and see what I get.... Okay, the tide was falling and it was on the low end of the cycle. We all know that surf fishing is better on rising and high water..... Okay, got that out of the way. On Thursday I bit the bullet and bought a $120 Beach Driving Permit. Last year I refused. However, if I'm going to spend half my life on Hatteras Island and be a Fisherman, not buying a Permit and not surf fishing is idiotic..... So today I hit the Beach. Reports from the beginning of the week were for red hot Blowtoad fishing. Sounds interesting. A "Blowtoad" is the common name for a Northern Puffer and they are a very, very, very good eating fish. Early Spring is the only time of the year that you would (or could) actually target them.... So I went Blowtoad fishing and, of course, I "shut that fishery down"... I fished 2 rods for 2 hours and I caught a few fish. A little too windy on the Beach. Low water. Muddy water. Very fishable though and it was fun. I got 2 Sea Mullet that were just big enough to eat. These Sea Mullet are lots of Island Native's absolute favorite fish, hands down. Tonight on the Ferry, my oiler Gary is frying up some "Kentucky Tuna" that I scored on Thursday. Its gonna be an interesting night on the Ferry! At least we will have 4 Sea Mullet fillets to "fall back on" if disaster strikes with the KYT! Total Catch for the Day: 2 Southern Sea Mullet, 6 small Croaker, and 4 Clearnosed Skate at 5-6 lbs each

April 11 Carpe Diem...... Seize the Day

The Grass Carp. A Giant Minnow. Incredibly popular in Europe. It's one fish that is readily availiable, widely spread, and grows to large size.... That I never really tried to catch until I found a huge population of 10-20 lb fish a few years ago.... To those fish, I dedicated about 40 hours, or many a morning or afternoon of fishing.... Honestly, I would've been better off asleep. I NEVER say that! These damn things were the exception. They were the most frustrating, annoying, aggravating fish that I've ever encountered.. They burned me out and I gave up and since it was late Spring, I turned my attention to the Salt Water.... I figured that I'd get after them again at some point in the future... Then came Hurricane Irene and the Pond with all the Carp flooded. I know some Carp were found in the ditch by Hwy 12 after the storm. Not sure what happened to the rest but, I have not seen any Carp in that Pond since the Hurricane. Sadly, I assume that all those humongous Carp perished in the salty water.... So I gave up on Carp.... ************************************************ ************************************************************************** ************************************************************************** **************************************************************************         Then I found a new spot with some Carp. I tossed some bread to a Carp. One of the Carp then charged the bread and KA-BOOM..... I'm in business! Well, y'all know me. The next piece of bread I tossed had a hook in it. Wham. Bam. Fish on. Smoking run. Then a 180 degree turn. Another smoking run..... Really, where was he going? Anyway I soon released a 7 lb Carp. I quickly rebaited, looked around and saw no one. Cast again and another Carp charged. I set the hook and this one jumped 3 times completely out of the water. I landed him and fumbled for my camera. Set the timer and took a self portrait. **************************************
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********Oh well, Mission Accomplished. Total Catch for the Day: 2 Grass Carp up to 7 lbs 

April 8 200 Miles of Searching and 0 Bites

Jennifer and I spent last night camping at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park near Goldsboro. Of course, I fished. I cast for Shad in the Neuse River. In addition to a great night of camping, poor Jennifer also got dragged around on one of my famous "Eastern NC Shad Tours". I fished the Swift Creek near New Bern. I fished the Neuse River west of New Bern. I fished the Tar River in Tarboro and Rocky Mt. I explained to Jennifer that Tarboro is home to a Heisman Trophy Winner and NFL MVP. Just hasn't happened yet. Todd Gurley is coming, like a Giant White Shad, or in this case, a one-of-a-kind Black Shad. Bad to the Bone.... Anyway, I casted for Shad in Contentnea Creek at Wilson. Then I finished my tour back in the Neuse at Goldsboro, Seven Springs, and Kinston! By the way, NO BITES at any location. I did find a "fish of a lifetime" in Kinston. Details later when I figure this out! I did catch my "Woman of a Lifetime" when I hooked Jennifer back on June 30th. Anyone that doesn't remember, we dated 13 years ago and I was deeply in love with her. I actually was on a blind date with her many moons ago and I was "dazed and confused and not paying attention"..... We were throwing darts. Jennifer hit a bullseye and jumped into my arms. She knocked me back into reality. We looked into each others eyes, and I suddenly fell in love with her.... Very strange and unbelievable. Impossible? Well, here I am and that will soon be 17 years ago. I'm still deeply, madly in love with Jennifer. Crazy. Back on our topic.... Fishing sucked. Thursdays torrential rainfall had all the Rivers and Creeks too high, too fast, and too dirty. Total Catch for the Trip: Nothing

April 3 American Shad Fishing

Tuggy and I fished in the Tar River today and we caught some really big American Shad and some Hickory Shad too. Really fun. We fished from the BCYC Fishing Machine for part of the day. The rest of the day we fished from the shore in Rocky Mount and I must say.... How did I NOT KNOW about this place!!! I'm nearly 49 years old, what on Earth took me so long to discover this "World Class White Shad Destination".... I just goes to show you ---- keep your eyes and ears open, NOBODY KNOWS EVERYTHING and everyday can be a learning experience.....  Total Catch for the Day: 7 American Shad up to 5 lbs and 15 Hickory Shad up to 2 lbs