Aug 31 A Billion Minnows and The Big Prediction

Last night I went gigging in absolutely perfect conditions. The same shoreline where I gigged 2 Flounder on a falling tide two nights ago... The same shoreline where I saw dozens of "footprints" of large Flounder... Last night I saw nothing. The reason was there were so many silversides that followed my light....everywhere I went.... That I could NOT EVEN SEE THE BOTTOM in 1-2 feet of water. This IS AN INCREDIBLE PHENOMENON.... My prediction is: If this abundance of Bait continues for the foreseeable future, I predict that we will see OUTSTANDING Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, Albacore, Gray Trout, and Speckled Trout fishing this Fall... I also predict that Flounder gigging may be difficult due to.... I guess I covered that already. I did throw my Cast Net on a school of huge Jumping Mullet last night. One glance over the rail and I could see at least 8-10 writhing Mullets in the Net. As I pulled my Net up and over the side of the Ferry, I could feel the mono webbing tearing apart.... Sadly, I could feel and hear huge Mullets drooping back into the water. As I finally pulled the Net over the gunnel, one lone solitary Mullet thudded to the deck. My cast net now has a gaping hole in it. Probably 30% opened up... The lone Mullet, headed to the Grill weighed nearly 6 lbs. A freaking Giant Jumping Mullet! Not a great night for Capt Marty.... No gigged Flounder and a ruined Cast Net. So much for "living the life".................

Aug 28 Flounder Gigging and Good Eating

This is why I LOVE MY JOB..... Now I also MISS MY WIFE..... Life is always a struggle. Make the Best Of It! I was gigging about an hour too late. All the Flounder Footprints were headed back to deep water.... I found 2 nice Flounder that were a little slow. Also got lunch for Jeremy and I with one toss of the castnet! Grilled Jumping Mullet... No Rod-N-Reel Fishing yet, Pompano beware! Yeah, right!

Trout Adventure's with Jalen

I'm headed up to the Mountains soon and Jalen is going to lead me to a Trout Grand Slam and a Smallmouth Bass to boot...... Jalen sent me these two pictures today.... He went up into the hills to catch some native Brook Trout. These may be Nature's Most Beautiful Creations even though the cell phone pics don't really color them up......

Aug 26 45 minute Red Storm

Nobody but little John Boy will take me fishing.... Oh, I did get a "guilty conscience" offer yesterday that was impossible for me to accept... Anyway, I got the Top Water Boat back yesterday and Jennifer and I went on a shakedown cruise yesterday afternoon. Out for a little swim and hike at Shackleford Banks.... Later, I got anxious and bored. Panicky, to be exact.... And I loaded up some gear and went fishing! Torn between Red Drum and Ladyfish.... I decided on the Red Drum because the reports had been strong! I got a late start and ripped it down to Cedar Island. I was in my spot by 845 and had my first bite at 9pm.... The next 45 minutes were epic! Singles and doubles in rapid fashion. I released Red Drum #9 at 945pm.. Then I pulled one off. Then I missed a bite... And suddenly, that was it. Over. I did release one Red Drum that was a mammy Drum. Bottomed out the 60# BogaGrip. Not by much, but bottom. This one was 55" and a stud. I'm guessing it was 65 lbs. As usual, I had the cell phone camera and no way to do self portraits... That one would've made a nice picture. Tonight's Drum were big ones on average. I call them 40+ pounders.. Good night, felt great to be back in action.... Total Catch for the Night: 9 Red Drum up to 65 lbs

Boat Update----The TOP WATER BOAT is Ready to Roll

The mighty Top Water Boat is back together and is ready to go fishing..... I'm leaving for Hatteras tomorrow morning, so I guess when I get home next week I will be back in action.....

OPEN for FISHING
Day and Night
King and Spanish Mackerel, Red Drum, Shark, Albacore,Grouper, Amberjack
Don't Forget: Huge Tiger Sharks
SEPT 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9

Let's Go Fishing

Aug 25 Part 3 A Bigger Bass (again)

I went back to the Mung Hole and tried it again... After catching little Largemouth Bass and Bluegills for several minutes, then they suddenly quit biting.... Hmmmm, could it be a large predator showed up? Suddenly there was a huge swirl and my little popping bug was gone... I quickly came tight and my lightweight flyrod throbbed... Then my little bug re-appeared at the surface and the fish was gone... Or was it? Two casts later, a green back broke the surface and my tiny bug was gone again in a second... I could feel the weight and the fury. Then up popped my fly again...... I missed him again. The tiny hook on the little popping bug wasn't finding a home. 0 for 2 on strikes from "big Bass"..... How many more chances could I possibly get? I kept tossing the same little popping bug. Nothing. No more little pecks from baby Bream, no action of any kind....  Finally, at the end of a long retrieve, right beside a mat of floating vegetation.... A large head slowly appears. Two big eyes come into view. Then a large mouth slowly opens and my little popping bug disappears again.... Whooosh. And the battle is on. This one pulls off all my line that was at my feet and I fight it off the reel. The biggest one yet. Jump.  Jump. Jump. I got the kid across the Ponds attention! Then my line bogs down in the vegetation, and into the Mung Hole I go again. Again, I find my Bass and bring it out.... Too bad this time I'm by myself and there is no way to do a self-portrait. So I laid the Largemouth Bass on the grass by my 3wt Fly Rod and thats the best I could do! In the "broken record dept", this one is now my #2 Career Best Largemouth Bass on Fly.... Third time in two days! Total Catch for this Session: 4 Largemouth Bass up to 5 lbs and 10 Bluegill 

Aug 25 Part 2 Newport River Canoe Journey

First, I cast rubber legged spiders to 8-9 fishy looking creek mouths, weed beds, and downed timber.... No Bites.... Regardless, Jennifer and I had a great time and a workout exploring from a rented canoe that we got from Newport River Adventures on old Hwy 70 in Newport.... I highly recommend anyone that loves water, loves nature, needs a work out, needs something different, or jusy needs adventure to go launch or rent a canoe or a kayak from this business.... This entire activity is soooo much different that boating on the Coast in Carteret County.... Amazingly, it is right here, right under our nose... And it's been there all along. A true Black-Water River with tidal flow and the greenest foliage you've ever seen.... From Civil War era brick railroad tressle to modern day grafitti painted by a local scholar and future inmate..... This was the best $25 bucks that I've spent lately.... Remember, if fishing, bring bait (or buy it on the spot, along with tackle, ice, drinks, etc).... I personally have NO SUCCESS ever in Black Water with artificial bait... This is the same water that JohnBoy and I caught a bunch of Bream out of a couple days ago...... Total Catch on this Adventure: NOTHING

NEWPORT RIVER ADVENTURES
Canoes, Kayaks, Paddleboats
Bait, Ice, Drinks, Water, Tackle

Aug 25 Queen of the Mung Hole

Got a Mung Hole Monster yesterday..... Got another one today..... Today's Bass was shorter, but was much more robust, aggressive, and healthier. I say this one weighed a few ounces more, but I'm just going to call them both 4 pounders, which in a trophy considering where they live! This one came from an even smaller body of water... Same Pond, but a cut-off section of extremely shallow water. Amazing that this Largemouth Bass could survive and grow and prosper in this place.... This one ate a tiny chartreuse water bug on my 7wt Fly Rod.... Still amazing, and I also caught a handful of Bluegills too.... So now, this Bass is my #2 Career Largemouth Bass on Fly Tackle...... Total catch for the Day: 4 lb Largemouth Bass and 6 Bluegill

Aug 24 Little Sid and the Best Bass Fishing in Beaufort

Well I'll be damned, none of my buddies asked me to go fishing..... So I went out to collect some food for Little Sid. For those who don't remember, in March of 2011 I blew out my back.... I was out of work and out of my mind for 2-3 months.... I decided to get an aquarium and promptly went out and caught White Perch, Pumpkinseed, Bluegills.... Bought Oscars, Algae Eaters.... And a 1000 Misquitofish... The sole survivor is Little Sid, the Bluegill.... Nowadays, Sid is a fine specimen, a NC Freshwater Citation-sized, stud of a Bluegill. His diet has changed from minnows to crickets to earth worms.... He loves Canadian Night Crawlers and since he started on them, he eats little else. Last night he ate a moth.... So today I decided to go scoop him up some suprizes from the Pond.... Right now, he is freaking out over a nearly "frogged out" tadpole... And he is ignoring a dozen Misquitofish.... Anyway, I took my 3wt Fly Rod with me and I started out with a few really nice Largemouth Bass (Beaufort standards) and several Bluegill from the Original Mung Hole..... Then I went to a different Mung Hole that I have ignored for 4 years.... In the early years, it was the poorest Pond in Mercerville by a longshot... However, for chasing bait, it is the best.... One scoop and I my bucket was full of stuff for Lil Sid.... Then I went and got my 3wt Fly Rod out of my truck... My first cast erupted in a huge roll and a splash of water.... Line slipped through my fingers and then peeled off my reel... The Bass jumped and I couldn't believe how big it was.... Close to the bank and she got wrapped up in something... I can't believe this, but here I go into the Mung Hole. Waist deep and my fly line was wrapped around a dead sapling.... Getting the line free and the fish was still there.... I finally landed her and this is My Career #2 FlyRod Largemouth Bass on the 3wt Fly Rod. The Largemouth Bass was right at 4 lbs and was caught on a rubber legged spider! After that, I caught more Bass and more Bluegill.... All in All, I really couldn't have topped this, even in the Ocean. Total Catch for the Day: 12 Largemouth Bass up to 4 lbs and 10 Bluegill

Aug 23 Exploring the Newport River

Not having a Boat has been really weird.... Of course, the best weather of the year around the August Full Moon occurred while I was out of commission! Also interesting is the total lack of interest my friends have showed in "taking me fishing or gigging or whatever".... Gone are the days when poor ole Gerald hauled me around on the Big Duck 50 days per year.... Those were the best of times... Our last "real trip together" was in Sept of 2001. We had 96 and 67 lb Wahoos.... Citation American Red Snappers, big catches of Gag Grouper, King Mackerel, Amberjack. and Black Sea Bass... Okay, I had to "snap out of that dream"..... So John Boy stepped up and asked me to go exploring with him.... Into uncharted territory we sailed... Up the Newport River from launching in Newport.. This is a "river trip".... Beautiful sights. The greenest foilage I've ever seen. And Black Water... Earlier this year, I lamented how "I have never caught a fish in Black Water".... Well, that can be put to rest.... We caught lots of Bream. We didn't see the Catfish and Bowfin we expected... It was a very fun and different kind of experience.... Thanks John Boy, I owe you one! Total Catch for the Day: 15 Bluegill and 1 Redear Sunfish

Boat Update

It looks like The Top Water Boat will soon be repaired and ready to get going again.... A split in the Bow is nearly patched up and the broken welds in the Tower are fixed. It will be interested to see how she does when it goes back into the water. Next time I'm home (Sept 4-10) I will be up and running again. Looking for Red Drum fishing to be peaking and King and Spanish Mackerel fishing to be very good..... Bluefish, Albacore, Amberjack, Grouper, Shark and Barracuda are all availiable too!

Call me at 252-241-8350

New Rate Structure

When Top Water Charters re-opens for business I will have a new rate structure... The only major change will be the additional cost associated with carrying larger groups of people on my boat... It is really meant to discourage fishermen from over crowding my boat. Honestly, it only makes everyone suffer when the boat is too crowded. I can not run to places I want to run to, I can not fish in places I want to fish, I can not fish in a manner I want or need to fish... Most importantly, it is a major safety issue. Larger groups of Adults gathered on the bow of my Boat restricts my vision and also causes my Boat to not handle normally.... Also, I find that crowded conditions commonly results in broken rods, lost tackle, LOST FISH, and bumps and bruises to me and my anglers... Every other Guide does it, why shouldn't I? I run farther and stay longer than any of my competition. It's is stupid on my part. It makes NO SENSE from a Business Standpoint.... I will continue to do it, but I WILL NOT do it anymore from a over-loaded boat and if I do I will be compensated... Sorry. That's the way it is going to be. Period, non-negotiable! 

Top Water Charters 2013 Rates

Rates for Top Water Charters in 2013 will be:

These Rates are for 1-3 Anglers. For additional Anglers see notes below.

Long Half Day- $400 (My Half Days run longer than my competition. Typically from 6am-2pm)

Full Day- $600 

Night Fishing- $400 

Grouper or Dolphin Fishing- $800 (full day only)

Customized 2, 3, and 4 Hour Trips are availiable and the Price will vary with Individual Requests

***Extra Anglers are $50 per Half Day ***

***Extra Anglers are $100 per Full Day***

TOP WATER CHARTERS is Temporarily Out of Commission

Due to several problems that occurred on my last trip the Top Water Charters Boat is going to be out of action for a while.... Problems with Steering, Broken Welds on my Tower, and an apparent Broken Stringer under the deck are all serious problems.... The Steering and the Welding are pretty simple fixes.... The busted Stringer has the potential to be catastrophic.... Right now I have no other options than to close down my business..... I am aiming to be up and running again by late October or early November.... This will not stop Capt Marty from fishing and I will continue to report my fishing successes and failures... I WILL NOT be able to run Fishing Charters until these issues are resolved though... I bought a little Flats Boat a couple of months ago and I have not used it one single time... My goals for my next week off are to #1 fix the Steering problem, #2 repair the Aluminum Cracks and broken Welds, #3 get the little boat up and running.... The Busted Stringer is going to be a BIG PROBLEM and I really have no idea what it's going to take to fix it.... In the meantime, I am at Hatteras for now and I will be trying to catch that damn Pompano again....

Aug 12 Great Shark Fishing and Little Else

First thing this morning we found the Miss Sandy VI pulling a Shrimp Trawl right off Shackleford Banks.. In his wheel wash was hundreds of brown torpedos just dying to stretch a line..... So in quick order, my 4 anglers released a 100 lb Blacktip Shark, a 85 lb Blacktip Shark, a 22 lb Blacknose Shark, and a 28 lb Sharpnose Shark.... Then we left..... That was OUR MISTAKE because from that point on the Fishing was Poor.... The winds were supposed to lighten up in the afternoon.... By 2pm, I found myself at the Portland wreck with all kinds of problem.... A probable busted Stringer... Two broken and getting progressively worse welds on my Tower, and finally a leaking Steering Helm that had already crippled the upper station.... Also, the seas out at the tip of the Shoals were angry and the current was ripping... My anglers were having trouble making the quick movements required to fish for Big Fish on Light Tackle.... We found one bright spot in an otherwise "Dead Ocean"... We caught a 6 lb Spanish Mackerel and hooked another... The second one made a lightning quick move by the boat and left my angler off balance.... Looked like the 20# mono got wrapped around the rod tip and when the big Mackerel made his final run, he gained his freedom because the line popped..... After that, we ran 15 miles looking for something, anything, to cast to and we saw NOTHING.....ridiculous for mid August... We finally tried a little livebait fishing inside the Cape Lookout Bight and that failed..... Total Catch for the Day: 2 Blacktip Sharks at 85 lbs and 100 lbs, 2 Blacknose Sharks at 22 lbs and 28 lbs, and 1 Spanish Mackerel at 6 lbs

Aug 11 Poor Red Drum Fishing

The fishing was pretty slow where we were fishing. We did have a front row seat for Mother Nature's Greatest Lightshow.... Off to the west, and northwest, we watched a Giant Lightning Storm. The sky was just like a strobe light... We watched in awe as the cloud ceiling on the horizon shrank and shrank......We also witnessed hundreds of ground-stroke lightning strikes and thousands of "across the sky" lightning bolts..  Finally after 90 minutes of nothing, at 915 pm we caught a nice 45" Red Drum... Things were looking better... Then we hit an unexpected doldrum. Around 1015 and 1030, we missed 2 strikes... We also made an amazing catch! We had a 4" Croaker try to swim through the body cavity of a cut Menhaden that we were using for bait... The Croaker got stuck and when we reeled in to check the bait---there he was.... That we never happen again! Hey, if I'm bragging about crap llke that, the fishing couldn't have been good....... Then suddenly the sky overhead became pitch black. The wind went from 10 kts to 20  kts. The Sound was whitecapping. The temperature dropped 10 degrees. Raindrops fell.... And we picked up and ran like scared cock roaches when the lights come on..... Total Catch for the Night: a 45" Red Drum and 1 Atlantic Croaker

Aug 8 Part 2 Bad Trip

Tim, who struck out with me on Red Drum wednesday night, called me at 3pm and asked if I could help his daughter, Emily, catch a Shark.... Chris, Jalen, and I had just got back from Cape Lookout and the place was teeming with Sharks..... As bad as I wanted to go back up there rigged for Tarpon, I agreed to try for Shark instead... Tim was an exceptionally great client. Very funny and engaging, Happy even when experiencing "bad fishing"... I really wanted to help his daughter catch a nice Shark... After seeing what I just seen, I figured our best bet would be to sight cast to Blacktips with fresh Spanish Mackerel that we already had in the cooler... So we ran to the Cape Lookout Shoals, crossed to the eastside, and approached a finger shoal that ran east-west.... The sun was bright. The Sharks were there... I backed up to within casting range so the approaching swell would hit the bow instead of suprizing us broadside or breaking on the stern..... The first cast was off target, but the Shoal was very active. One 40-100 lb Blacktip after another... So I left the boat and bait in position... No takers... As we drifted out of range I cranked in the bait and prepared to re-position the Boat...... AND THEN A GIANT SLOW SLOW SLOW MOVING CLOUD ECLIPSED THE SUN and all our hopes went out the window.... We tried to anchor up and the current was all wrong... Emily caught 2 tiny Sharks. Newborns. I call them Sharpnose Sharks... I know newborn Blacktips are supposed to be 2 foot long. These were not that large... An hour passed and the sun came out... Now it was dead low tide and the shallow water, the glare, and every possible thing was against us... And when we finally delivered a bait to a cruising 50lb Blacktip, he went ballistic and made 3 quick circle around the bait and could not find it... As our boat drifted down on the frenetic Shark and the spot where the bait laid on the bottom, it was a race against time. Closer and closer we got. I know from experience that shifting into reverse will scare everything away within a 1000 feet....When we were 30 feet away and rapidly drifting towards the Shark, he saw the boat and took off across the Flat... That was the final straw... We gave up on the Shoals. We ran to inside Cape Lookout and tried bait fishing on anchor. Of course, that didn't work either, even though we caught a Cobia. Thinking about the thousands of disappointing Sharks caught Cobia fishing was no comfort... Thus ended the worst 24 hours of my Fishing Life. Total Catch for this Trip: 1 Cobia, 1 Bluefish, 1 Southern Stingray, and 2 Sharpnose Sharks

Aug Part 1 8 Good Trip (Almost Great)

Chris, Jalen, and I went out on a inshore casting expedition and we found varying degrees of success in catching the things we were after... We also found a couple of suprizes, one of which is always a heartbreaker because I am never completetly prepared.... I am referring to Tarpon. Every couple of years I encounter a single Tarpon or a small group of Tarpon on the Cape Lookout Shoals. Everytime it is while I am rigged up and searching for something entirely different. My thinking is, if there is ever a time that I see them consistently for a couple of straight days, or see them in "fishable" numbers, I would make a "Tarpon specific" trip up to the Shoals and fish for them... So far, that hasn't happened. When we found them this time, there were three of them. They were cruising in 3 foot of water. We were all rigged up with stingsilvers... We followed them around for 10 minutes and cast all around them, both with stingsilvers and top water plugs.... I would've loved to cast a blue crab, or even a fresh dead menhaden, or a live bait in front of them... There was a good long period of time when we were very close to them and they didn't know we were there.. It was a great opportunity to catch a Tarpon. As usual, I was up in the tower and any hope we had to catch a Tarpon (identical to the Sailfish on may 29) rested on my ability and agility to get down on deck, rig something up to interest a Tarpon and to potentially catch a Tarpon, then get back up into the tower, find them again, and then make it happen.... I dream of the day that I might actaully have someone, a mate or an angler, that has the experience, the ability, and the desire to fish and think like I do.... That's never going to happen. Most of the time the guys on my boat are "dreamimg of Deer or Duck" and could honestly care less if a Tarpon or a Permit or a Hammerhead Shark or a Sailfish or a Blue Marlin is swimming up to the Boat. Well, no one cares but me so its up to me to make it happen. I'm getting old and achy so flying up and down the Tower is getting more impossible all the time, and there's no way to carry rods and reels and tackle up there for every possibility. Besides, who can anticipate a Sailfish a mile off the Beach or a pod of Tarpon swimming by the boat... No one. So it doesn't really bother me anymore. With the tackle we had on the boat, a weighted treble hook was our best bet to catch a Tarpon yesterday. That being said, there was plenty of opportunity to snag the hell out of one... I'm pretty sure I could've caught a "scale"... A fish attached to that scale? I doubt it... Other than that, we caught real pretty Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish on metal... It was always difficult. Never even close to "every cast".... Total Catch for the Trip: 9 Spanish Mackerel up to 2lb 8oz, 18 Bluefish up to 3lbs, and a 40lb Blacktip Shark 

Aug 7 NO Drum Red Drum Fishing

The worst kind of Red Drum Fishing is the kind where no Red Drum bite.... That is pure genius right there! It seems like every year I will make a trip down to Cedar Island a week or so too early and the result is a night with one or even NO Red Drum... This trip was that trip for me... Never mind that there were quite a few Drum caught last night...We ran into Capt Hauser of Johnny's Good Time Charters at the boat ramp... He caught 8 Red Drum last night... Tonight he caught one! Good Time Charters bested Top Water Charters ONE to ZERO..... For either boat it was nothing to write home about.... Capt Hauser blamed it one the East Wind.... I blamed it on the Calender.... There are 13 days until the Full Moon... In 6 days, the week before the Full Moon, the fishing will get better and better and better... And by the Full Moon of August it will be EPIC.... Meanwhile, fishing will get better and better near Beaufort Inlet as well. This morning Capt Tugwell rocked the 2-4 lb Spanish Mackerel on metal. "Every cast" he said.... We'll see. I was not really amped up about this Red Drum trip. I tried my best though. I re-baited 4 rods every 10 minutes for nearly 5 hours... That's 120 baits. That's 120 casts. No wonder the tendonitis in my shoulder is killing me! How am I supposed to cast for Mackerel tomorrow! Total Catch for the Night: 1 Bluefish

TIGER SHARKS

****I just got the word that Sunday the Tiger Sharks were out "IN FORCE" in the area where I was talking about fishing for them... So if anyone wants to go out and Catch and Release one of Planet Earth's Apex Predators right now and the next Month is the time to do it off the Central North Carolina Coast****

My plan of attack is to stop and a wreck and catch of Barracudas/Amberjacks and then move to the Spot.... Once we arrive I expect 2-3 Tiger Sharks to come up for a visit and hooking them should be quite simple to hook one up.... If anyone is interested in this unique opportunity, please call me at 252-241-8350.... After the heydey of the "shark finning" years in the early 1990's,  I wondered if I'd ever have an opportunity to battle these giant Sharks in my home waters... The answer is YES and these Tiger Sharks and other species have made a remarkable recovery.....

Aug 4 Sick and Tired of Poor Fishing

It is a pretty depressing feeling. After all the horrible weather that I fished through this summer,here I sit at Hatteras for the second or third shift in a row and it is absolutely gorgeous on the water... Just like yesterday. Just like tomorrow. Just like last week I was up here.... I am sick of it..... But, its pretty and I'm at the Beach. I should quit complaining and go surf fishing.... I can promise everyone this much, take a poll of Fishing Writers, Fishing Hall of Famers, whoever you want,,,, Name the Top 5 "Surf Fishing Destinations in the World" and Cape Hatteras will make the cut everytime.... Well, I've been up here 180 days per year every year since 2002..... Let me tell you, The Fishing Must've Been Pretty Good Back In The Day because nowadays, it flat out sucks... And I realize that just like everywhere else, Cape Hatteras has its days... The fishing can be great. or, it can suck... Overall, I have been very disappointed in the quality of my "typical" day of surf fishing on Hatteras Island. I have also learned something else, and this one stings a little.... I am absolutely horrible at surf fishing... No insight, no skills... So, with all that information hanging around my neck like a dead Albatross and shackled to my ankle like a Ball and Chain, I set off once again, sacrificing sleep and rest, to try and conquer the mythical Pompano once and for all..... Funny this Pompano obsession. I have fishing as harder for Pompano than any other fish since my arrival at Hatteras in 2002. I have given up on chasing the glamour fish. The fish of Outer Banks Surf Lore.... The mighty Channel Bass, the noble Speckled Trout, the misunderstood Bluefish, and the World's Most Popular Surf Fishing Species the famed Striped Bass.... I'd rather watch Deadliest Catch re-runs than chase those loser fish in the Surf.... The Pompano though, that's another story.. I chase them quite often. And I'm not sure why... Clearly, I'm the worst Pompano Fisherman on the Outer Banks..... It wasn't always like that. I clearly remember catching coolers full of them off The Morehead Ocean Pier. By 1973, I kept my name on the board all summer.... Pompano--Marty Moore--3lbs 8oz.... I was 8 years old and life couldn't get any better.... Then in October of 1990, in the rain one day at the Iron Steamer Pier I caught 49, count em 49, Pompano by myself one day... Then came the crash. The end to all normalcy in my Pompano Fishing Life.... Since that day in 1990, I've caught less than 10 Pompano. I can nearly remember them all. Two are significant. And there is the one I caught today.... On July 4th of 2001, I was at Ocracoke. Back then it was a Pompano Fishing Crown Jewel of an Island.... Lots of Citations were being weighed at Tradewinds.... So I decided to "go Pompano Fishing"... I even bought a Sand Flea Trap. This is how you tell your hardcore Pompano fanatic. The Trap. Mine cost $75 and lasted up until last year... Anyway, on July 4, 2001 I fished for Pompano with live sand fleas in crystal clear water in an area that was a "red hot" Pompano Fishery... In 5 hours I never had the first bite.... A true foreshadowing of things to come in the years ahead, as far as "my Pompano Luck" would go... Except things were different then. Ole Capt Marty still had a little magic in him back then! So, in one of the greatest moments in MY FISHING HISTORY I announced sourly to anyone who was listening "I am freaking sick of Pompano Fishing to hell with them" and I tied on a Stingsilver and figured after wasting a half a day "Pompano Fishing" I'd try to catch a Spanish Mackerel.... I angrily flung my stingsilver into the wild blue yonder.... On approximately the 10th crank of the reel handle I had a strike (I thought)..... The rod tip bowed and line zipped off my reel. The fight told me it was no Spanish Mackerel. The little warrior was relentless and the rod conveyed a "throb" that made me guess it was probably a medium sized Crevalle Jack... A "worthless" trophy but somewhat of a rarity in NC waters. I would be thrilled to catch and release a nice little Crevalle Jack... Well, the fish finally wore it self out and as I pulled it in the last 30 feet, I couldn't believe the identity of the fish that was becoming clearer to my wonderous eyes. I'll be damned if it wasn't a Pompano.. Foul hooked by a stingsilver. A one in a million catch. A Pompano would not just not bite a stingsilver because there is nothing in a Pompano's diet that is even similar to a Stingsilver...  A Pompano is a shy and skittish creature that would actually flee from an approaching stingsilver..... And it wasn't like the Ocean was teeming with Pompano that day... Remember, I'd fished 5 hours and not had a nibble, but also I'd never even seen one caught on the Beach that day........ For me to "snag" one, on my first cast, that is so unbelievable I can't, to this day, comprehend it. I'd never done it before and I haven't done it since... And to make the story even better--- It was a 2lb 9oz NC Citation winning trophy Pompano. Since that day, I believe I've caught 3 more Pompano. THREE MORE POMPANO. That is so incredible.... My God, I've been rambling! Yesterday, of course I hooked and lost a big Pompano.. This morning I went to the same spot. Hoping that today was going to be MY DAY.... I was looking for a Pompano and hoping for a nice one. Incredibly 30 years ago a cooler full of Pompano wouldn't have suprized me, here I was today, looking for a single Pompano! Anyway, skipping breakfast and sleep, I went knee deep into the Atlantic Ocean after my nemesis... The Pompano... And believe it or not, I got one! I caught a Pompano... And amazingly, it was a repeat of history! I actually snagged a Pompano on a bottom rig today and unfortunately, the hook went through his abdomen and killed him.. Unlike the July 4th fish 12 years ago this was no trophy. As a matter of fact, today's Pompano was about the size of my big toe...Not even... The size of my big toe nail... So once again, I can not catch a Pompano. How does this one fish do this to me. The Pompano truly does have me defeated. It is an amazing sub plot to My Fishing Life Story.... Total Catch for the Day: 1 Gulf Sea Mullet and 1 Florida Pompano

Aug 3 Hatteras Beach Fishing

This morning I went out chasing rumors.... I was supposed to go out on the Miss Hatteras but this morning I had a few problems and I missed the boat. So, I hit the Beach instead. Supposedly, there was a Bluefish Blitz last night in Hatteras Inlet. So this morning, that's where I went. It all looked good. The tide was rising. The water was clear. Birds were everywhere... But that's where it ended. No fish were seen. No fish were caught..... I cast my stingsilver probably 150 times in 90 minutes..... Nothing..... I did scoop up about 6 dozen Sand Fleas before I left. I also figured there was way too much current down there for bottom fishing. So I drove out to just east of Hatteras Village where I knew there is always a nice slough. I got there at 8am and suprizingly, the tide was falling.. Weird.... Anyway, my first cast I hooked a big Pompano. Holy Toledo, this was my dream fish. The big Pompano throbbed on my line and smoked my drag, heading west and out to sea. I finally stopped him and then turned him towards shore... Silver flashed in the top of a wave. Then the Pompano's yellow tail broke the surface 50 feet away. I looked like I had my trophy and then..... PING...... the hook popped out. Oh My God. This is the worst event of my life (I obviously have a Happy, Carefree Existence) since I blew out my back.... ((Back Back > Lost Pompano))  I do want to clarify that! Anyway, I was stoked with the quick bite and bummed about the lost fish... Maybe I was in a good spot.... Then, in the next 90 minutes I caught 2 Sea Mullet.. Damn. I'm not complaining about catching 2 Sea Mullet.... They are a much sough after food fish....  But, if only I could've got that Pompano... So depressing..... Total Catch for the Morning: 2 Gulf Sea Mullet

July 30-Aug 5 Night Shift Fishing

Fishing around the Ferry Docks so far in 2013 has sucked.. No Flounder. No Sheepshead. The Ferry Division's Dredge is tied up over at South Dock and traditionally, or ever since my arrival in 2002, when the Dredge is over there, it messes up the fishing... Not sure why. Maybe the Flounder and baitfish follow the shoreline and they end up around the Ramps and under the Lights.. Maybe the Dredge pushes them off in a different direction, or holds them up, or simply repels them to leave the area. Regardless, the fishing has been awful....

On Wednesday night, I played with my fly rod and caught a few Pinfish and Bluefish.. I hooked 2 Flounders on the mudflats. One broke off the 5# test tippet and the other pulled off. I swam a live bait around for a couple of hour and had NO BITES..... I did manage to castnet 6 nice Jumping Mullets, which I cooked on the grill for lunch. Delicious...

Thursday and Friday nights, I have played around with my fly rod and I have not landed any fish.... Thursday night I had a Flounder eat my fly and he escaped.... Friday night I had a large Sand Perch eat my fly and he escaped. I also saw quite a few Squid. It might be time to break out a Squid Jig later in the week...

Saturday night I was up again and playing with my fly rod. Under the lights at South Dock, I caught a collection of Pinfish, Bluefish, and Sand Perch. Once again over on the north side, I had a small Flounder rise up and attack my fly. Once again, I failed to catch him... I've also been probing around with my Sea Urchins.... No Sheepsheads are biting. Summer of Disappointment on the Ferry Dock Fishing continues....

Total Catch for the Night Shift: 25 Pinfish, 4 Sand Perch, 3 Croaker, and 8 Bluefish