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3,388 Total Fish Caught by Capt Marty, Clients, and Friends
66 Saltwater Species Represented
14 Freshwater Species Represented
53 NC Saltwater Citations for 10 different species
26 NC Freshwater Citations for 3 different species
Saltwater
Fish of the Year (Client)- Alan and his 130 lb Sandbar Shark
Fish of the Year (Capt Marty)- My career largest 9 lb Spanish Mackerel
Species of the Year- Amberjack. Incredible numbers and Top Water Action
Day of the Year- (Dec 16) Casting light tackle in the Hatteras Surf. Red Drum on every cast
Freshwater
Fish of the Year (Friend)- Jalen and his 4 lb Rainbow Trout on Fly
Fish of the Year (Capt Marty)- My career largest 5 lb American Shad
Species of the Year- Largemouth Bass. Many Bass on Fly and Spin. Lots of 3-5 lb Bass and I caught Bass in every month of the Year
Day of the Year- (Feb 26) Chris and I: 36 Largemouth Bass many 5-6 lbs each and a few huge Golden Shiners
Top 10 Great Days and/or Great Fish
Jan 29- Tuggy and I fished the Shoals and to the East. Pretty day, low expectations and we found a Gold Mine! We caught 14 Red Drum up to 28" on a Wreck. Also Bluefish, Black Sea Bass, etc
Feb 6- Brandon and I fished a Private Pond that he has access to. We caught 110 White Perch and 7 landlocked Red Drum. Many Perch were 12" to 13". Big enough for NC Freshwater Citations
Feb 26- Chris and I fished Amy's Daddy's Pond and whacked the Largemouth Bass. Between the 2 of us we released 36 Largemouth Bass up to 6 lbs. We each caught multiple 5 lb Bass. We also each caught a couple Giant Golden Shiners! Probably the best Freshwater Fishing Session of my Career
March 19- Tuggy and I fished Pitch Kettle Creek and caught 52 Hickory Shad on light spinning tackle. Average size was extremely large. My largest was a 2 lb 9oz Trophy Hickory Shad.
May 18- Joey Bell, Chris, and I on a Slow Cobia Trip "settled" for 2 Red Drum over 40 lbs, 6 Gag Grouper up to 14 lbs, and 8 Amberjacks up to 28 lbs
May 21- Bob Becker and I went on our annual Cobia Trip. We found lots of Cobia on Leatherback Turtles and finished up with 10 Cobia up to 57 lbs.
June 3- Larry and Anne try something different with me every year. This year it was Cobia Fishing. Unfortunately, it was blowing and pouring rain. Terrible conditions. We anchored up at Cape Lookout by default. Amazingly, we caught 7 Cobia up to 43 lbs. Larry even lost a Monster on the motor. Ouch, but it didn't matter on this day!
June 27- Alan and his came a longs way to go fishing. From Colorado. Unfortunately, it was Rough as Hell, so we had to stay inside. So after catching bait, we anchored up inside the Bight at Cape Lookout in an attempt to get a "late season" Cobia. Action was steady with Stingrays, as expected. After a few "big bite" failures, Alan landed a 130 lb Sandbar Shark after a mile chase and 30 minute struggle. Awesome. We also caught a 16 lb Cobia right at the top of the tide for good measure!
July 15- Ryan, Chris, and I caught 21 Amberjacks up to 34 lbs. We caught them on live bait at first as we were hoping for a Grouper. We quickly went to top water plugs and spinning tackle. Great Action
July 25- Jim and Phil wanted to do something different. So we loaded the Top Water Boat down with Kayaks and hauled them offshore. Once we arrived at the "spot", the boys launched their Kayaks and caught and released 10 Amberjacks. Jim also lost a Big Mystery Fish but had a memorable pull from onboard his Kayak
July 27- Bobby's crew started with me running aground hard. It looked bleak. We finally got underway and we found a ton of action. 7 Amberjacks up to 33 lbs, 2 Barracuda over 50", Almaco Jack, Dolphin, Bass, Shark, Porgy, etc etc etc
Aug 24 and 25- Capt Marty was 'boatless" and apparently none of my friends have boats either... Funny, I see boats in there driveways??? Anyway, shorebound and bored to death and took my 3wt fly rod over to the Mung Holes and actually fishing in one that we gave up on 5 years ago, I caught a 5 lb Largemouth Bass and 2 other Bass that weighed 4 lbs each. All on tiny popping bugs and the small fly rod. I loved it!
Sept 4 and 5- Orrin's crew and Johnboy and I. Similar days. Great Great Great Action on light spinning tackle casting metal lures to hordes of gamefish on the Cape Lookout Shoals. Combined: 110 Bluefish, 14 Spanish Mackerel, 7 Albacore, 4 Red Drum. Plus Blue Runners, Crevalle Jacks, and Ladyfish
Sept 6- Capt Marty fishing by himself caught a 37 lb King Mackerel, 7 lb Spanish Mackerel, and a 40 lb Scalloped Hammerhead Shark
Sept 10- Capt Marty fishing by myself caught a New Career Best 9 lb Spanish Mackerel
Sept 21- Parker and Linus and crew had a very good day. Early in the morning we were held up by thunderstorms. While waiting out the bad weather, Parker caught a 36 lb King Mackerel. Later the crew caught Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, and Crevalle Jacks. A couple of the Mackerel were Citations.
Oct 2- Tom's crew always has a great catch. This year was no exception. They caught 6 Amberjacks up to 50 lbs and 8 Red Drum from 6 to 8 lbs each. They also caught Albacores, Barracuda, and Bluefish
Oct 17- George, Antonio, and I had a very interesting trip. We caught 27 Dolphin from 2-5 lbs, 15 Vermilion Snapper from 3-5 lbs, and 12 Triggerfish from 4-6 lbs each. We also caught Jacks and a 150 lb Bignose Shark
Nov 25- Jalen and I fished the Tuckasegee River. Between the two of us, we released 45 Rainbow Trout, 15 Brook Trout, and 1 Brown Trout. I got a Grand Slam and Jalen released a 4 lb Trophy Rainbow Trout
Dec 16- Capt Marty fishing in the Surf on Hatteras Island got in an "every cast" school of Red Drum. That afternoon I caught 24 Red Drum from 23" to 27" on light spinning tackle.
Top 5 Great Failures and/or Fish Lost
May 29- Probably my Worst Charter Fishing Day ever. Dan's charter. Dan was a great repeat customer and unfortunately, I'll probably never hear from again. That hurts. So here goes "Bad Day Part 1"... Honestly, Dan's friends were poorly prepared to catch "big fish". As a Captain, I did a poor job dealing with that fact. Anyway, first thing in the morning, I hooked a 40 lb+ Cobia from the Tower and passed the rod down to an angler other than Dan. As I climbed down, I'm not sure what happened but out of the corner of my eye, I could see an Angler that had never fought a Big Fish. By the time my feet were on the deck of my boat, the Cobia was Gone! Then came "Bad Day Part 2". Not much we could do about this but....... Right out of nowhere, a fully lit up Sailfish swims right up to the Boat. Okay, we are inshore and sight casting Cobia in 74 degree water. We are probably 50 miles from where I'd expect too see a Sailfish in May! Regardless, there HE WAS and just dying to be hooked... Of course, every rod was fitted with a bucktail! Not exactly the ideal "Sailfish Bait". Anyway, I had the Sailfish flirt with MY Bucktail for 90 seconds and I COULD NOT get him hooked up.... Epic Failure..... Finally "Bad Day Part 3", we have now run 75 miles and have nothing to show for it. Running Back towards Cape Lookout there he is.... A stud 75 lb Cobia cruising on top. A Day Saver. I ask Dan to move the Bow to make a cast to this Cobia..... Too bad, Dan's cast sails off target. So I cast. Of course, I hook the Cobia. I need to get the rod on Deck because the Big Cobia is swimming right at the Boat. Dan, of course, is still reeling in his "bad cast". Somehow, the HOT ROD ends up in the wrong hands again. The angler with the Rod freezes and allows the big Cobia to pass under the boat while also angling towards the stern (and motor) I am screaming to PUT YOUR ROD-TIP IN THE WATER AND WALK TO THE STERN. Feet frozen. Angler on Port side, The Cobia lunges out of the water on the Starboard side. Line breaks. It's over. I cuss. I lost a great client. Late that day we released 7 Cobia off Turtles but the damage was done...........
May 31- Bad karma lingers. On another Cobia charter, we fail to find any Cobia. We did find a 12 lb Dolphin very much inshore. A Day Saver on a slow day! We are ready this time. I actually have a live menhaden rigged up. And I swear to God, that Dolphin cannot catch that damn Shad. It chases it all over the Ocean, finally pinning it to the side of my Boat and it still can't eat this menhaden. As we scramble for a back up bait, the Dolphin finally spooks and disappears into the green water. Unbelievable. Later that day, I found a pod of cruising 100 lb+ Tarpon cruising in 4 ft of water. I make perfect cast after perfect cast. Live bait, fresh dead bait, top water plugs, bucktails. Nothing worked. I was not surprised that the Tarpon didn't bite, but it would've been nice if they had!
June 2- Just a continuation of bad luck. But this marked the end of it... Didn't help my client John though... So we ran to the massive baitballs off Emerald Isle where the "monster catches" were coming from. of course, when we arrived the Bogue Inlet Boats had already cleaned up the morning action. So we wandered back to the west. Just west of Beaufort Inlet I saw a Baitball with 2 Cobia on it. I eased the Boat into place. I instructed John to cast.... Naturally his cast was way off base. He cast again. Another poorly aimed cast. I wondered if he even saw what I saw. So, just to make me feel even worse! I cast from the Tower and naturally a 60-65 lb Cobia peeled off the Baitball and followed my bucktail. Not a "bull rush striker", so I hestitated and let my bucktail sink. The big Cobia did a headstand on my bucktail. Experience tells me this is a good thing. One twitch of the rodtip and Ka-Boom. Fish On! I set the hook over and over. Like Sammy Sosa swinging for the fence. Line peeled off my reel. I handed the bucking rod down to John and quickly climbed down from the Tower. When I arrived at Deck Level the fish was GONE. I don't know what to say, Then or Now....
Sept 16- Capt Marty broke off an estimated 16 lb Sheepshead that ate a Sea Urchin in "plain sight", right off the surface, right in front of me! This happened in between Ferry Runs in the middle of the day at South Dock, which is at the north end of Ocracoke Island. This Giant Sheepshead pulled line off the reel at ease despite a locked down drag and 80 lb PowerPro. Wrapped around a 40 piling cluster and cut me off on a barnacle. Ouch!
Oct 18- Capt Marty's haste to land a Spanish Mackerel quickly cost long time client Brent a Real Trophy and a Spanish Mackerel of a Lifetime. My decision to net Brent's Mackerel as opposed to gaff him was based on: #1 The Net is In Hand #2 Spanish Mackerel are traditionally hard to gaff because the 3" gaff hooks commonly "stradle" the Mackerel's flanks and flip them over without gaffing him.... Anyone that spends lots of time King Mackerel Fishing knows what I'm referring too. It happens with Snake Kings and Jumbo Spanish.... Anyhow, in hindsight, I also underestimated the size of Brent's Spanish Mackerel. Absolutely a Top Water Charter's Boat Record and a 10+ pounder! The urgency that I felt was because we were directly over a Wreck and we had a doubleheader of Big Fish hooked up on the live bait rods and the reels were screaming. So when I tried to "net" the big Spanish, his head jammed in the net. Then he flipped powerfully upward. This action ripped the hook out of the fish's mouth and left in hopelessly tangled in the net. Of course, the Mackerel flipped out of the Net and disappeared in a Flash and a Splash...... I suspect long time client and highly skilled angler Brent will be "looking for a new Fishing Guide" next year.....
You forgot about the world record spanish that was released boat side.
ReplyDeleteBrent
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIm getting there. That Spanish will easily weigh 13 lbs by now. In our eyes, it will reach mythical status of Bigfoot or a Unicorn ......
ReplyDeleteOr one-eyed Wilma from the early 90s... One-eyed Wilma was a 30 lb King that I hooked in the eye on a Drone Spoon. Gerald knocked him off with the gaff. Back in our early days. We fished for One-eyed Wilma for the next 14 years. Guaranteed Tournament winner. She must weight 80 lbs by now
I still can't believe that spanish was feeding on the 20 pound albacore we were catching.
ReplyDeleteBrent
What about my fis......oh nevermind.
ReplyDeleteMike.....
ReplyDeleteYou caught a 4 lb Black Drum on a live shrimp in June of 1973. Honestly, how could you retire from Fishing at the ripe old ago of 11 after catching such a signature fish? Were Comic Books that good back in those days? By the way, It took me 33 years to top your Black Drum. Happy New Year Bro
Why are fishing for goldfish?
ReplyDeleteNo need to look for a new captain, it will be much more fun to give you hell each time I bring some of my customers to fish with you. I may need to book about 10 trips for the year just so you can relive the story over and over. I'll do that until you stop talking bad about PJ and Julius. OK, PJ was an idiot and Julius will never be a brain surgeon, but Go Heels!
ReplyDeleteBrent
Sheesh, I'm gonna catch hell. I hope, and pray, that I can put you ON a TROPHY FISH of some sort. The memory of those 80+ pound Amberjacks is getting hazy... How about a huge Cobia this year Brent. If my memory is correct, that is one fishery that we haven't tried yet. Plus, I've had real good luck the past couple years putting my very best customers on Cobia. I'd say Brent and Tom Chesebro would be my "most likely" customers to continue that trend. You guys get ready. May will be here before we know it and the Brown Bombers will have the sky full of bucktails!!!!
ReplyDeleteSheesh, I'm gonna catch hell. I hope, and pray, that I can put you ON a TROPHY FISH of some sort. The memory of those 80+ pound Amberjacks is getting hazy... How about a huge Cobia this year Brent. If my memory is correct, that is one fishery that we haven't tried yet. Plus, I've had real good luck the past couple years putting my very best customers on Cobia. I'd say Brent and Tom Chesebro would be my "most likely" customers to continue that trend. You guys get ready. May will be here before we know it and the Brown Bombers will have the sky full of bucktails!!!!
ReplyDelete