Top Water Charters Fishing Reports and News Beaufort Morehead City Atlantic Beach Pamlico Sound: April 2014

Saturday, April 19, 2014

April 14-20 HORRIBLE WEATHER CONTINUES

ITS GONNA BLOW and RAIN RIGHT UP TO TIME FOR CAPT MARTY TO GO BACK TO WORK.......

Incredibly, there is still a GALE WARNING and COASTAL FLOOD WARNING POSTED

I offer up apologies to all that follow this blog and I also offer up an apology for the trips that got cancelled. When its winter and its supposed to be COLD, we don't mind fishing in the cold...... In summer and fall when fishing is good, no one minds fishing in the RAIN..... As far as the WIND goes, when it's over 20 knots, its always bad.

With all that being said, and since it's mid-April and Inshore Fishing is slowly coming back to life, COLD, RAIN, or WIND can all by themselves RUIN Inshore Fishing..... And then this week, MY WEEK OFF of course, we get a TRIPLE WHAMMY.

COLD

RAIN

WIND

As far as I can tell, Tuesday is going to be pretty. Quite naturally, that is my First Day back at Hatteras!

Looking ahead, I will get home on April 29 and I should be ready to go. Also I'll be home until May 20 so lets hope three things happen. The Menhaden show up. The Atlantic Bonito show up. And the Cobia show up. Capt Tuggy and I are ready to go get them!

Monday, April 14, 2014

April 13- BLUE CATFISH HEAVEN on the PEE DEE RIVER

Right this minute I am sitting by a fire pit on Morrow Mountain so this report is going to brief... It will pack some "WOW FACTOR" though..... So this morning I fished the Pee Dee River with Robbie Burr and needless to say, Robbie is everything the Internet says he is...... Nowadays, that's a mighty fine compliment! My 4 hours was spent catching White Shad and Blue Catfish. In the first hour, I equalled my previous "lifetime" total of White Shad with Robbie. Between the two of us, we caught 8 Shad from 2-4 lbs each. Good eating I said..... Catfish bait Robbie said...... After we left the Shad, Robbie put out a spread of cut Shad baits and 10 minutes later I was holding a 42 lb Blue Catfish. Routine. It takes a 70 lber to excite this Captain. Meanwhile THIS CAPTAIN was texting Columbo as fast as I could..... The next 2 hours saw a slow, but steady parade of 28 lb to 35 lb Blue Cats.... I needed one for my campfire meal, but I needed a 10 pounder.... Robbie assured me that we'd get one. Sure enough, last spot and our last bite and I catch a 12 lb Blue Catfish that was our dinner guest tonight at Morrow Mountain State Park! Total Catch for the Day: 7 Blue Catfish from 12 to 42 lbs each and 8 White Shad from 2 to 4 lbs each

Sunday, April 6, 2014

April 6- Eastern NC Shad Tour

I don't have time for the long version, so here's a short summary. It was cold and blustery. The Rivers were high. I fished 3 places on the Tar River and one spot on the Neuse. At times it was a struggle. There was one flurry at Old Sparta when I caught 15 Hickory Shad in 20 minutes. Much later at Rocky Mount, I caught 3 White Shad in an hour. Other that, it was a struggle. Total Catch for the Day: 22 Hickory Shad up to 2 lbs and 3 White Shad up to 3 lbs

Friday, April 4, 2014

Dog Shark Bites--DELICIOUS

Okay, here it is...... You guys ain't going to believe this but here goes. Yesterday John Boy and I kept 6 Spiny Dog Sharks. We cleaned them. The amount of meat derived from a Dog Shark seemed a little slack, considering each one weighed about 7 lbs...... Anyway, with 3 fish each, both John Boy and I had plenty of meat. If anyone wants to try this, I'd recommend killing at least 3 Dog Sharks.... Anyway, my first impression was how damn white the freshly cleaned meat is.... It is the cleanest, whitest meat I've ever seen from any animal, reptile, or fish. It is so incredibly white it looks cooked..... Okay, last night I put a ziplock bag of boneless, skinless Dog Shark meat in my refrigerator. No salt, no soak, no nothing.... So tonight at 9pm, 26 hours later, I pulled out 4 pieces of Dog Shark flesh and cut it up in 4"X 1" fingers. I soaked the fingers in milk for 10 minutes. I rolled the fingers in seafood breader. I fried the fingers in a hot oil bath..... Let cool. Made a cocktail sauce...... Walked into the Living Room where my beautiful wife was watching TV. I offered her a fried finger and did not tell her what it was. She ate it and said "Delicious". I said really? I re-entered the kitchen and tried it myself. It is Sooo Damn Good, so damn light. It is indescribable. If you want a "fishy" fish, the one ain't for you. Whiter and Lighter than Flounder. I don't know what else to say. I see why the Dog Shark is one of our most important and heavily regulated Commercial Fish on the US East Coast..... I highly recommend everyone keep a few Dog Sharks this Spring and take them home and fry them up!

April 4- Red Drum in the Cape Lookout Surf

Early this morning I got invited over to Cape Lookout so Buddy could prove to me that a Hickory Shad could be caught in the surf on Fly Tackle in Carteret County! I had seen the pictures, but I wanted.... I needed.... I yearned to see this with my own two eyes.... So, this morning, I grabbed my waders and we made the 10 minute run over to the Eastern Beach. We anchored up and we walked over to the Ocean. Well, Buddy threw his fly 250 times and found no takers.. After watching the first 25 casts failed, I struck out to the south looking for a fishy-looking slough that might hold a Drum or two... What I found was one pretty slough after another. They all looked good! I'd cast a few times and then walk some more..... I look at this Beach all the time from the water. It looks completely different from foot back out to sea.....Anyway, eventually a slough formed parallel to the Beach. Here, after a half mile walk, I saw a flash and a roll of reddish gold. I backed off and made a cast. Bingo. After a long give and take battle on 8# spin, I finally slipped my hand under a 24" Red Drum. Buddy heard my "Whoops and Ahhhh Ooooo Ahhhhssss" and started walking my way. When he got there, I got the go ahead to catch his Red Drum, or "our limit". I quickly hooked up another Red Drum. After landing him and snapping a pic I asked Buddy why he wasn't casting.... "Because I had a Cownose Ray failure" he replied... What? Evidently, Buddy had snagged a Cownose and wasn't quick enough to realize what was happening. His attempt to pop the leader actually popped the connection from Fly Line to his Backing.... Ouch.... Somewhere out in the Ocean there's a Cownose Ray dragging around $169 worth of fly line behind him. That was it. OVER..... Total Catch for the Day: 2 Red Drum at 24" each

Thursday, April 3, 2014

April 3- Spiny Dog Heaven

As long as this wind keeps honking, I guess I should just consider myself lucky to have anglers that are satisfied to catch Dog Sharks. Really now, they are numerous. They pull hard. And, supposedly they are great eating. At this time, they are one of NC's most regulated commercial fisherys. Our "Horndogs" support the local pub favorite "Fish and Chips" that is so famous and popular all across Great Britain as well as other parts of Europe. They long ago fished out their inshore/ nearshore tasty Shark species, the Tope.... Now they rely on imported Dog Sharks from the US East Coast..... So today, JohnBoy wanted to pursue Bullet Mackerel, but it's blowing a "Pops Cod".... So we went Dogging instead. Two things were different: #1 JohnBoy played with ultralight spinning tackle. As a matter of fact, we each caught 10 lb Spiny Dogs on 4# test mono. It was great fun but we lost some tackle as well. JohnBoy and I also discussed the possibility of eating some Dog Shark Meat. We decides to keep 6 Dog Sharks for the table. I'm on my way to help JohnBoy clean our quarry as soon as I post this! I will report later on the quality and taste of "Beaufort style Fish and Chips" Total Catch for the Day: 22 Spiny Dog Sharks from 5 to 11 lbs each

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

April 2- Dogsharks in the Wind

If only the wind would've held off for 5-6 more hours..... If only the timing of the NWS Marine Forecast would've been accurate...... I know (knew) exactly where there is (was) a pile of Red Drum and Bluefish. But, it's a long ride from Beaufort Inlet and with a 20 kt SW Wind blowing on us all the way out there AND a 20 kt SW Wind blowing on our "other" side all the way home, it was consensus opinion of the Adults on the Crew to come up with a Back Up Plan..... Fortunately, the primary mission of this trip was for 9 yr old John Jr to catch some FISH. Action was our primary target and plenty of it! Too bad, if the wind would've stayed light and seas 1-2 ft, I could've made everyone happy.... Daggone it, it was blowing 15-20 at 7am. so, to make a long story short, Kevin and Big John had to amuse themselves while John Jr shagged Dog Sharks.... The other bad part was, there were no Drum fillets to carry home. Just great memories of bent rods, singing drags, and Shark after Shark after Shark. And the weather inside the Cape Lookout Bight was Beautiful. Any question as to the fishing was answered 10 seconds after Kevin's speck rig hit the bottom. His rod took a deep bend and it was Game On..... After 20+ Spiny Dog Sharks we went looking for Blowtoads and Sea Mullets. We searched from Cape Lookout to Morehead City. We found a few fish, but nothing great. Finally, I rolled the dice on a Top-Secret school of Red Drum in a very different environment than where we'd been fishing. After a long run, when we arrived, there was another boat sitting in "the Spot" and that fishery was bombed out..... Those fish were surely victims of the Information Super Highway. The Internet. Poor little school of Red Drum can't hide from Al Gore's all-knowing, all-seeing, no more secrets Fishing "Inter" Network. It's amazing that a guy with a Laptop Computer sitting at a Base Camp on Antarctica can see and recognize backgrounds on Fishing Pictures posted on the Internet and figure out exactly WHERE he needs to go to catch a fish... Well, maybe not. But you can certainly figure out where they WERE....... Total Catch for the Day: 24 Spiny Dogsharks from 4 to 12 lbs, 3 Smooth Dogsharks from 4 to 12 lbs, 1 Southern Sea Mullet, 1 Atlantic Croaker, and 1 Spot

*** I am still researching John Jr's dark-colored Dogshark to see if it was just a darker than normal Spiny Dogshark or if it was a true "Black Dogshark" which would be a NEW SPECIES for Top Water Charters...***

John Jr boldly commented, "No Comment !!!!"

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

April 1- Fishing Fools Day

Heck, I didn't get to go. Chris and Ryan caught 60 Bluefish, 2 Red Drum, and 18 Black Sea Bass. More interesting, they saw a Thresher Shark or two airing it out..... Tomorrow morning John, John Jr, and I are headed out. I hope that by tomorrow night I will be posting pics of little John smiling again... What if this time he's standing proudly over a 100 lb Thresher Shark! Why not? If Capt Marty can make it happen. I do remember that Thresher Shark was excellent quality on the grill! I need to check and see if they're legal right now because I will be going after them!

Check back tomorrow and remember, April 3, April 4, April 5, April 6, and April 7 are OPEN for FISHING and EXCELLENT for CATCHING

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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.***.