May 31- More Cobia Fishing

Starting to sound like a broken record . Perfect bait. Perfect tide. Perfect weather. Huge fleet of boats at Cape Lookout and no one was catching any Cobia . Suddenly we get a bite and a Cobia pops up . He wasn't as substantial as yesterday's but still a keeper. After a quick tussle, Mr Cobia is laying on ice. It feels good when it seems like we're sacking up the fleet 2 days in a row. However, I would much rather see 10-15 other boats catch 2-3 Cobia while I get my 6-8 Cobia.... Winning one to nothing is nice, but we need more action.  We really need more action because Cobia Fishing is getting real old real quick! No one is even catching the "cool" Sharks right now. Even the Cobia Fishing bycatch has become very boring the past 2 days. The star of today were the Southern Eagle Rays that fight like hell and kept hurting our feelings.... Total Catch for the Day: 1 Cobia at 18lbs, 2 Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks at 7 lbs, 2 Spiny Butterfly Rays up to 40 lbs, and 8 Southern Eagle Rays from 30-40 lbs each

May 30- Making It Count

Considering....... The tide was perfect. We had freshly caught perfect bait. It was nice and overcast and cool. I anchored up right where I wanted to....... I would've thought that Tom and I would've had a great day of bait fishing for Cobia! Well, it was SSLLOOWW....... Out of the 15 other boats at Cape Lookout, I saw 1 undersized Cobia caught. I saw very few "cool" Sharks caught. I saw very few Stingrays caught. All things considered, I'd say we did pretty damn good on a slow morning...... (Now before a bunch of Anonymous Internet Fish Killing Mystery Men attack me and say "Oh shit man, You suck because I sight casted 24 Cobia, 6 over 50, and 2 in the 90's to the Western)  Well, great. We went BAIT FISHING at CAPE LOOKOUT and it was SLOW in the immediate vicinity of where I was FISHING..... We did have a Junior Cobia Cub rise up on a Stingray and after tooling with live and dead Shad, he ate a bucktail. As I released him, I reminisced about all the little one's we eat at Hatteras that fall prey to the Summertime Drift Gillnet Fishery. What a shame, but damn good eating..... Anyway, after a Shark and a Spiny Butterfly Ray. I set the hook on a mystery bite. I quickly pass the rod to Tom. It's didn't do the traditional "Cobia Things" but after 15 times back and forth deep behind my Suzuki, he rose up off the Port Stern headed for open Ocean. It took me a minute to comprehend the conflict of Shape and Color. Suddenly I figured it out! It was a Monster Cobia AND it was a Calico Cobia. Unfortunately, after death his wonderful "Calico-ness" faded to brown........ This guy fought the good fight for 20 minutes and never had over 100 feet of string out. I finally got a gaff in his head and Tom dropped the rod in a holder and sunk gaff #2 in his rear flank. One mighty heave and "OUR ONE GOOD BITE" turned into Tom's first big Cobia, Tom's second Cobia of the Day, Tom's first Calico Cobia, Tom's first NC Citation, and Tom's NEXT GREAT MEAL...... After that, the next 2 hours were uneventful. Our rallying cry was "You Gotta Know When To Quit"....Hell he could've been halfway to South Carolina if we knew when to quit...... I summarize today's Cape Lookout Incoming and High Tide Report. Fishing sucked. One Boat got One Good Bite. That was us today. (and YES I do realize that I don't know everything and I couldn't see everything) As far as I know, there was 2 small Cobia released and one 73 lb Calico Cobia killed on the morning's incoming tide....... Total Catch for the Day: 2 Cobia up to 73 lbs, 3 Spiny Butterfly Rays up to 60 lbs, 1 Southern Eagle Ray at 70 lbs and 1 Atlantic Sharpnose Shark at 6 lbs

May 25- Tuggy's Trip for Tasty Bottom Fish

Capt Tuggy set sail today and headed east to avoid the mad rush to the west. We like catching fish, not rolling the dice. Heading west and all the eggs in the "Cobia Basket" can be great, But.... But.... But.... If it doesn't happen, I can guarantee you that there is more to do to the east. The Shoals at Cape Lookout are capable of saving any day and then the Wrecks are strung out over there too and they get less pressure than the Yellow Ball Wrecks and the other WWII wrecks to the Southwest.... Today, the boys probably would've done okay to the SW, but the Captain went East instead. After spending a little time on the Shoals, this crew decided to spend their time livebaiting and bottom fishing. They ended up with a pretty catch of tasty bottom critters and released a couple of large Sharks. Capt Tuggy reports that they had their shot at a 25 lb Cobia but it refused to eat a bait. Damn I hate when that happens. Nice catch of Triggers and Sea Bass. That's as good as it gets on a fried platter! Total Catch for the Day: 25 Black Sea Bass up to 3 lbs, 14 Gray Triggerfish up to 3 lbs, a 20 lb Amberjack, 2 Spanish Mackerel, 1 Bluefish, 5 Vermilion Snapper, 10 Spottail Pinfish, 2 Sandbar Sharks up to 70 lbs, and a 60 lb Southern Stingray

May 25- Spanish Blitz

This morning I went out searching for Cobia in the productive waters of Raleigh Bay off Hatteras Island. Meanwhile, while I scoured the Graveyard of the Atlantic, 60 miles to the south, Capt Tuggwell set sail on the Top Water Boat...... Yeap, Capt Tuggy and I were double dipping today! As far as my day went, Keith and I spent 4 hours on his 21 foot Carolina Skiff searching for his first Cobia. We were unsuccessful.... We did get into a nice school of Spanish Mackerel off the Frisco Beach. It was every cast on metal lures. We got an ice bag full of Mackerel. I just cleaned 18 of them. Thanks to our Oiler, Gary Cooper Jr, we are having a fish fry tonight on the Ferry Boat! Other than the Mackerel, we also caught Bluefish, Menhaden, and a Blacktip Shark. Our most exciting moment happened in the skinny, dirty water right on Diamond Shoals when an adult Leatherback Turtle surfaced right ahead of our boat. A perfect Cobia Sight Casting opportunity! I can not imagine a better scenario! Unbelievably, the water  was too dirty and the sky was too cloudy to see if any Cobia were with the Turtle? They had to be there! Regardless, I cast my bucktail. Perfect Cast! I instantly got a hit and my rod bowed! Hell Yeah. Unfortunately, the drag never slipped and the rod tip soon telegraphed the "all too familiar" throb throb throb that tipped off my opponents identity. A 2 lb Bluefish. Damn. We spent the next 20 minutes searching for that Turtle. It was unsuccessful..... Soon afterwards we ran back to Hatteras Inlet. Along the way, we found 2 baitballs. The Right One's Baby. Menhaden. Unfortunately (again) no COBIA. I snagged a few Pogies and I hooked up 2 small Blacktip Sharks. These guys are always welcome on my line. I love them. I released one Shark and the other one escaped. That was it. We ran for home. After cutting out 36 Mackerel fillets, I'm now laying in my bunk. Waiting for Tuggwell's report. Hopefully a Cobia. Hopefully a NC Citation. Hopefully a 100 lb Shark release. Hopefully 4 happy anglers. Happy Memorial Day everyone, whenever it is! Total Catch for the Day: 22 Spanish Mackerel up to 24oz, 4 Bluefish up to 2 lbs, 3 Atlantic Menhaden, and a 7 lb Blacktip Shark

Bobby G in the House and WHY ME?

As I sit up here in Hatteras, the Cobia War rages on........ Yesterday, my Brother-in-Law, Bryan was TOP HOOK with this massive 80 lb Cobia. Bryan is a well known TV Personality and host of Down East Outdoors. Bryan isn't a "hardcore Cobia addict" like many of us and you are more likely to find him in the Marsh playing with Puppy Drum, Flounder, and Speckled Trout....... But, as the saying goes, "Every Dog has his Day"...... Yesterday, in windy conditions, he flat out made it happen. Congratulations Bro!

Bryan can be found at: www.nativeguide.net

MID SEASON COBIA REPORT

Well here it is....... I think I've done as well as anyone. I totally botched a couple of things.....  I had a day where we saw 40+ Cobia and couldn't catch but ONE! We had a day where we should've fished BAIT and we spent the entire trip SIGHTCASTING to nothing...... Other than that, in 9 Trips dedicated to Cobia Fishing, we have landed 27 Cobia including 2 over 80 lbs. Anyone want to challenge those numbers as of May 20th in the am?????? Capt Aaron Kelly doesn't count. He is the COBIA JESUS......

Lots of open dates when I get back from Hatteras. I expect the Bait Fishing to hold up nicely and I expect the other options while Cobia Fishing to pick up momentum (Jacks and Groupers)

May 28-June 1. Call Me. Let's Go

May 19- Return to Stupid

 ***Weight Updated***

Yesterday morning...... Well, its a long story. I had a trip, but not a real trip. I was exhausted. Sunday night, I laid down at 5pm and never rolled over to 630am. My anglers never called the night before and I knew Small Craft Advisories and NE wind was forecasted. I also had lots of grass to cut, bags to pack, personal business to attend to, and needed to rest my aching body and burnt lip...... Anyway, we canceled the trip as I laid in bed and my anglers sat at the boat ramp looking for me.... It was a mutual decision.... Well, I got up cut grass, handled my business, and visited my parents..... As morning turned to afternoon, the wind slacked up and the sun was shining bright. I couldn't take it...... My mind struggled with the decision. But my "stupid fishing brain center" won out and I launched the Top Water Boat...... I immediately ran to the east and up on a skinny shoal I found a Shark and a Cobia cruising together. I made a cast and for the first time ever, except around baitballs, the Shark charged ahead of the Cobia and ate the damn bucktail. Damn. After a pop off by the boat, I renewed my search. East of Shark Island I saw 6 Cobias and got one to bite. It wasn't a big one and I quickly dispatched him. After a 30 minute drought, I started to feel like I made a mistake by coming out. My lip was pounding, even under the duct tape..... (Those that know----KNOW).... So I headed home. As I slipped off the westside of the Shoals a brown shape caught my eye. Pushing up against whitewater was 2 fat ass Cobia. I made a fair cast and the largest one pounced! Damn, finally. A long battle and chase ensued. I actually gaffed this one 3/4 of a mile form the hook-up spot. I actually had my camera on the boat too so I was able to do a self-portrait. No doubt, this is my largest Cobia of the Year. Not as big as Tuggwell's duo, but not a bad one..... I will try to get an actual weight later this morning. Lots to do today. Gotta head to Hatteras. My apology to my anglers this morning. I messed this up again, we should've gone fishing. Oh well, I can still ruin someone's day even on a Citation Cobia Day..... Total Catch for the Day: 2 Cobia up to 71 lbs and a 45 lb Blacktip Shark

May 18- WRONG WRONG WRONG

Today we went sightcasting when we should've went bait fishing....... It was truly the first time in my career that I went so "ALL IN" that I took all my bait gear off the boat..... Bad Bad Move. In reality, after 4-5 hours of riding and looking, we had already missed the "best of the bait fishing".... Our other mistake was that we worked east to west....... No way to predict this. If we would've hit the Cobia to the east in the morning, we would've been heros..... As it was, the "day-salvaging" Red Drum and Bluefish on the Shoals that could've bailed us out, were too far away too late in the day..... Our only salvation was the "Big Time Guides" rolled up zeros too. Even the famous networking team of really great fishermen that is so well known. I aint worried about what those guys do, they are going to get their share, but it is interesting that their 5-6 boats that covered 400+ miles saw NO COBIA therefore I feel better about our 70 mile "NO JOY RIDE"..... I hate it for David though. He came a long ways and never picked up a rod. Total Catch for the Day: NOTHING

May 17- Bait Fishing in the Cobia Fleet

This morning saw way too much NW wind for the Weekend Spanish and Yellow Bouy Fleets to do their usual thing, so wouldn't you know it...... They were up in my Hole, crowding the Cape Lookout Cobia Grounds. I'm kidding, but seriously, there was 75 boats anchored up inside the Bight at Cape Lookout soaking baits for Cobia. The wind was NW and was blowing at 20 kts. I probably should've bagged it and went Sight Casting. I must say with the windy forecast, I was looking forward to bait fishing, but I was absolutely stunned when we popped out of the Drain, looked west, and there was 40 boats already anchored up at 7am....... Too many boats really. It really wasn't the Boats anchored so much. But take the Cobia Fleet, add in the mindless Mackerel Trolling Fleet, plus the Joy Riders, and Cape Lookout was ONE BIG CLUSTERF*CK this morning..... Now I can't see everything, but all I saw was 5 Cobia caught and my man Wally caught one of them. Our's was a 45 pounder. We had all the bites we wanted, but only one was the "right one". We also caught a grand variety of Sharks and Rays, from a baby Smooth Dog Shark to a 100 lb Sandbar Shark to a 100 lb Southern Stingray to a 125 lb Spiny Butterfly Ray. All in all, it was a successful day. We tried to run to a Black Drum event around lunchtime, but it was too distant and too windy. So we bagged it...... Total Catch for the Day: 45 lb Cobia, 2 Sandbar Sharks up to 100 lbs, 2 Blacktip Sharks up to 55 lbs, 4 Sharpnose Sharks up to 10 lbs, 1 Smooth Dog Shark at 3 lbs, 1 Southern Stingray at 100 lbs, and 2 Spiny Butterfly Rays up to 125 lbs

My Tribute to C-Bo

And No, Chris didn't die. It's not that kind of Tribute

Actually I'm toasting my boy Chris Chad from "The Island"....... Chris cut his "fishing teeth" the hard way. With me. He didn't even like it really. But over 10 years of riding and catching and soaking in some knowledge, nowadays ole C-Bo is doing it without me and he's doing great! Chris has worked hard and he has been a great success story. Recently married to a great girl, bought a house, bought a boat and he is off and running and fishing on his own. In the past 6 months, he has caught NC Citation King Mackerel, Red Drum, Black Drum, and Cobia. Then came yesterday...... I know those boys looked up my "fishing prowess" for a long time. The proof is on my "Wall of Fame". We spent many an hour staring at my "Citation Wall" with 33 different species represented. I always told Chris 2 things. Every Citation has its story and lots of them were amazing strokes of fate, or luck, or whatever. I also told Chris I had SO MANY damn NC Citations because I fished SO DAMN MANY days a year...... You run into things simply by being out there....... Well, C-bo learned his lessons well. A hunter at heart, C-bo is just learning to love certain fisheries. Cobia Fishing is up there for him. Yesterday, he got me. We both made the decision to go across the Shoals to the eastside.... Running side by side, we approached the first Shoal. Chris offshore, me inshore. Right as we approached the breakers and our slow down point, C-bo pulled up and rolled his boat offshore. Right beside him and in the Tower, I thought to myself, "classic mistake Chrissy Everette". I was seeing Sharks all along the breakers and I figured that C-bo was pulling upo to cast to a Shark. I snickered.......... 20 minutes later, C-bo still wasn't on the eastside. As I figured out that I had wasted my time by going over there, and I plowed back across the Shoals..... Back on the westside, I spied C-bo sitting dead in the water about a 1/4 mile away from the Shoals.... As I approached him (and Ryan) the I could sense from their posture and facial expressions that something big had happened. I also could see a tiny tip of a huge brown tail poking its way out of their cooler. Knowing that the Living Ghost of Capt Marty Moore had been exorcised from C-Bo's Fishing Psyche, I asked "How Big"....... (Obviously big enough you Bastard) C-Bo's expression read...... He carefully thought about it and said 70 pounds...... Like when the Devil Went Down to Georgia, I knew I had been beat..... My only offensive thought left quickly passed through my dark and spiteful mind. "Yeah right" I mumbled. C-Bo wouldn't know a 70 lb Cobia if it was checking his prostrate, I laughed to my self. No matter though, it was big fish and I more than likely wasn't going to top it. 35 years of fishing, a 25 foot Tower Boat, and vast knowledge of Cobia behavior, migration dynamics, understanding of tides, sun, water temperature, the physical layout of the Shoals, the 30 year bank of experience that I possesed, it had all been defeated..... I was "hanging my hat" on C-Bo learning his lesson and all I had left was him misjudging the weight! Pathetic.....

Wouldn't you figure that 17 hours later when Chris finally weighed it, it weighed 67 lbs. I promise you that C-Bo's Killer Cobia weight every bit of (and probably EXACTLY) 70 lbs at live weight..... I made this entire story up as a joke, but the truth is sewn thgrough these words in a dozen different places. C-Bo has came of age and he is a superior fisherman that is now capable of catching anythging that swims. I have complete confidence if he finds a NEW NC STATE RECORD COBIA tomorrow, that he would catch that Cobia. No doubt. Congrats C-Bo on a great fish on a tough day. You are the Man!

May 15- Poor Fishing and/or East Winds

Blame it on something.... Right now, Capt Marty is sucking bad. Did I use up all my GOOD LUCK on Tuesday the 13th? Is it the Full Moon? Was it all Tuggwell's vision and casting? Obviously the Cobia aren't biting as well as they were, but I am getting outfished by some of my pupils. Bad. Today even though the wind direction is "traditionally poor", I always thought I could overcome stuff like that.... Similar to a banana on a boat, the east wind creates a "built-in excuse" and gives everyone a "failure complex"..... Not me, I know thats just BS..... But, there is no arguing the numbers.... Today, in crystal clear water and bright sunshine, I only saw probably 8 Cobia. One of them ate my bucktail and I messed that up. Meanwhile, my Boyzzzzz, while not "Killin it" are catching Cobia. Today, we should've fished bait early and we sightcasted...... Then when we baitfished, the tide was low/falling/dead low...... We wasted the good tide looking to cast. I missed a 50 lb Cobia to set the tone and every decision after that was wrong. My anglers were troopers. Sang threw my cast net as good or better than I could've. He caught 6 dozen baits on a day when alot of hardcore fishermen bought bait.... In the end, it didn't matter. We caught Dog Sharks and a Spiny Butterfly Ray. The crew kept the Ray and cut some beautiful pugs of meat off his wings. The made the best of...... Capt Marty is in a slump and I've lost confidence. I apologize to my clients and hope I haven't discouraged my readers and prospective clients...... The HOT BOAT one day can cool off in a hurry.... And vice versa. I'm taking a much much needed break tomorrow and I hope to return to my old self on Saturday..... Total Catch for the Day: 3 Smooth Dog Sharks up to 24 lbs and a 90 lb Spint Butterfly Ray

May 14- Hero to Zero in 24 hours

Oh what a difference a day makes! Yesterday's Cobias ate the Bucktail. Today's Cobias ran from the Bucktail. Today I saw at least 40 Cobia. We hooked 2 Cobia. Mike landed a 36" Cobia. It was a fantastic day for viewing Marine Life. Sharks especially! Plus, Mike is eating Cobia tonight! Total Catch for the Day: 1 Cobia at 36"

May 13-ACTION PHOTOS

May 13- Epic Morning Sightcasting Cobia

11 Cobia caught by 1030am
14 Cobia total for day
3 NC Citations
55 lb Cobia
82 lb Cobia
85 lb Cobia
HOG SLAUGHTER

Okay, the computer has cleared up (Thanks Mrs Moore)..... I am too sick and too tired to do a "Capt Marty Style" Report. Let's just say: THEY CHEWED...... We were at McDonalds at 1230 for lunch. Unfortunately we went back out and missed a 90+ pound Cobia on the first Leatherback Turtle of the Year..... Tuggwell was "ON FIRE" today. His vision is the best I've ever seen. I was in the Tower and I probably saw 5 he didn't see....... Meanwhile he probably saw 20 that I didn't see, including his 2 80+ pound Cobias..... He earned them. I'm glad he got them.... Tomorrow, expect more of the same... It's On Fire and my phone ain't ringing. Enjoy the Show, fellas. Total Catch for the Day: 14 Cobia from 30" to 85 lbs

May 12- Cobias and Fog

Absolutely NO VIS today. We left the dock at 630am. It finally burned off at 130pm. In the Fog I caught a Atlantic Bonito. We caught a pile of Bluefish and other stuff. Finally, 80 miles later and with the sun barely lighting up the water, we found some Menhaden schools. Once there, we saw 14 Cobia and landed 2. Not good. Not as bad as it sounded though...... The Baitball that had "The Meat" was also teeming with grown Blacktip Sharks. With 6-8 Cobia in plain view, Chris and I both hooked up 125-150 lb Blacktip Sharks..... Thinking huge Cobia for the initial minute, we were in for some heartbreak! After I released another small Blacktip Shark, the Cobia shut down the feed. They teased us wuth one more lap around the baitball and then they disappeared for good. Bittersweet Catch. Looking good moving forward.... Total Catch for the Day: 2 Cobia at 26 and 23 lbs, 40 Bluefish up to 3 lbs, 3 Blacktip Sharks up to 150 lbs, 1 Atlantic Bonito at 4 lbs, 1 Chub Mackerel, 1 Hogfish, 1 Spottail Pinfish, and 10 Black Sea Bass

May 9- The Best 10 Minutes of the Year

To make a long story short...... We Sight Casted to the West when we should've went the East. We looked for bait and were 30 minutes too late. Four hours after leaving the dock we had NO BAIT and NO HOPE. We finally went to Cape Lookout with 8 rotten dead baits from yesterday. Once there, Chris and Ryan gave us 24 of their "day old baits"...... We finally found some action from the big Dog Sharks and a Real Shark too! Then, an hour after we should've been home, I got a tip about a Bait Ball a mile away. Back into the 4-6 foot seas, wind driven Hell Storm we went! Once there, with daylight beginning to fade we FINALLY CAUGHT BAIT. We raced back to my anchor ball just as the tide was peaking! We jettisoned the rotten Menhaden and hooked up with live ones. OH WHAT A DIFFERENCE. I got my third bait out and the first reel started singing. We'd seen this before, he ran like a big ole Dog Shark.... Then the line started rising.... That's a great sign when Cobia Fishing. With a kid that had NO BIG FISH EXPERIENCE on the rod, 25 kts of wind, an anchor line in the way, this was a slug-fest..... The fish passed under the anchor 4 times and refused to budge from under the boat. Slowly but surely Colby hung tough, kept up the pressure, and finally a big brown head popped out from under the boat. I sank the gaff and a moment of celebration broke out..... Then we set our lines back out. What followed was the "Best Bait-Fishing Rally" I've ever seen.... The fish were smaller, but it didn't matter! In the next 10 minutes we probably had 10 Cobia Bites. We hooked eight Cobia. Had one nice Cobia pull off after a head rattling jump right behind the boat. We pulled off another one. We landed a 20 lb Cobia and a 22 lb Cobia. We released 3 Cobia that were literally 32" long. As quickly as it started it was over. We had landed 6 Cobia. Colby's was 48 lbs on the Boga Grip. It was 4-5 hours of the Worst Day Ever followed by Decent Shark Fishing followed by a Really Nice Cobia followed by "The Best 10 Minutes of the Year"..... Total Catch for the Day: 6 Cobia up to 48 lbs, 12 Smooth Dog Sharks up to 25 lbs, 1 Bluefish, and a 10 lb Atlantic Sharpnose Shark

May 8- First Cobia of the Year, ooops

It was a good day for Fishing! Even though the Cobia are a week late. At least the Menhaden have finally showed up in big numbers...... Lt Bob Becker and I fish together every May for his birthday. Four years in a row. It seems like it's always a big failure or its a huge success..... I'm pretty sure that he and I have caught at least 2 NC Citation Cobias together....... On the local Fishing Scene, all the dockside chatter has been about "WHO WOULD CATCH THE FIRST COBIA!" Meaning, who would catch the first Cobia while actually Cobia Fishing...... It's a big deal amongst a few diehards........ Well, 10 minutes after baiting up, there he was! Bingo, a 40 lb Cobia was beside the Boat! Hooked up! Defeated! I had the rod in my hands and Mr Cobia made a lazy run, surfaced, and then allowed himself to be reeled quickly beside the Boat. Then the Plan Fell Apart! It was ALL MY FAULT. I jinxed us.... Bob simply has a "Disaster Complex" back to that later..... I was singing jubliantly and triumphantly annoucing to neighboring boats that "WE GOT THE FIRST KNOWN INSHORE CARTERET COUNTY COBIA"..... It's a Done Deal. The Party had already started in my mind! Suddenly Bob spasmes out and swings the gaff like a 5 wood at Augusta National. Then he raises the steel hook to claim our quarry. Only there is No Cobia hanging on, only the leader that has wrapped itself around the shank of the GAFF. The stunned Cobia still rests quietly by the boat on the surface awaiting death...... With building anxiety and nervous dread, I calmly ask Bob to un-wrap the leader and try again. And then with an calm demeanor and smooth nimble fingers, Bob half-hitches the leader on the damn gaff hook and then pokes our "very important catch" with the gaff for good measure to insure that it makes a last gasp run....POP goes the leader and goodbye Mr Cobia..... (IMPORTANT COBIA of the YEAR----#1 Largest. #2 First. #3 All Others)..... After that, we actually had an incredible amount of action and fishing was interstingly miserable...... But Who cares? Happy Birthday Lt Bob. I apologize for "being epic angry" at you. Bob was a great sport and I honestly apologize for my outburst. I do believe he has a "Self-fulfilling Prophency of Doom and Gloom" and he pysched himself out trying to gaff that Cobia! Anyway, we found World Class Smooth Dog Shark Fishing. A wonderful Banded Rudderfish, and plenty of Bluefish.......By IGFA bylaws, the leader was touched so the Cobia was a technical "Catch and Release". Unfortunately, Bob is eating (some actually beautiful) Dog Shark fillets instead of Cobia Fillets..... Total Catch for the Day: 40 lb Cobia, a 24 oz Banded Rudderfish, 8 Bluefish up to 2 lbs, and 18 Smooth Dogfish up to 25 lbs

May 7- Blow Baby Blow

This morning they fell like dominoes...... Ryan first. The Columbo. Finally Tuggwell drove 90 minutes to say NO. The 15 kt SE wind did them in, plus the cloudy skies. I don't blame them. The Eastside was un-fishable. The Westside has yet to prove to be worth a damn, especially on a SE wind that knocks the Bonito out of the equation. Damn man, this year sucks so far....... Finally, Tuggy and I went to the Mung Holes with my 2 Fly Rods and had a great time playing. Hell we fished from lunch time until 3pm. It was an afternoon of fishing afterall...... Total Catch for the Day: 14 Largemouth Bass and 10 Bluegills

May 3- Incredible Giant Black Drum School

FINALLY A DECENT WEATHER DAY that I was OFF and availiable to fish. And I nearly didn't go. I am so used to NOT GOING...... But Capt Columbus called and told me about a "Black Drum Event" that was taking place on the East Side...... In my 30+ years of fishing, I've seen ONE giant school of adult Black Drum....... So, with a tip that there was a School of Giants about 15 miles away, I grabbed Jeremy and hauled ass.... When we got to the spot, our information was 3 hours old..... Seemed like a big task to find them.... Then, SHAZAM. there they were. Shining like a pot of gold coins in the green Ocean. We approached them and found app 800 adult Black Drum swimming steadily towards Chesapeake Bay. After a few struggles with break offs, we got it figured out and started to land them. We put our limit in the boat. I got a 38 lb Black Drum for the grill and Jeremy got a 55 lb Black Drum for a NC Citation. I released 5 others from 35 to 50 lbs each and Jeremy released a 36 lb Black Drum. The Boga Grip got a work out today and Emma got to lick 7 different Black Drum. She liked the 55 lb Drum the best. That one is headed to Fishtowne Market in Beaufort and will be smoked....... Best Black Drum day ever? Not sure, certainly it was #1 or #2..... Either way, I'm off the snide..... Now, bring on the Bonito or the Cobia. Total Catch for the Day: 7 Black Drum from 35 to 55 lbs each